Translation of the given content to English: Chinese Classical Masterpieces Translation and Annotation Series (First Series) -- I Ching

Author: Xu Qitang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: The I Ching is an ancient philosophical work cloaked in religious superstition, preserving the rich naive dialectical views of our ancestors. Starting from the concept of "the unity of yin and yang is called the Way," it posits that the movement and change of things are endless, and further speculates that when things develop to a certain extent, they will transform into their opposites. It proposes philosophical propositions such as "When things reach their limit, they must change; when they change, they find a way" and "When heaven and earth undergo transformation, the four seasons are formed; the revolutions of Tang and Wu followed the heavens and responded to the people." It holds that the development of things is essentially a process moving from contradiction toward harmony and continuous cyclical repetition.
The study of the I Ching is one of the most popular topics in the history of Chinese thought and culture. Over thousands of years, there have been thousands of works dedicated to interpreting and commenting on the I Ching, which can be broadly divided into two schools: the yi li (philosophical interpretation) school and the xi shu (symbolic and numerical) school. The xi shu school studies the I Ching by employing the transformations of the eight trigrams and other mystical methods to predict the future, uncover the mysteries of the universe, and seek auspiciousness while avoiding misfortune, thereby fulfilling human desires. In contrast, the yi li school views the I Ching as a purely philosophical work, using rational philosophical methods to explore the laws of natural and social development.
As the earliest extant philosophical work in China, the I Ching has had a profound influence on the development of traditional Chinese culture. The metaphysical cosmology it proposes has become the way of thinking in traditional Chinese thought. Every field of China's traditional culture is built upon the fundamental theories of the I Ching, and ancient Chinese scholarship in almost every category can trace its origins to this work. The I Ching was regarded as a classic by the Confucian school during the Warring States period and has been revered as the "supreme of the six classics" for over two thousand years thereafter. At the same time, it is also a classic cherished by the Taoist school.
Therefore, studying and understanding the I Ching is of great significance for better grasping traditional Chinese philosophical thought and comprehending ancient Chinese culture. This is also the purpose and original intention behind our translation and interpretation of the I Ching.