I Ching -- Basic Collection of Chinese Family Classics

Author: Jin Jicang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-01-01
Features: "After years of practice, at the age of fifty, one can learn the I Ching without making major mistakes." — Analects, Chapter 1. From the historical stories and customs systems in the hexagram and line texts, we know these are records from the early Western Zhou period. Many of the records are disjointed, probably because several divination texts were compiled together. At that time, the divination officials edited the hexagram and line texts in the order of the hexagrams and lines, forming the Book of Changes." The character "I" means "simple and easy," referring to the fact that divination methods are simpler than divination methods. — Zhu Ziqing, Classics for the People
A nation's culture has its source and flow. Among the least, it is essential that the broad masses of the people know what the true source of traditional Chinese culture is and what its fundamental flow is. As publishers, we have no need to explore this issue, but we have the obligation to present publications that reflect the essence and mainstream of traditional Chinese culture to the people. Thus, there is this series, Essential Book Collection for Chinese Families. This is a publishing plan that is almost boundless, but it reflects the sincere hearts of us as publishers. We know that the Chinese family is the fundamental unit of Chinese culture. If the Chinese cultural family possesses the fundamental classics and representative works of the Chinese nation, then it will certainly help promote our excellent national culture and forge our great national spirit. This is the original intention behind publishing this series. Therefore, this series is based on classic traditional cultural masterpieces and is divided into six volumes:
Volume 1: Classics of the Hundred Schools of Thought
This includes 16 pre-Qin foundational works such as the Book of Songs, the Book of Changes, the Analects, the Mencius, the Han Feizi, and others. They are the source of life for the Chinese nation. Zhang Zhidong said, "Pre-Qin writings are worth a thousand gold." This accurately summarizes the pre-Qin works of the Hundred Schools of Thought.
Volume 2: Selected Works of Famous Poets and Writers
This includes personal selected works of 21 renowned literary figures such as Tao Yuanming, Wang Wei, Li Bai, Du Fu, and Yuan Haowen. These selected works are centered around Tang and Song Dynasty literary masters, representing the highest achievements of Chinese lyrical literature.
Volume 3: Masterpieces of Historiography
This includes the Zuo Zhuan, the Four Histories, and the Zizhi Tongjian. They are the essence of Chinese historiography. To understand history, one must start with these works.
Volume 4: Comprehensive Selected Works
This includes Tang Dynasty poetry, Song Dynasty ci poetry, Yuan Dynasty qu poetry, the Thousand-Family Poems, and the Essentials of Classical Chinese. These are all tested and renowned selected works, intended to broadly supplement the shortcomings of the Selected Works of Famous Poets and Writers in representing the essence of Chinese literature and poetry.
Volume 5: Notes and Miscellaneous Works
This includes 15 widely accepted miscellaneous works from the Three-Character Classic to the Zeng Guofan Family Letters. In fact, they embody the deeper connotations of the excellent culture of the Chinese nation.
Volume 6: Dramas and Novels
This includes 18 dramas and novels from the Romance of the West Chamber to the four great classical novels. These represent the peak of Chinese literary creation. To a certain extent, they are like the Three-Character Classic in that they contain the fundamental spiritual nourishment that has nurtured the Chinese people.
To be responsible to readers, we do not seek immediate success in publishing but adopt a strategy of publishing in installments to gradually build a scale. We do not aim for economic benefits from a single book or time but strive to continuously expand our readership. Our hearts are in harmony with the broad readership, so we are certain to have a wide market.
The Book of Changes was originally a book of divination, but it contains profound philosophical content. Through the evolution from the Classics to the Commentaries, the Book of Changes rose from a book of divination to a philosophical work. Its ideas have had an extremely profound influence on the history of Chinese scholarship, thought, and even the way Chinese people think. The Book of Changes consists of 64 hexagrams, which later generations divided into the Upper Canon and the Lower Canon. The Upper Canon has 30 hexagrams, and the Lower Canon has 34. The Upper Canon reveals the laws of nature, while the Lower Canon reveals the laws of humanity. In reality, the Book of Changes speaks of the timing of heaven, meaning it speaks of humanity. Heaven and humanity are almost indistinguishable in the Book of Changes.
The Book of Changes speaks of the "Three Natures" (heaven, earth, and humanity). Those who interpret the Book of Changes believe that each hexagram has six lines because it is related to the relationship between heaven and humanity. The laws of heaven are yin and yang, the laws of earth are soft and hard, and the laws of humanity are benevolence and righteousness. The Book of Changes encompasses the three natures and the two aspects, hence the six lines.
The logical thinking of the Book of Changes is that first comes heaven and earth, then all things, then men and women. Just as all things are born of the old, so too are men and women.