The '' or "Book of Changes" is the oldest of the Chinese Classic Texts . It describes an ancient system of Cosmology and Philosophy which is at the heart of Chinese cultural beliefs. The philosophy centers on the ideas of ''the dynamic balance of opposites'', ''the evolution of events as a process,'' and ''acceptance of the inevitability of change'' (see ''Philosophy'', below). In Western cultures, the ''I Ching'' is regarded by some as simply a system of Divination ; many believe it expresses the wisdom and philosophy of Ancient China .
- 易 (''yì''), when used as an adjective, means "easy" or "simple", while as a verb it implies "to change".
- 經 (''jīng'') here means "classic (text)", which derived from its original meaning of "regularity" or "persistency", implying that the text describes the Ultimate Way which will not change throughout the flow of time.
The conception behind this title, thus, is profound. It has three implications:
# ''Simplicity'' - the root of the substance. The fundamental law underlying everything in the universe is utterly plain and simple, no matter how abstruse or complex some things may appear to be.
# ''Variability'' - the use of the substance. Everything in the universe is continually changing. By comprehending this one may realize the importance of flexibility in life and may thus cultivate the proper attitude for dealing with a multiplicity of diverse situations.
# ''Persistency'' - the essence of the substance. While everything in the universe seems to be changing, among the changing tides there is a persistent principle, a central rule, which does not vary with space and time.
(易一名而含三義：易簡一也；變易二也；不易三也。 commented on by Zheng Xuan (鄭玄 ''zhèng xúan'') in his writings ''Critique of I Ching'' (易贊 ''yì zàn'') and ''Commentary on I Ching'' (易論 ''yì lùn'') of Eastern Han Dynasty ).
Due to the profound ideas conveyed by the title itself, it is practically impossible to arrive at an unbiased translation which could preserve the original concepts intact. The translation of the title into English used to be ''Book of Changes'', though a slightly more accurate name, ''Classic of Changes'', appears more frequently in recent use.
The text of the ''I Ching'' describes each of the 64 hexagrams, and later scholars added commentaries and analyses of each one; these have been subsumed into the text comprising the ''I Ching''.
Each hexagram's common translation is accompanied by the corresponding R. Wilhelm translation, which is the source for the Unicode names.
|
| Hexagram | R. Wilhelm |
|---|
| Retreat |
| Great Power |
| Progress |
| Darkening of the Light |
| The Family |
| Opposition |
| Obstruction |
| Deliverance |
| Decrease |
| Increase |
| Breakthrough |
| Coming to Meet |
| Gathering Together |
| Pushing Upward |
| Oppression |
| The Well |
| Revolution |
| The Cauldron |
| Arousing |
| The Keeping Still |
| Development |
| The Marrying Maiden |
| Abundance |
| The Wanderer |
| The Gentle |
| The Joyous |
| Dispersion |
| Limitation |
| Inner Truth |
| Small Preponderance |
| After Completion |
| Before Completion |
|
The hexagrams, though, are mere mnemonics for the philosophical concepts embodied in each one. The philosophy centres around the ideas of ''balance through opposites'' and ''acceptance of change''.
The hexagram symbols range from U+4DC0 – U+4DFF (19904 – 19967) in
Unicode .
Gradations of binary expression based on yin and yang -- old yang, old yin, young yang or young yin (see the ''divination'' paragraph below) -- are what the hexagrams are built from. Yin and yang, while common expressions associated with many schools known from classical Chinese culture, are especially associated with the
Taoist s.
Another view holds that the ''I Ching'' is primarily a
Confucianist ethical or philosophical document. This view is based upon the following:
- The Wings or Appendices are attributed to Confucius.
- The study of the ''I Ching'' was required as part of the Civil Service Exams. These exams only studied Confucianist texts.
- It is one of the Five Confucian Classics.
- It does not appear in any surviving editions of the Dao Zheng .
- The major commentaries were written by Confucianists, or Neo-Confucianists.
Both views may be seen to show that the ''I Ching'' was at the heart of Chinese thought, serving as a common ground for the Confucian and Taoist schools. Partly forgotten due to the rise of Chinese Buddhism during the
Tang Dynasty , the ''I Ching'' returned to the attention of scholars during the
Song Dynasty . This was concomitant with the reassessment of Confucianism by Confucians in the light of Taoist and Buddhist
Metaphysics , and is known in the West as
Neo-Confucianism . The book, unquestionably an ancient Chinese scripture, helped Song Confucian thinkers to synthesize Buddhist and Taoist cosmologies with Confucian and Mencian
Ethics . The end product was a new
Cosmogony that could be linked to the so-called "lost Tao" of
Confucius and
Mencius .
