The Yi Jing (I Ching or Book of Changes) is a classic in Chinese literature that provides a philosophy and also a practical way to anticipate the future by means of divination. Most students of the Yi Jing have focused on one aspect and ignored the other. Historically, advances in classical Chinese culture were made by academics, not by diviners. Modern Chinese scholars study this classic for the wealth of its philosophical thought and literary style in the same manner they study other Confucian classics. In the West, since its introduction in the eighteenth century, however, it has aroused more interest as an aid for divination, like Tarot, than as a work of scholarship or philosophy. This book integrates these long separated strands.

Working with the original text and with the historical treatments of the Yi Jing in both Chinese and Western culture, Dr. Wu has translated and annotated this ancient classic for students and serious readers. He corrects past misinterpretations, omissions, and foreign ideas that were introduced to the original text. He provides the reader useful charts and commentaries, making this the most unified, comprehensive, and detailed explanation of the Yi Jing.