I Ching

Definition

The Chinese Book of Changes (易經), a divination system based on 64 hexagrams — six-line figures formed by broken (yin) and unbroken (yang) lines — accompanied by ancient interpretive texts.

Origin

The I Ching's core hexagram system dates to the Western Zhou dynasty (c. 1000 BCE). The Ten Wings, a set of commentaries attributed to Confucius and his school, were added by the Han dynasty (c. 200 BCE), producing the canonical form.

Development

Traditional consultation uses yarrow stalks (manually counted in a complex ritual) or three coins (faster). Each method generates a hexagram, sometimes with changing lines pointing to a second hexagram. Modern apps replicate the random-generation step.

In Practice

Frame a clear question. Generate a hexagram by yarrow or coin method. Read the hexagram's judgement and image texts, then any changing-line texts, then the resulting hexagram. The reading describes the current situation's dynamics and likely development.

Deeper Reading

Richard Wilhelm's 1923 German translation (with Carl Jung's foreword) introduced the I Ching to the West and shaped Western divinatory philosophy. Jung used the I Ching as the primary example of synchronicity — meaningful coincidence — in his late-career writings.

See Also

• Yi Jing
• Book of Changes
• Zhouyi
• I Ging
• 易經