The Original Meaning of the Yijing

This is an invaluable contribution to East Asian Confucian studies. Joseph A. Adler has rendered Zhu Xi’s commentary on the Scripture of Changes accessible and engaging. His impeccable scholarship and long devotion to Zhu Xi’s thought shines throughout. This is a masterpiece relevant to our times as we seek mutually enhancing human-Earth relations. – Mary Evelyn Tucker, translator and editor of The Philosophy of QiGuided by Adler’s sure and experienced hand, English-speaking scholars of the Yijing will now have access to a well-crafted, fully annotated, and authoritative translation of Zhu Xi’s celebrated commentary on the Yijing. Among its many virtues, the translation unflinchingly addresses difficulties with the “fragmentary, cryptic, and exceedingly obscure” parts of the text that many Western translators have chosen to ignore or downplay. This magnificent achievement is indispensable for anyone seeking to understand the evolution of the Yijing. – Richard J. Smith, author of Fathoming the Cosmos and Ordering the World: The Yijing (I Ching, or Classic of Changes) and Its Evolution in ChinaJoseph Adler’s new translation of the Yijing and Zhu Xi’s interlinear commentary deeply enriches our understanding of both texts. Here the two engage in a sort of dialogue across the centuries—with Zhu’s commentary illuminating and giving meaning to the Yijing even as the Yijing gives shape to Zhu’s influential philosophical vision. – Daniel K. Gardner, author of Confucianism: A Very Short IntroductionThanks to Professor Adler’s careful and thoughtful rendition, The Original Meaning of the Yijing (Zhouyi benyi) of Zhu Xi is now available to readers who are interested in divination as a tool to come to terms with the complexity of everyday life. – Tze-ki Hon, City University of Hong KongA welcome addition to the text and history of the Yijing. – Peter K. Bol, Harvard UniversityThis book is an important milestone for specialists of the Changes, but it also represents a meaningful help for its users. * Dao *Superbly crafted… . A highly recommended book. * Religious Studies Review *

Zhu Xi (1130–1200), the most influential Chinese philosopher of the past two thousand years, was a crucial figure in the systematization of Neo-Confucian thought.

Joseph A. Adler is professor emeritus of Asian studies and religious studies at Kenyon College. He is the author of Reconstructing the Confucian Dao: Zhu Xi’s Appropriation of Zhou Dunyi (2014) and The Yijing: A Guide (2022), among other works.