The Classic of Changes
A New Translation of the I Ching as Interpreted by Wang Bi
$107.11
- Paperback
602 pages
- Release Date
31 March 2004
Summary
Used in China as a book of divination and source of wisdom for more than three thousand years, the I Ching has been taken up by millions of English-language speakers in the nineteenth century. The first translation ever to appear in English that includes one of the major Chinese philosophical commentaries, the Columbia I Ching presents the classic book of changes for the world today.
Richard Lynn’s introduction to this new translation explains the organization of The Classic of Changes through the history of its various parts, and describes how the text was and still is used as a manual of divination with both the stalk and coin methods. For the fortune-telling novice, he provides a chart of trigrams and hexagrams; an index of terms, names, and concepts; and a glossary and bibliography.
Lynn presents for the first time in English the fascinating commentary on the I Ching written by Wang Bi (226-249), who was the main interpreter of the work for some seven hundred years. Wang Bi interpreted the I Ching as a book of moral and political wisdom, arguing that the text should not be read literally, but rather as an expression of abstract ideas. Lynn places Wang Bi’s commentary in historical context.
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780231082952 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0231082959 |
| Author: | Richard John Lynn |
| Publisher: | Columbia University Press |
| Imprint: | Columbia University Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 602 |
| Release Date: | 31 March 2004 |
| Weight: | 652g |
| Dimensions: | 33mm x 126mm x 219mm |
| Series: | Translations from the Asian Classic |
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Critics Review
“This new translation is welcome because of its crisp usage of modern-day English… Highly recommended.” – Library Journal
“This is the best I Ching that has so far appeared.” - Times Literary Supplement (London); “The best entry into an I Ching world we have so far.” - Shambala Sun; “This, I would suggest, is the single best introduction to the Yijing currently available.” - Kidder Smith, Philosophy East & West”
Richard John Lynn
Richard John Lynn has a Ph.D. in Chinese from Stanford University. Acclaimed as one of the outstanding translators of our time, he has taught at the University of California, Berkeley; Auckland University; and the University of British Columbia. He is currently professor of Chinese thought and literature at the University of Toronto. Lynn has also served as a Humanities Administrator in the Division of Research at the NEH, in charge of the Translators Grants Program.
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