I Ching the Oracle

by Kerson Huang

This book contains a dramatic and revealing translation of this ancient classic into English. The Chinese original is set side-by-side with the translation. Two things set this work apart from other translated versions. First, archeological findings are used to uncover the meaning of passages obscured for thousands of years. Second, it preserves the flavor of the original in a poetic rendition.An introductory part of this book provides the historical and philosophical background to the I Ching . The story is told of the ancient Chinese civilization, pointing out events and figures mentioned in the I Ching . The undisguised face of the I Ching will appeal to the modern reader, who will read it in his or her own individual way, as poetry, as discoverer of self, or as soothsayer. It is in the grand tradition of the I Ching for different people to see different things. This revised edition includes a new chapter on a historical perspective, and other additions, changes and minor reformatting. Graduate and undergraduate students, academic researchers, scholars who are interested in Chinese classics, history and culture; general audience interested in Chinese classics and culture.

Genres: Philosophy, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Divination, Poetry

Paperback

First published August 31, 1984

Reviews

[juch]

Yusuf’s dads copy. Learned some of the context and how to divine. Author is a theoretical physicist and writes about how physics is a way to study the world so long as you have the right scale of measurement, w I Ching the scale is yourself. I appreciated that bc although I am in my woowoo phase, I still wanna approach it through a framing that respects science haha. I like how many pieces/possible interpretations there are to constructing a divination, and how abstract they seem to a modern life - references to forgotten legends, agriculture, kings, war, marriage. All these coming from the elements and the basic building blocks of yin + yang. I just did one that went from “the cheeks” to “biting” which felt very fated

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

My personal favorite translation, even though I rarely consult the I Ching anymore.

[James Berghout · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not just another translation of the I Ching (yijing). The Huangs do their best to plumb the depths of the original...often succeeding.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

i can now predict the future.

[Muni Sreenivas · Rating 4 out of 5]

No non-sense, succinct translation with a nice overview of ancient Chinese history at the start. Notably, the author, Kerson Huang was a Chinese American theoretical physicist!

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This version of the I Ching does an excellent job of sorting out the original oracular poetry from the later Taoist and Confucian changes made to the book of changes. I hadn't realized how many of the hexagrams in their original form reference historical events, nor how much the original had gotten hidden away behind first Taoist metaphysics and then later both eclipsed by Confucian ideals.

In addition to the very enjoyable and enlightening introductory chapters, each hexagram is laid out with the left page being the original I Ching and the right side giving the two later versions. That's oversimplifying, since it is made clear that there is probably no such thing as the actual original, but at least it's also clear that the metaphysical and social commentary parts were added much later. Which isn't to say that the added parts aren't also worth reading, just that they are commentary rather than the "original" I Ching.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This translation of the I Ching (Book of Changes) is an easily accessible translation. It captures the poetic language and imagery of the writing. It is well-organized for the casual user to cast fortunes and seek answers. But it is worth reading for an insight into such a historically important and ancient book.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brutally honest and direct. Empathy recommended.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roll the bones, baby, roll the bones.