What is the I Ching?

周文王、周公、孔子（传） · 约公元前1000年

The I Ching (易经), also known as the Book of Changes (周易), is one of China's oldest and most important classics, revered as "the foremost of all classics, the source of the great Way." Tradition holds that King Wen of Zhou developed the 64 hexagrams from the ancient eight trigrams of Fuxi while imprisoned by the tyrant King Zhou of Shang, composing the hexagram judgments. His son, the Duke of Zhou, wrote the line texts. In the Spring and Autumn period, Confucius and his disciples composed the Ten Wings (易传), providing philosophical commentary.

The system is built on two fundamental symbols: yin (⚋) and yang (⚊) lines, which combine into eight trigrams (Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, Dui). Pairing these trigrams yields 64 hexagrams, each containing a hexagram judgment and six line texts — 450 line texts in total. These ancient, cryptic texts are rich in predictive imagery and have been used for millennia to divine fortunes and forecast the fate of nations.

While the I Ching is not strictly a book of prophecy, its hexagram and line texts have been widely used for divination throughout Chinese history. This site presents the most prophetically significant hexagrams from the 64, with vernacular Chinese translations and English renderings, showcasing the predictive wisdom of this 3,000-year-old classic. It should be noted that I Ching texts are highly abstract and polysemous, with different eras producing very different interpretations.

Core Message
"The alternation of yin and yang is called the Way; what continues it is goodness; what completes it is nature." — Commentary on the Appended Phrases (Xici)
Key Timeline
  • Fuxi — Legendary creator of the eight trigrams, origin of I Ching studies
  • King Wen of Zhou — Developed the 64 hexagrams and composed the judgments
  • Duke of Zhou — Composed the 384 line texts
  • Confucius — Authored the Ten Wings (Yizhuan), philosophical commentary
  • Han Dynasty — I Ching studies split into image-number and meaning-principle schools
  • Song Dynasty — Shao Yong created Meihua Yishu; Zhu Xi wrote Commentary on the Book of Changes
Data Sources
  • Original hexagram and line texts from the received edition of the Zhouyi, referencing Gao Heng's Modern Annotation of the Ancient I Ching and Huang Shouqi's Annotated Translation of the Zhouyi (Wikipedia)
  • Vernacular translations synthesized from multiple commentaries, aiming for fidelity to the original
  • The I Ching is a divinatory-philosophical system; hexagram texts are highly abstract — interpretations here do not represent academic consensus
  • Site icon: six-line hexagram — alternating solid and broken lines are the most fundamental visual symbol of the I Ching

Disclaimer: This site is for academic research and cultural reference only. It does not constitute advice or guidance of any kind. We assume no responsibility for any judgments, decisions, or consequences arising from the use of this content.