About

The I Ching (易經), or "Book of Changes," is one of the oldest of the Chinese classic texts. Dating back over 3,000 years, it has served as a philosophical work, a divination manual, and a source of wisdom that has influenced Chinese culture, Confucianism, Taoism, and East Asian thought more broadly.

At its core, the I Ching presents 64 hexagrams — six-line figures composed of solid (yang) and broken (yin) lines. Each hexagram represents a specific state or situation, along with guidance for navigating it. The text describes patterns of change and offers counsel on how to align oneself with the natural flow of events.

Beyond divination, the I Ching is a profound meditation on the nature of change itself. It teaches that nothing is permanent, that situations are always in flux, and that wisdom lies in understanding these transformations and responding appropriately.

This library presents the Richard Wilhelm translation of the I Ching, rendered into English by Cary F. Baynes. First published in English in 1950, this translation remains the most influential and widely read version in the Western world.

Richard Wilhelm (1873–1930) was a German sinologist and missionary who spent 25 years in China. His translation benefited from close collaboration with the Chinese scholar Lao Nai-hsuan, who helped ensure the work captured both the literal meaning and the philosophical depth of the original text.

Carl Jung wrote the foreword to the English edition, helping introduce the I Ching to Western psychology and philosophy. Jung saw in the I Ching a tool for understanding the principle of synchronicity — meaningful coincidences that connect inner and outer events.

The Wilhelm/Baynes translation entered the public domain in 2020, making this sacred text freely available to all.

This digital library presents all 64 hexagrams with Wilhelm's complete translation, including:

The Symbol — An explanation of the hexagram's fundamental nature and meaning.

The Judgment — The original oracle text (often attributed to King Wen) with Wilhelm's commentary on its meaning and application.

The Image — A visualization of the hexagram's meaning, often describing how the "superior man" (a person of virtue and wisdom) responds to the situation.

The Lines — Individual interpretations for each of the six lines, relevant when that particular line is "changing" in a reading.

Each hexagram is composed of two trigrams (three-line figures) stacked on top of each other. There are eight basic trigrams:

☰ Ch'ien (The Creative / Heaven) — three solid lines
☷ K'un (The Receptive / Earth) — three broken lines
☳ Chên (The Arousing / Thunder) — solid below, broken above
☵ K'an (The Abysmal / Water) — broken, solid, broken
☶ Kên (Keeping Still / Mountain) — broken below, solid above
☴ Sun (The Gentle / Wind/Wood) — broken below, solid above
☲ Li (The Clinging / Fire) — solid, broken, solid
☱ Tui (The Joyous / Lake) — solid below, broken above

The interplay between the upper and lower trigrams creates the unique meaning of each hexagram, representing the relationship between heaven and earth, inner and outer, subject and environment.