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• The first translation to honor the authentic Chinese spirit of the Book of Change For more than 3000 years the I Ching has been the most important book of divination in the world. Yet it has always been translated by Westerners who brought their own cultural biases to the work. Now, for the first time, an eminent Chinese scholar has translated the original ideograms of the I Ching into English. Imprisoned and sentenced to death during the Cultural Revolution in 1966, Master Alfred Huang studied the I Ching in secret with some of China's greatest minds. Released in 1979, he emigrated to the United States, where he discovered that no I Ching existed in English that truly understood the Chinese mind. This book is the product of his desire to right that situation. To the Chinese, the I Ching is nothing without the Confucian commentaries known as the Ten Wings. Previous editions have given them only a minor place in the book, or have left them out altogether. In this new translation, they are restored to their central importance by Master Huang. This book also emphasizes the intricate connections between the 64 possible hexagrams, and introduces several new methods for doing readings.
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THE COMPLETE I CHING The Definitive Translation by the Taoist Master A p e d Huang Inner Traditions Rochester, Vermont Inner Traditions International One Park Street Rochester, Vermont 05767 www.InnerTraditions.com Copyright O 1998 by Alfred Huang All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data I ching. English. The complete I ching :the definitive translation from the Taoist Master Alfred Huang. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 0-89281-656-2 I. Huang, Alfred. 11.Title. PL2478.D43 1998 299'.51282-dc21 97-37533 CIP Printed and bound in the United States Note: The cover shows the ideograph of shi, which depicts an act of divination. On the top are two little plants, representing yarrow stalk. Below are two peopZe kneeling in a hall with a r o ~ f r o and o ~ centralpillar. Oneperson is the divine the other the inyuirer. Text design and layout by Kristin Camp This book was typeset in Caslon with Papyrus as the display typeface During this great time of change this book is dedicated t o those who are longing to change and ready to change to a meaningful and successfil Zfe of abundance and happiness. THE UPPER CANON The Upper Canon contains thirty gua, from Q a n and Kun to Kan and Li. Q a n represents the initiative power of Heaven, Kun represents the responsive power of Earth. Kan represents the darkness of the moon, Li represents the brightness of the sun. The canon begins with the interplay of Heaven and Earth; ends with the ceaseless cycle of darkness to brightness, as in sunset to sunrise; and sheds light upon the yang aspect of natural phenomena, the Tao of Heaven. Q'an Initiating Q a n Heaven Q a n Heaven In Richard Wilhelm' book, Q a n is translated as The Creative. In John Blofeld's translation, ian is The Creative Principle. In this book, it is translated as Initiati g. This gua is made up of two primary pa-Heaven = above, Heaven =below. All six yao are solid. Primary gua are described as "trigran$ in most English translations. The structure of six solid yao presents a picture of the perfect yang essence. It is the symbol of the firmest, healthiest, and purest yang energy in the universe. The Chinese character Q a n is an image of a rising sun radiating its light and energy-chi-and nourishing the whole world. The ancient Chinese ideog