Complete I Ching Hardcover – May 1, 1998

I own a number of translations of the I Ching and this one by far is the most readable. It makes the structure and usage of the I Ching so understandable. But more than that, it really conveys a sense of reverence for the book. It has opened new doors for me. Highly recommend.

All Stars! Love, love, love this book! Fine quality. Nice hardcover and dust jacket. I enjoyed the rigorous descriptions - high quality and well thought out.

I've used the Bollinger's publication of the I Ching as an oracle many years ago. In beginning to read this publication, the author provides instructions and guidance for the use of this publication with reverence and a devotional attitude towards its use, considering it a sacred text similar to the Christian's Holy Bible. He also says it should only be used for "important decisions" so as not to diminish the value of reverence and devotion for the oracle. If used as he prescribes, I'd say it will be a useful tool as a guide where life decisions are involved, but the learning curve will be extended due to using it only for "important decisions" which for me certainly limits my interactions with it. You will only come to truly understand the value of this oracle by repeated use of it, and reflection upon its information as it applies to your own life experiences. Therefore, as a student, I'd recommend using it daily and even multiple times a day to become familiar with its use and how the information applies to your day-to-day life experiences.

Many years ago, having been attracted to the I Ching through the Wilhelm translation with a bit of Blofeld thrown in, I had a chance to do a semester tutorial in the first two hexagrams, reading the original under a Chinese scholar of classical Chinese. It was quite wrenching to realize that my "understanding" of the work had been entirely colored by Western thought and cultural concerns. Wilhelm sticks very closely to the original, including the many layers of commentary, but he makes it easy to read our own cultural meaning into it. For example, calling the first hexagram, "The Creative," can make it seem like some sort of Platonist or neo-Platonist, mystical Form, principle or archetype, but it sounds quite a lot more practical, descriptive, and straightforward with a Chinese explanation. There is still a lot of complexity and depth, but it isn't like what one finds in Western philosophy, psychology or metaphysics. Huang warns against this problem in his introduction, describing his own dissatisfaction with previous translations, and his explanations of the hexagrams sound very much like those of my former professor in their character. It's a Chinese book that's not that easy to understand without help, and unless one has grown up in a traditional Chinese culture, it's extremely useful to have it explained by someone who has received a traditional grounding in it. Huang's explanations of the challenges in approaching the original without this help, even for educated Chinese people in a Chinese culture that still reveres the I Ching, match my own experience in this and other Eastern traditions.Huang helps us get past inadvertently Westernizing our understanding of the work extremely well, and he does it by interspersing his explanations with the text. You can tell easily enough what is the original and what is Huang's commentary, but that means that it's not a "pure" translation like Wilhelm, where apart from the introductory materials, footnotes and so on, you see only the translated original. That makes this version very useful in divination, since everything for the hexagram is in one place and Huang's comments are very helpful in relating the text to your specific inquiry, but if you want only the "real" I Ching and no modern interpretation, then this isn't the version for you. For that, Wilhelm is still the gold standard.

I'm giving this four stars because it is obviously a masterful work and I would not want in any way to denigrate it. For my personal value it was a three and I returned it. This is my completely subjective opinion, from a brief trial reading the book. It's a comparative view between this and the Wilhelm & Baynes edition and the R.L. Wing edition, and others may have taken more time and come to a different view.This edition seems comparable to an expansion of the Commentary in the back of the Wilhelm & Baynes edition, with more detailed and annotated explanations about the relationships of the lines. It's like it says, "This is the situation, here are the elements and how they relate to each other." However, it doesn't draw a moral, tell a story, come to a conclusion, or provide much direction compared to the Wilhelm & Baynes edition.So, something about different modes of thought? Like, here's the ideogram, here are the relationships, so, given general knowledge of the workings of society at large, the story of action here is obvious. Versus here's the noun, here's the verb, in this particular situation, here's the story. I have no idea (or ideograms).The R.L. Wing edition, on the other hand, is much more contemporary in its language, and much more moralizing and prescriptive than the Wilhelm & Baynes edition.It may be worth noting that R.L. Wing is a pseudonym. If you look at the front matter on the original 1970'ish Doubleday edition, it lists about a dozen people in the acknowledgements. In the latest edition is just says "many people contributed; you know who you are."My spouse reads the R.L. Wing edition; I read Wilhelm & Baynes, and we both interpret each others casts. I find that the R.L. Wing edition pretty much follows the thought of the Wilhelm & Baynes edition. One thing that the R.L. Wing edition does is provide three different contexts for each hexagram: social/civic, business, and interpersonal relationship. Over time I've come to accept the R.L. Wing edition as valid and useful. However, the Wilhelm & Baynes edition for me strikes the right balance between situation/implication/image/metaphor and overt direction.I would really like to know how the R.L. Wing edition was synthesized. I'm thinking houseboats in Sausalito harbor, with Alan Watts and Steward Brand drifting in and out like the fog and smoke. Not to say that there isn't a full on scholarly effort there.For the book in review here, I guess it would be valuable for people who wanted more of the pure situation/implication approach, as well as detailed insight into the amazing inner workings and movements of the lines.

Came fast, love the book, in great shape!

I cannot praise this translation enough. It is traditional, so takes more thought, but well worth the effort. Highly recommended

Edição primorosa.

Im Vergleich zum Buch von Richard Willhelm, finde ich die Erklärung der einzelnen Zeichen deutlich hilfreicher.

Amazing book for understanding Chinese culture, spirituality, beliefs and gaining insights on the hidden and esoteric nature of the I Ching! A book for divination for many and a work on Chinese alchemy for the initiates!Mr Huang has done a phenomenal job!

The book arrived in mint condition. It had a minor printing error, but that's the publisher's issue, not Amazon's. Not much else to say, really. I ordered the book and the book arrived in perfect condition

The paperback version has a fantastic production feel...coloured ideographs are a beautiful touch and the paper quality is designed to last. The commentary feels relevant for today. I appreciate the simple yarrow and coin methods limited to a single changing line.This book, the "The Numerology of the I Ching" and "Understanding the I Ching" book make a brilliant trilogy. Perhaps the only volume you need after these is the forthcoming book in 2023 by Benebell Wen.