Original I Ching: An Authentic Translation of the Book of Changes

by Margaret J. Pearson

Overview

First among the ancient classics, the I Ching or Book of Changes is one of the world's most influential books, comparable to the Bible, the Koran, and the Upanishads.

The I Ching's purpose is universal: to provide good counsel to its users in making decisions during times of change. Since its origins about 3,000 years ago, it has become a compendium of wisdom used by people of many cultures and eras.

This groundbreaking new translation by Dr. Margaret Pearson is based on the text created during the first centuries of the Zhou Dynasty, study of documents showing how it was used in the dynasty, and on current archaeological research findings. Her translation removes centuries of encrusted inaccuracies to better reveal the I Ching's core truths for today's readers.

Whether you are interested in trying this millennia-tested method of making wise choices or in understanding the worldview of the early Chinese, this edition is essential reading.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781462900190
Publisher:	Tuttle Publishing
Publication date:	02/07/2012
Series:	NONE
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Margaret J. Pearson, Ph.D., studied Chinese literature with Hellmut Wilhelm, and history with Jack Dull and Chan Hok-la. She has taught Chinese history and thought, for over thirty years, at Skidmore College, the New School for Social Research, Pace University, State University of New York (Albany) and Marymount Manhattan College. She has been elected to life membership at Clare Hall, Cambridge University and to membership in the Early China Seminar at Columbia University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Understanding the Context of the Book of Changes
About the Translation
How to Use the Book of Changes

The Original I Ching

1 The Creative
2 Earth, The Receptive
3 Sprouting
4 New Grass
5 Waiting
6 Strife
7 With a Multitude of Followers
8 Closeness with Others
9 The Smaller Herd
10 Stepping
11 Peace
12 Obstruction (Stagnation)
13 Friendship
14 Great Possession
15 Modesty
16 Excess
17 Following
18 Branching Out
19 The Forest
20 Gazing (Contemplation)
21 Taking a Bite
22 Elegance
23 Peeling
24 Returning
25 Not False
26 Great Nurturing
27 Jaws
28 Great Surpassing
29 The Abyss
30 The Net
31 Reciprocity, Respect
32 Duration
33 Retreat
34 Great Strength
35 Advancing
36 Wounded Light
37 Family
38 Double Vision
39 Impeded
40 Released (Untied)
41 Decrease
42 Increase
43 Resolute
44 The Royal Bride
45 Gathered Together
46 Pushing Upwards
47 Exhaustion
48 The Well
49 Molting (Shedding)
50 The Cauldron
51 Thunder
52 Stillness
53 Gradual Progress
54 Coming Home
55 Abundance
56 The Wanderer
57 Calculation, Choosing
58 Joy
59 Dispersion (Spreading Waters)
60 Limitation
61 Sincere to the Core
62 Minor Surplus
63 After the Crossing
64 Not Yet Across

The Zhou Text
Further Reading
Bibliography
How to Consult the Changes: Reference Summary

Editorial Reviews

"[Margaret] uses her background knowledge of ancient Chinese life and thought to provide a context that makes things more accessible. [...] Margaret writes in a plain, direct style that encourages you simply to contemplate the natural imagery—the scenery of the trigrams (had you thought of 26 as 'the skies that lie among mountain peaks'?) and also the imagery of the original." —OnlineClarity.com blog

"The Book of Changes has been translated into English a number of times, but Margaret Pearson's new translation stands out for its fidelity to the oldest and deepest layer of the text, cutting through centuries of later commentary. Her lucid explanations of the hexagram texts will be of great service to those who seek to use this ancient compendium of wisdom as a guide to introspection and self-cultivation in our own time." —John S. Major, independent scholar, former professor of East Asian history at Dartmouth College, and translator of The Huainanzi

"Tuttle's The Original I Ching: An Authentic Translation of the Book of Changes is a new translation by Skidmore College scholar Margaret J. Pearson based on new archaeological and textual evidence from the original Zhou text. Pearson's work helps identify the role of women in early Chinese history." —Publishers Weekly

"Pearson's mission was to restore the text to its original form. Simultaneously, she kept an eye on the clarity of the text, concerned that it be comprehensible to non-scholars. Whether customers use the book for consultation, meditation, or scholarly research, having this ancient text restored to its original form is something very valuable indeed." —New Age Retailer

"Her interpretation and translation is unique, not only in the sense that she has made a meaningful separation of the original text from the commentaries ... but also in the sense that she approaches the text with an ungendered and holistic perspective." —Xinzhong Yao, Director, King's China Institute, King's College London

"A delightful and scholarly translation of what may be the oldest self help book ... Pithy, wise, and ever sensitive to context, the Book of Changes, in Pearson's translation, provides a new lens through which we can see the freshness of old things." —Terri Apter, Newnham College, Cambridge University; author of The Sister Knot

"Pearson's comments have a welcome directness to them. This would be an excellent edition to use as an introduction to the Yijing in a Chinese literature or history class." —Taijiquan Journal

"Margaret Pearson's I CHING is an important book, not only because it is the first interpretation, ever, by a woman in a wholly male-dominated field, but because of its freshness and directness. While being rooted in the most recent scholarly discoveries and research, it achieves the nearly impossible, simply by being real, relevant, and readable. Obscurity, pomposity and ponderousness are thrown out of the window. A delight." —Richard Burns, poet

From the Publisher