I Ching
/ˌaɪ ˈtʃɪŋ/noun
An ancient Chinese divination manual and philosophical classic based on 64 hexagrams formed from broken and unbroken lines.
Did you know?The text was traditionally consulted by casting yarrow stalks or coins, turning chance into a ritual dialogue with cosmic change.
Etymological Timeline
Western Zhou, c. 1000 BCE
Classical Chinese
易
“Change, transformation, or the principle of change”
Western Zhou, c. 1000 BCE
Classical Chinese
周易
“The Zhou Changes, the earliest form of the divination classic”
Han Dynasty, 2nd century BCE–2nd century CE
Classical Chinese
易經
“Classic of Changes; the title under which the work became a Confucian classic”
17th Century
English
I Ching
“An English rendering based on a historical Western transcription of Chinese pronunciation”
19th–20th Century
English
I Ching
“Established English name for the Chinese divination and philosophical text”