Zhouyi
/ˈdʒoʊ.jiː/noun
A classical Chinese divination text traditionally known in English as the Book of Changes or the Zhou Changes.
Did you know?The Zhouyi became the core of the Yijing, whose 64 hexagrams were traditionally interpreted by casting yarrow stalks or coins to obtain guidance.
Etymological Timeline
Western Zhou, c. 11th–8th century BCE
Classical Chinese
周 (Zhōu)
“The Zhou, the dynasty traditionally associated with the text”
Late Zhou period
Classical Chinese
易 (yì)
“Change, transformation, or the process of changing”
Pre-Qin China, before 221 BCE
Classical Chinese
周易 (Zhōuyì)
“The Changes associated with Zhou; an early name for the hexagram text”
Han Dynasty, 2nd century BCE–2nd century CE
Classical Chinese
易經 (Yìjīng)
“The Classic of Changes; the Zhouyi incorporated into a larger canonical tradition with commentaries”
19th century
English
Chou-i / Chou-yi
“Older English and scholarly romanizations of the Chinese title”
Modern English
English
Zhouyi
“The modern pinyin romanization of 周易, commonly rendered as the Zhou Changes”
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