One of the five classics of Confucianism, the I Ching or Book of Changes has exerted a living influence in China for three thousand years. Beginning in the dawn of history as a book of oracles, it became a book of wisdom--a common source for both Confucianist and Taoist philosophy. The I Ching was little known in the West before James Legge's English translation (1882), and the appearance of the late Richard Wilhelm's poetic translation into German in 1923 made to work available to a wider public. This was in turned published in Bollingen Series (1950) in the translation of Cary F. Baynes. Now Professor Hellmut Wilhelm, of the University of Washington, carries on his father's work with a group of related studies of the Book of Changes. Born and educated in China, Hellmut Wilhelm grew up in an atmosphere of Chinese classical tradition. During the winter of 1943, he delivered the first version of these lectures to a group of Europeans, isolated in Peking under Japanese occupation, who wished to study the I Ching. Besides presenting a lucid explanation and interpretation of the I Ching, Professor Willhelm brings forward new scholarship and insights. Mrs. Baynes is again responsible for the translation. Originally published in 1960. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

This volume contains nine chapters of translation, by a range of leading scholars, focusing on core themes in the philosophy of Zhu Xi (1130-1200), one of the most influential Chinese thinkers of the later Confucian tradition. It includes an Introduction to Zhu's life and thought, a chronology of important events in his life, and a list of key terms of art. Zhu Xi's philosophy offers the most systematic and comprehensive expression of the Confucian tradition; he sought to explain and show the connections between the classics, relate them to a range of contemporary philosophical issues concerning the metaphysical underpinnings of the tradition, and defend Confucianism against competing traditions such as Daoism and Buddhism. He elevated the Four Books-i.e. the Analects, Mengzi, Great Learning, and Doctrine of the Mean-to a new and preeminent position within the Confucian canon and his edition and interpretation of these four texts was adopted as the basis for the Imperial Examination System, which served as the pathway to officialdom and success in traditional Chinese society. Zhu Xi's interpretation remained the orthodox tradition until the collapse of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) and exerted a profound and enduring influence on how Confucianism was understood in Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.

One of the five classics of Confucianism, the I Ching or Book of Changes has exerted a living influence in China for three thousand years. Beginning in the dawn of history as a book of oracles, it became a book of wisdom--a common source for both Confucianist and Taoist philosophy. The I Ching was little known in the West before James Legge's English translation (1882), and the appearance of the late Richard Wilhelm's poetic translation into German in 1923 made to work available to a wider public. This was in turned published in Bollingen Series (1950) in the translation of Cary F. Baynes. Now Professor Hellmut Wilhelm, of the University of Washington, carries on his father's work with a group of related studies of the Book of Changes. Born and educated in China, Hellmut Wilhelm grew up in an atmosphere of Chinese classical tradition. During the winter of 1943, he delivered the first version of these lectures to a group of Europeans, isolated in Peking under Japanese occupation, who wished to study the I Ching. Besides presenting a lucid explanation and interpretation of the I Ching, Professor Willhelm brings forward new scholarship and insights. Mrs. Baynes is again responsible for the translation. Originally published in 1960. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.