Hellmut Wilhelm

An illuminating introduction to the ancient classic of Chinese divination—the must-have companion to the bestselling Wilhelm-Baynes translation of the I Ching, or Book of Changes The West’s foremost translator of the I Ching, Richard Wilhelm thought deeply about how contemporary readers could benefit from this ancient work and its perennial insights into change and chance. For him and his son, Hellmut Wilhelm, the Book of Changes represented not just a mysterious book of oracles or a notable source of the Taoist and Confucian philosophies. In their hands, it emerges, as it did for C. G. Jung, as a vital key to humanity’s collective unconscious. Understanding the I Ching bring the observations and insights of the Wilhelms together in a single volume. This invaluable book is the essential introduction to the I Ching and the meaning of its hexagrams.

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.

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.

The West's foremost translator of the I Ching, Richard Wilhelm thought deeply about how contemporary readers could benefit from this ancient work and its perennially valid insights into change and chance. For him and for his son, Hellmut Wilhelm, the Book of Changes represented not just a mysterious book of oracles or a notable source of the Taoist and Confucian philosophies. In their hands, it emerges, as it did for C. G. Jung, as a vital key to humanity's age-old collective unconscious. Here the observations of the Wilhelms are combined in a volume that will reward specialists and aficionados with its treatment of historical context--and that will serve also as an introduction to the I Ching and the meaning of its famous hexagrams.

The bestselling English translation of the ancient classic of Chinese divination that has inspired millions with its timeless insights into the changing nature of all existenceThe I Ching, or Book of Changes, has exerted a living influence in China for thousands of years. Today, it continues to enrich the lives of readers around the world. First set down in the dawn of history as a book of oracles, it grew into a book of wisdom with the inclusion of commentaries on its oracular pronouncements, eventually becoming one of the Five Classics of Confucianism and providing a common source for both Confucianist and Taoist philosophy. This edition of the I Ching is the most authoritative and complete translation available, preserving the spirit of the ancient text while providing a vital key for anyone who seeks to live harmoniously with the immutable law of change. The book presents the sixty-four hexagrams of the I Ching along with their texts and interpretations in a format especially designed for easy reference. Unlike many editions of the I Ching, it also features the Ten Wings, supplemental writings traditionally ascribed to Confucius that provide indispensable insights into the symbolic structure of the hexagrams and their place in a cosmology where change is the only constant. With an illuminating foreword by C. G. Jung and an informative introduction by Richard Wilhelm, this beautiful edition of the I Ching shares the essence of wisdom and a true understanding of life.