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The '''''I Ching''''' ([[Simplified Chinese|Simplified]]: 易经; [[Traditional Chinese|Traditional]]: 易經; [[Hanyu pinyin]]: Yì Jīng), or Book of Changes is one of the [[Chinese Classics]]. It was used as a means of [[divination]].
The '''''I Ching''''' ([[Simplified Chinese|Simplified]]: 易经; [[Traditional Chinese|Traditional]]: 易經; [[Hanyu pinyin]]: Yì Jīng), or Book of Changes is one of the [[Chinese Classics]]. It was used as a means of [[divination]].
==History==
The history of the book is complicated. Around 2600 BC, the philosopher Fu Xi made diagrams of natural formations. These diagrams were the basis of the trigrams, the basis of ''I Ching''. During the [[Qin Dynasty]], an unknown government scribe found Fu Xi's diagrams and assembled them into the first version of ''I Ching''. However, at this point the ''I Ching'' was not used for divination, but rather as a guide for recording natural events. Only members of the bureaucracy even knew that it existed. During the [[Han Dynasty]], record keepers released the book to public repositories. From there, [[Daoist]]s developed the divination system. The first recorded ''I Ching'' reading was in 59 AD.
The history of the book is complicated. Around 2600 BC, the philosopher Fu Xi made diagrams of natural formations. These diagrams were the basis of the trigrams, the basis of ''I Ching''. During the [[Qin Dynasty]], an unknown government scribe found Fu Xi's diagrams and assembled them into the first version of ''I Ching''. However, at this point the ''I Ching'' was not used for divination, but rather as a guide for recording natural events. Only members of the bureaucracy even knew that it existed. During the [[Han Dynasty]], record keepers released the book to public repositories. From there, [[Daoist]]s developed the divination system. The first recorded ''I Ching'' reading was in 59 AD.
===Outside of China===
The ''I Ching'' was used widely in [[Korea]] from the 2nd century to today; trigrams appear on the [[South Korean]] flag. It was brought to Japan during the 15th century, but it was never used for divination, only record keeping.
Some historians suggest that the ''I Ching'' inspired divination techniques in the pre-[[Islamic]] [[Arab]] world, however this is controversial as there is no solid evidence that the book was translated that early.
==Divination==
I Ching divination is performed with stalks of the [[yarrow]] flower, though today coins are often used instead. The stalks are cast into the air and based on how they land, the reader draws two trigrams - diagrams containing broken and unbroken lines. The first represents the subjects personal state, while the second represents the worldly problem. The trigrams are compared to the I Ching to determine the meaning.
I Ching divination is performed with stalks of the [[yarrow]] flower, though today coins are often used instead. The stalks are cast into the air and based on how they land, the reader draws two trigrams - diagrams containing broken and unbroken lines. The first represents the subjects personal state, while the second represents the worldly problem. The trigrams are compared to the I Ching to determine the meaning.
===Trigrams===
[[Category:China]]
[[Category:China]]