Finding the right translation

[seeker]

I'm sure there will be varied responces to this, but in your opinions, what is the best available translation of the I Ching?

if you have a recomendation, please e-mail me: jtulk@sympatico.ca

 

[hilary]

...but please also post your recommendations here so everyone can benefit!

Seeker, welcome to the ICC! If you sign up here as a Friend, you can edit your personal profile to get updates emailed to you every time there's a reply to one of your messages.

I can't imagine working with just a single translation - no translator can really help the way his own ideas influence his version, and some actively set out to rewrite according to what they feel it really says. They may be right, of course, but it doesn't leave the rest of us the option of finding out for ourselves.

So for me the question is more 'what is the best available combination of I Ching translations?'
(All the links except LiSe's are to reviews on this site, and open in a new window)

Try... Stephen Karcher 'How to Use the I Ching' plus Alfred Huang's 'Complete I Ching' - a good 'serious beginners' combination. Or replace either of these with Wu Jing Nuan's intriguing Yi Jing.

Stephen Karcher 'I Ching, the classic Chinese oracle of change' (maybe the older edition with Rudolf Ritsema's name on the cover if you can find it), for very direct access to the text without filtering through traditional interpretation, plus Richard John Lynn's 'Classic of Changes' which gives great insight into the variety of traditional interpretations. (That's the combination I started out with, so it must be good

.)

Wilhelm/Baynes plus LiSe. A complementary combination, and both available for free online

- well, not all of Wilhelm's translation, but most. Or plus Bradford Hatcher's terrific I Ching book, also available for free direct from the author to anyone who is seriously interested and prepared to send him some feedback. (Email me for his address.)

What would other people recommend?

 

[candid]

Hi Seeker and welcome!

My preference is to first reference the Wilhelm. This provides a straight forward ?between the eyes? answer to my question. I?ve had to make some mental adjustments and realize where Wilhelm was coming from culturally, a primarily male dominated society with a hierarchal perspective of social structure. While this wasn?t exclusive to western thinking, as demonstrated by Confucius, its pervasive in the translation, in my opinion. Terms like: The Superior man, The Great man are found throughout his work. I don?t necessarily object to this because I view Yang as the driving creative force in each of us, male and female alike. But it may require some augmentation in the context of our lives, subjectively.

More and more, I then refer to LiSe?s translation. My respect for her work continues to grow each day. It speaks to me more on an intuitive level and provides the Yin to Wilhelm?s Yang. Sometimes after I feel thoroughly admonished from Wilhelm, I take great comfort in knowing that LiSe will provide a more comforting response. Stereotypically, its like going to Mom after Dad has just chewed me out. *chuckles* This isn?t to say that LiSe?s translation is weak or lacks persuasive wisdom. Quite the contrary! She captures Tao in a most profound way and seems to impart it rather than simply project the answer. There is a rhythm to her words which seems to synchronize with the beat of my heart and intuition.

These two together provide for me a satisfying answer to both, my head and heart.

Hope this helps.

Candid

 

[louise]

I think LiSe's translation is pretty fantastic too. She sometimes gives a totally new perspective on moving lines I've struggled with for years, like 56, line 3. Thanks LiSe

 

[louise]

ps...I also like Karcher, cannot get hold of Huang, do use Wilhelm but he often makes me very despondent. I assume Huang is much more positive.

 

[heylise]

Louise, thanks for your kind words. Making a website is a very lonely business, there is hardly ever any comment form anybody. Except Hilary, every time she kept me going when I lost inspiration.
I do have a counter, so I can see there are people visiting. But now on this list, I suddenly get all kinds of compliments ? the visitors are suddenly real people. I love it!!!
The website had come more or less to a standstill, but now I am searching for all the flaws it still has, many lines are not good yet. Too complicated, or far-fetched. As long as I do not get a feeling of ?this is it, can?t be anything else?, it is not right yet. Knowing there is real interest makes a lot of new energy and inspiration.
Everybody thanks!

LiSe

 

[heylise]

The best I Ching I have ever seen!
Jack M. Balkin, "The laws of change", I Ching and the philosophy of life. Schocken Books New York 2002, ISBN 0-8052-4199-x
For the first time I can use a translation without needing another one (or several others) in order to find out what is the Yi and what is personal interpretation.
He is not a sinologue, maybe that's why? Feels familiar, he does the same I do: a pile of dictionaries and a program for Chinese (me: Wenlin), comparing all translations, and finding out all possibilities.
But he is also a philosopher, a university professor, and as far as I could see in the very short time I have it now, he has a lot of practical and pragmatic wisdom.

I went immediately to the 'soldier acting like a chief' of hex.10.3, and yes, it was there. Never saw it anywhere before.

LiSe

 

[cassandra]

LiSe,

I was very impressed with this translation also. Love it.