"Teaching the I Ching (Book of Changes)," by Geoffrey Redmond and Tze-Ki Hon

[IrfanK]

I saw "Teaching the I Ching (Book of Changes)," by Geoffrey Redmond and Tze-Ki Hon (published by OUP) available at a Jakarta e-book shop. Seems like it's not about teaching how to use the I Ching for divination, but more a history designed to explain its place in Chinese culture and society over the millenia.

There's an abstract and chapter synopsis at:

https://oxford.universitypressschol...01/acprof-9780199766819?rskey=1KTQkm&result=1

@hilary, I did a search to see if you've reviewed it anywhere, but couldn't find anything except a passing reference on a very old forum post (by someone else). Is it among all those I Ching books I see on your bookshelves on Zoom chats?

Abstract​

This book is about the Book of Changes, arguably the most important of the Chinese ancient classics. Its earliest portions were composed early in the first millennium BCE. These are referred to as the Zhouyi, while the received version that includes the canonical commentaries is referred to as the Yijing (I Ching). Many university faculties find the Changes difficult to teach because of its seeming obscurity. For this reason it often has not received the attention it deserves. The present work provides an in-depth background for teaching the Yijing, or for beginning serious study. It was developed in response to audience requests made at a major academic conference. The Changes began as a divination manual, but from the Warring States onward was also regarded as a book of wisdom. Mythology attributed its origins to Fu Xi, King Wen, the Duke of Zhou, and Confucius. Many of China’s most renowned philosophers provided commentaries, including Wang Bi, Shao Yong, and Zhu Xi. These traditional views were challenged by the influential early twentieth-century Doubting Antiquity movement. During the Cultural Revolution the Changes was initially condemned as feudal and later extolled as consistent with Marxism. Critical philology has reconstructed the earliest meanings, and study of newly excavated texts has further deepened our knowledge of the Changes. References to women in the Zhouyi are covered in detail. The Yijing’s reception in the West and its influence on psychology and esotericism are discussed. Also provided is a detailed reader’s guide through the challenges of reading the classic, including evaluation of the major translations and instructions for divination.

 

[hilary]

Sorry, no, I don’t know this one. I have Redmond's translation, which simultaneously shows impressive scholarship and general interpretive nous, and an equally impressive blindness to how Yi creates meaning. Teaching the I Ching looks worth having, though!

 

[tacrab]

This is an excellent book for history, context, issues. Meant for college classes such as Chinese philosophy/religion, world divination traditions, Chinese literary canon, etc. Either for students to read or for professor to have enough grounding in topic. I've reviewed it here.

 

[charly]

Sorry, no, I don’t know this one. I have Redmond's translation, which simultaneously shows impressive scholarship and general interpretive nous, and an equally impressive blindness to how Yi creates meaning. Teaching the I Ching looks worth having, though!

Hi, Hilary:

Maybe the influence of Prof. Tze-ki Hon. As sample of «Teaching the I Ching», a paragraph about Context Criticism and our Brad Hatcher:

For those interested in the book but cannot afford it there is a parcial preview available in Google Books.

All the best,

Charly

 

[IrfanK]

Charly, yes, I read that passage and thought about it. To be honest, while I enjoyed Bradford's rants about "the modernists," I never really understood what the issue was. This book makes it a lot clearer.

Cave paintings are another great interest of mine. I sometimes feel there's a similarity between the passionate arguments about what was going on in the minds of the people who did them 30,000 years ago and the arguments about how people originally regarded the Zhouyi. It seems unlikely that there will ever be conclusive evidence to prove one side or the other right or wrong. But yes, I like that line: "The received version is the best single witness ..."

 

[charly]

In Google Books is also available as parcial review Prof. Tze-Ki Hon's

The Yijing and Chinese Politics: Classical Commentary and Literati Activism​

... a must for those interested in the hisory of the Changes.

All the best,

Charly