- Hardcover: 602 pages
- Publisher: Columbia University Press (December 1994)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0231082940
- ISBN-13: 978-0231082945
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 14.5 x 4.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 794 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#660,473 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #49 in Books > Nonfiction > Philosophy > Eastern > Chinese
- #84 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Bible & Other Sacred Texts > I Ching
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Library Journal
The I Ching or Book of Changes is a Chinese manual for divination (also called a book of wisdom), compiled in the ninth century B.C.E. A person consulting the I Ching is said to be able to see into the true nature of the universe, and, by acting according to its dictates, avoid personal failures and disasters. Most available editions of the I Ching are based on the James Legge translation, a work produced over 140 years ago and characterized by romanticized and idiomatic Victorian English. Although not more accurate or revealing than the Legge, this new translation is welcome because of its crisp usage of modern-day English. Lynn supplies a chart of trigrams and hexagrams, a glossary, and a list of proper names. Of special interest to students of classical Chinese text is a commentary by Wang Bi, a third-century A.D. Chinese scholar. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.
Glenn Masuchika, Chaminade Univ. Lib., Honolulu
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Glenn Masuchika, Chaminade Univ. Lib., Honolulu
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
Familiar with current historical and textual research, having no truck with 'ageless wisdoms' and leery of spirituality, Richard Lynn's translation of the I Ching as retranslated, explicated and interpreted by the young scholar Wang Bi and his followers, feels a world apart from that of Wilhelm. -- London Review of Books
Familiar with current historical and textual research, having no truck with 'ageless wisdoms' and loci of spirituality, Richard Lynn's translation of the I Ching as retranslated, explicated and interpreted by the young scholar Wang Bi and his followers, feels a world apart from that of Wilhelm. -- London Review of Books
Familiar with current historical and textual research, having no truck with 'ageless wisdoms' and loci of spirituality, Richard Lynn's translation of the I Ching as retranslated, explicated and interpreted by the young scholar Wang Bi and his followers, feels a world apart from that of Wilhelm. -- London Review of Books
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Scholarship with insight,
By
This review is from: The Classic of Changes: A New Translation of the I Ching as Interpreted by Wang Bi (Hardcover)
This is an outstanding blend of scholarship backed by a depth of research and expertise, melded with a sensitivity to what an oracle means to people, and how it is properly to be used. Lynn has recreated and organized the Wang Bi text of the I Ching (Wang Bi was a scholar and writer in ancient China who died at a tragically young age but accomplished extraordinary things on a truly Mozartean scale--his version of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching is still the most read and cited version of that work, and his insight into the I Ching, thanks to Prof. Lynn, deserves as much study). For those who are drawn to the ancient oracle as an insight guide rather than a parlor game or fortune-telling tool, Prof. Lynn's presentation of the Wang Bi I Ching is an essential first step. I would further recommend the work of Carol Anthony ("Guide to the I Ching") and her latest exploration of the I Ching from the perspective of helping one's inner learning to inform and enrich one's outer life, which has been written with Hanna Moog: it is called "I Ching: The Oracle of the Cosmic Way."
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
An edition for the advanced student with some Chinese.,
This review is from: The Classic of Changes and the Columbia "I Ching" on CD-ROM: Book and CD-ROM Set (Spiral-bound)
Richard John Lynn's scholarly edition of the I Ching appears to have been designed as a competitor to the Carey Baynes translation of Richard Wilhelm's deservedly famous edition. It has a very similar design and the same tall slim pages, though unfortunately the spine is glued and the book doesn't open flat.Wilhelm wore his scholarship lightly, but Lynn seems determined to exhibit his. The numerous interesting footnotes are full, detailed, and unmistakably scholarly, but have been printed in a miniscule font that makes for difficult reading. Apart from its inferior binding and minsicule typography, the main problem with the book is the extreme repulsiveness of the translation. Here is the opening line of Hexagram 1: 'Qian consists of fundamentality [yuan], prevalence [heng], fitness [li], and constancy [zhen]' (page 129). Intelligible, perhaps, if you happen to understand the original Chinese, but hardly designed to make much sense to anyone else. Lynn's edition is very much one for the advanced student. Long-time students of the I Ching will find lots to chew on in his densely packed and heavily annotated pages (provided they can read them). Beginners who are not so much interested in studying the I Ching as a document in the history of Chinese philosophy, but who want to try their hand at using the I Ching for divination, should most definitely avoid the Lynn. Their needs would be far better served by a book such as Stephen Karcher's 'How to Use the I Ching,' one of the finest available editions for beginners on the market. The Lynn has its uses, but despite its pretensions I very much doubt it will ever succeed in ousting the Wilhelm from its pre-eminent position as the West's foremost edition of the I Ching. Among other things, I don't think people would be prepared to sacrifice Wilhelm's beauty.
5.0 out of 5 stars
One for the collection,
By Jack Purcell (Placitas, NM USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Classic of Changes: A New Translation of the I Ching as Interpreted by Wang Bi (Hardcover)
The reviews on the Lynn book appear to break down to a partisanship between John Richard Lynn and Wilhelm. There's room in the library of the I Ching enthusiast for both. I happen to prefer Lynn, but refer frequently to Wilhelm. It's difficult to imagine either of the two absent from the shelf. I'm particularly grateful to Lynn for the comprehensive footnotes and historical notes to put each item in context.
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