Zhouyi: A New Translation with Commentary of the Book of Changes [Paperback]

in many ways this is an unprecedented book about the I Ching. as Rutt points out, he accomplishes the task set forward by Wilhelm in his translation of the book of changes: to interpret the I Ching in the context in which it was originally written. prior to Rutt's book, understanding the dynamics of life among the Zhou and the way they used the I Ching required years of scholarship, reading between the lines, and texts of all sorts. Rutt's book combines all of the necessary information in one volume. he provides a concise history of the book of changes and the zhou dynasty as well as an overview of the advances and discovers made by Chinese and Western academics during the twentieth century. also unique in this translation is the three hundred page commentary in which Rutt provides actual arguments to back up his translation of the engimatic text.

Rutt, however, is clearly not a "believer" in the I Ching. in many ways this is the books greatest strength, as it enables him to present an account of the Zhou unsullied by the reverence with which most writers have approached the subject. however, it is fairly evident that part of Rutt's project is to ridicule other contemporary scholars of the I Ching, as well as the Sung dynasty interpeters who gave the book it's present form, as well as the Zhou themselves. despite the book's anthropological pretenses, Rutt's language is riddled with anachronisms and bias.

as an example of the first, Rutt refers to "the Book of Songs" by the no longer used appelation "the Book of Odes." to me this suggest he may not have kept up with Chinese classical scholarship in areas besides the I Ching.

Rutt describes the Zhou as "primitive," and seems particularily hung up on the centrality of human sacrifice in their religion. again this suggests that his work has been colored by his attitudes as a priest rather than the academic professionalism he feigns. all the way back in the 1890s, James Frazier, not himself the most open-minded anthropologist, suggested that the term "primtive" be abandoned. the accepted nomenclature among contemporary anthropologists is "pre-modern." moreover, Frazier's work documents the centrality of human sacrifice in just about every culture on the globe. one might even point out that the central myth and sacrament of Rutt's religion represents a metaphorical reenactment of human sacrifice and cannibalism.

likewise, Rutt's translation is intended to demystify the text. while it's certain that contemporary translations reinterpret the Zhouyi in light of modern Chinese, there's no reason to assume that the Zhou read the book in the simplistic, barebones way that Rutt suggests.

fortunately, it's relatively easily to separate Rutt's personal commentary from the historical background. this book provides a great deal of information useful to anyone interested in the I Ching, whether as a practitioner, a student of literature, or a student of history.

it's a good book about the Zhouyi, but it's not the book about the Zhouyi. to say "this is how the Zhou saw the book" does not really undermine more recent applications of the text. it's a typically "Western" sentiment to think that the original "meaning" of the text is somehow the most legitimate one. but the fact that the Zhouyi was the product of a certain culture in a certain time and place does not negate the fact that the book became a central part of a living culture for three thousand years. hopefully more books will appear in the English language that discuss both the early and subsequent phases of the development of the I Ching that are as thorough without being as marred by sarcastic ethnocentrism as this book.

This book is one of the best books currently on the market concerning the study of the I Ching. The book gives an in-depth review of the I Ching's evolution and history. It also gives a very enlightening review of many of the current I Ching translations on the market.

This book is for the more serious student of the I Ching. It is not very useful for individual divination using the I Ching. There are other books that are more useful for divination.

There is everything here about the history of the I Ching. Richard Rutt has used among others the studies by Kunst on the oldest meaning of the book (that was lost to the later Confucian commentators of the Ten Wings) to attempt a translation that comes as close as possible to the original meaning. . This brings Bronze Age China back to life, a civilization that even performed human sacrifices (quite shocking!) A must for all serious I Ching lovers.

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