The Yi Jing (I Ching) is said to have been created by Fu Xi (Fu Hsi).
"The first legend is that the Chinese writing system was developed by a man named Fú Xī, who is said to have been the first of the Five Emperors and lived about 5000 years ago. If we believe the legend, Fú Xī must have been a remarkable person as he was credited with: developing a method of tying knots in fibers to designate the days of the calendar; using drawings and graphic signs for words and ideas; the invention of rope, fishing- and hunting- nets, musical instruments, and the original eight trigrams used in the Yi Jing. He was said to have the ability to look at objects in nature and his own body, then be able to create drawings from those things that later developed into words (or characters). He also had the ability to look at the eight trigrams and understand the essence of everything."
-Your Dao De Jing
Most people believe that the Yi Jing was originally used as a means of divination by the ancient Chinese Emperors, and that could well be true. However, we don't really have any writings that date back far enough to make that determination. We do know that Emperors eventually used the hexagrams (as well as reading cracks made in tortoise shells when heated) as forms of divination.
The Yi Jing today contains many commentaries on the original hexagrams, and most of them are based on the commentaries Confucius wrote about 400 to 350 BCE.
I decided to open a section at DIO for discussions about the Yi Jing, and I'm looking forward to hearing others' opinions and explanations as to how they use it. We can also discuss hexagrams from a personal viewpoint - if someone consulted the Yi Jing and received a hexagram they want to explore further.
I know there are members here who have done investigations and translations of the Yi Jing, and they can provide a rich source for the rest of us who are interested in it.
Any additions or corrections to what I wrote about the history of the Yi Jing would be great!
I'm going to consult it in a couple of days, and I'll be looking for some feedback on the hexagram I get. Maybe I'll ask about what to write here!
-Nina
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A little history
Posted - 04/21/2006 : 5:43:12 PM
