The Complete I Ching: The Definitive Translation by the Taoist Master Alfred Huang [Hardcover]

Taoist Master Alfred Huang (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1998

• The first translation to honor the authentic Chinese spirit of the Book of Change

For more than 3000 years the I Ching has been the most important book of divination in the world. Yet it has always been translated by Westerners who brought their own cultural biases to the work. Now, for the first time, an eminent Chinese scholar has translated the original ideograms of the I Ching into English. Imprisoned and sentenced to death during the Cultural Revolution in 1966, Master Alfred Huang studied the I Ching in secret with some of China's greatest minds. Released in 1979, he emigrated to the United States, where he discovered that no I Ching existed in English that truly understood the Chinese mind. This book is the product of his desire to right that situation.

To the Chinese, the I Ching is nothing without the Confucian commentaries known as the Ten Wings. Previous editions have given them only a minor place in the book, or have left them out altogether. In this new translation, they are restored to their central importance by Master Huang.

This book also emphasizes the intricate connections between the 64 possible hexagrams, and introduces several new methods for doing readings.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A careful comparison of Huang's translation with the Wilhelm, Legge, and Blofeld versions reveals its superiority in nearly every respect."
(

Intuition

)

"What is constant through this translation is both a sense of tradition and an appreciation of modernity. . . . [It is] a more useful I Ching than older, more self-conscious translations."
(The Book Reader )

"In The Complete I Ching Alfred Huang has restored the true essence of the I Ching...."
(Branches of Light, Spring-Summer-Fall 2005 )

"Huang suceeds, also, in producing a work that keeps opening up new vistas of understanding and inviting the reader to explore the many layers of discovery offered by the mathematical, visual, and literary dimensions of the classic."
(Reg Little, New Dawn )

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Chinese

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 576 pages
• Publisher: Inner Traditions (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892816562
• ISBN-13: 978-0892816569
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #258,405 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Eastern Religions > Confucianism
  • #30 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Bible & Other Sacred Texts > I Ching

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

148 of 150 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best I-Ching book ever compiled, June 16, 1999

By 

Paul O'Brien - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete I Ching: The Definitive Translation by the Taoist Master Alfred Huang (Hardcover)

As an I-Ching author myself (Oracle of Changes I-Ching 1997), I have an exhaustive library of I-Ching books. Alfred Huang's is the latest addition to my collection, and by far the best. In fact, I believe it is the best I-Ching ever compiled.

It is translated from the original Chinese, but is much easier to understand than Wilhelm-Baynes and the other literal translations. The writing is poetic and conveys a personal warmth that makes the whole work engaging and easy to use. I particularly enjoyed the fact that Master Huang uses the ancient style of ideographs and proceeds to explicate the literal meaning of the graphical elements contained within each character.

This makes it possible even for a Westerner to see how the original Chinese character meant what it did, and how that relates to the text of the hexagram as a whole. This is only one outstanding feature that makes this version a must-have for anyone interested in an authentic I Ching experience.

134 of 136 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars without doubt, the Best!, February 1, 2001

By 

Mauricio C. Quintana "cintain" (Mexico City, DF Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete I Ching: The Definitive Translation by the Taoist Master Alfred Huang (Hardcover)

I have had this book for two and a half years, and it was the first version of the I Ching I ever read. I am writing this review now, after reviewing and comparing quite a few other versions, to tell every person who loves the I Ching to get Master Alfred Huang's, which is by far the best of all, and to all newcomers to the I Ching to save money by buying this version, which is all they'll ever need.

To quote Master Huang, "Many Westerners know the I Ching, but they do not know the Tao of I". I means change; this book is about Changes, a master template to understand change and our place in it. There is no other I Ching I've read which so clearly expounds the Tao of I, the central yet difficult to discern theme of the I Ching. Many versions are limited to defining the meaning of each Hexagram in isolation, or dwell at length on the Yao (Line) texts, neglecting a thorough treatment of the situation expounded by the complete hexagram. Master Huang's Complete I Ching presents the text as a coherent, interrelated whole. The names of the hexagrams are carefully chosen to reflect this connection. The moving lines present the hexagram that will appear after the line changes from yin to yang or viceversa, making it easy to see what the progression of the situation will be. The text presents lots of additional reference information for each hexagram, useful for intermediate to advanced students. The Author also presents fascinating interpretations of the hexagrams based on references to the historical period when the I Ching is said to have been written. All this, compounded with a lucid, terse prose, make this book fascinating and easy to read (so you can keep going back to it time and again).

Master Huang mentions in his preface: "Sometimes when I have used English translations [of the I Ching] to divine, I have felt so depressed....When I use the Chinese text... there is always hope", and comments on his intention to recover this spirit in his translation. I believe he has attained this objective, and surpassed all other translators in presenting this greatest of Chinese classics for the western reader. Bravo, Master Huang! I Ching enthusiasts and newcomers, BUY THIS BOOK!

82 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Thirty Year User Of I Ching Comments, November 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete I Ching: The Definitive Translation by the Taoist Master Alfred Huang (Hardcover)

ALL of the English translations available have failed to achieve the open-endedness of this work. In the beginning of one's study of I Ching, one does not notice so much that the translation is actually muddying the waters. After many many years and digesting many situations, one comes to feel by intuition that the translations, especially Wilhelm, go completely off track at many points. For one thing, it is difficult to live in a world as delineated into "Superior Men" and "Inferior Men" as the Wilhelm translation has it. The terms are so absolute that thinking of one's fellows in them can actually CAUSE errors in action or perception when one is using the book as an oracle. Master Huang uses much less severe terms, which do not carry the harshness of many translations. He himself commented that his own experience with English translations used for oracles could depress him so badly he didn't want to try again! I agree completely from my own experience. This is just something one has to experience through many years to appreciate. The translation is EVERYTHING.

Master Huang's is the cleanest, clearest, least "contaminated" version available I think. "Neutral" might be a way to state this.