Customer Reviews

The Complete Idiot's Guide to I Ching

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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This book is definitely a worthwhile edition of the I Ching for anyone interested in the subject matter. Over the years I have collected numerous versions of the I Ching, and this one is probably the most readable of the lot of them.

The background history of the I Ching is well researched and presented, and the chapters relating it to Chaos Theory, the Holographic Paradigm, and others are extremely interesting and valuable reading.

The heart of the book is, of course, the presentations of the hexagrams. While not as "in-depth" as some of my other translations/interpretations, this isn't necessarily a bad thing - many of those other books give you enough information to thoroughly overwhelm you. The interpretations here are written in modern English, and are very understandable. What makes them truly useful, however, is the way the author relates the meanings of the hexagrams to the history of the political situations occuring when the book was put together in its "modern" form (during the time of King Wen and the Duke of Zhou). This makes the hexagrams MUCH easier to relate to your own personal situations - let's face it, most of the traditional interpretations leave this background out, and instead just present phrases for the hexagrams and individual lines which can be extraordinarily puzzling and apparently unrelated to the question at hand. By relating each hexagram to the actual historical happening that inspired the traditional interpretations, the hexagrams are put into a much clearer (and more easily applicable) light.

Some of the versions of the I Ching I have which are written in "modern English" just give the authors own personal take on the hexagrams - while sometimes useful, these "translations" are usually somewhat suspect because they often leave the original texts of the hexagrams and lines out. But that is not the case here! The traditional texts are included, and then presented with additional explanatory text by the author. So, you get the best of both worlds. Sometimes the authors own interpretations aren't quite applicable to your question, but the traditional text is, and sometimes it's the other way around. This edition of the I Ching give you both!

I wholeheartedly recommend this book. If this is your first exposure to the I Ching, it will serve as an excellent introduction, and certainly one you will use for years to come (even if you purchase several other different translations, as I have). If you are like me, someone who has studied the I Ching for years, you will immediately appreciate the clarity and depth the author presents.

Don't be fooled by the title. You do not need to be a "complete idiot" to get great value from this book!

For the past 25 or so years I have been failing to make head nor tail of the Yi Jing. My studies suggested and my intuition told me, that there was something very significant to be found there but the text, though it seemed to provide many glimpses of relevance and truth, always slipped back into obscure regions peopled only by erudite sinologists... and where these luminaries sometimes seem to have slight differences of criterion (the things Mr Cleary says about R.Wilhelm!).
There was nothing for it but to declare myself a Complete Idiot - something which had been staring me in the face for longer than I like to think - and this very Daoist act of auto-abasement was rewarded by a version of the Yi Jing, or rather the Zhouyi (its wings having been usefully clipped of Confucian confusion) which at last made sense. Sense not only for the clarity of the translation (or transliteration or whatever) but by the meaning and coherence of the text.
The sensation is rather like having a plaster removed from a broken limb.
I would like to recommend the book to anyone who wants a clear, manageable and simple (but not simplistic) version of the background to and wisdom of this classic.
Five Stars! Bravo! and Many Thanks to Ms Moran and Master Yu!

Joseph Yu and Elizabeth Moran have succeeded in coordinating information that is vital for students, practitioners, and teachers of Feng Shui in their new book "The Complete Idiot's Guide to The I Ching." I have been years trying to piece together and collate this kind of information. I am thrilled and delighted with the contents of the book and how it flows.

The hexagrams are interpreted in modern-day language yet the reference to the historical events are clearly established. The sections dealing with the principles of the Chinese cosmos and how modern science relates to the I-Ching are extraordinary keys to bridging the gap between ancient wisdom and today's world. The section on Feng Shui is a real treat and positioned perfectly in the book. I have a different relationship with life after having read this book.

This book is a universal guide to life.

If I were to recommend one book for everyone in the world to read, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to The I Ching" is the one!

Thank you, Joseph and Elizabeth, for all the time, attention, effort, and resources you so generously put into this book.

Usually, the "Complete Idiot's" and "Dummies" books give you the basic information on their subject, with some depth, but nothing too encompassing. I was very surprised with this book -- it gives in-depth information about the I Ching and its history, as well as touching upon other things like synchronicity. The translation of the I Ching included in the book is also rather well done, and better than some stand-alone translations (for example, "The Taoist I Ching"). I learned a lot about the I Ching from this book. Recommended.

At Last! A reliable & supremely useable guide to this ancient art & science from two of the best known authorities in related fields [Classical Feng Shui]. When a couple of true heavy hitters put their all into a book like this it becomes an invaluable manual that-- like their other works-- is highly practical and easily put to use. Pronounced "E"-Jing, Nobel prize winner Neils Bohr discovered in 1945 that the I Ching was binary code for--
you guessed it-- Quantum Theory. I don't mind recommending the book to anyone at the bargain prices that the Idiot's Guide softbounds go for -- in fact, we
have regularly recommended their first book here in the Twin Cities on our cable show-- All About Feng Shui for Home & Office.

Humility is the gateway to learning. Prepare to be humbled, and learn! This guide for "complete idiots" wrestles with ancient truths of complicated historical twists and abstract metaphors, then jumps back in the ring for a match with modern physical and matematical theory. The result is a respectable triumph of simplicity without condescention, thoroughness without over complication, and readability in spite of rigor. Philosophy and practical application combine to help the reader onto solid ground in this poorly understood (to Western minds)ancient Eastern practice.

While new to I Ching, I find myself fortunate to find this work. It brings a structured simplicity with comprehensiveness that is essential in order to give the I Ching veracity and approachability. Excellent.

Elizabeth Moran and Master Joseph Yu did a wonderful job in writing "The Complete Idiot's Guide to The I Ching". Yijing is a powerful divination tool in traditional Chinese culture. It has been intriguing and difficult to understand thoroughly. This book is well organized in explaining from the historical background to tts modern day application, as well as how to utilize the knowledge further to open our mind and improve our life. It is thoroughly enjoyable reading. Thank you for a job well done.

I finally found a copy of this book.Knowing how good these "Complete idiots" series books are this book is just what I had hoped for.

This book explains I-Ching in simple to understand English with some technical explanations throughout.An ideal book for anyone even if you are just starting to learn I-Ching.Its is an enjoyable read.One of the most enjoyable I-Ching books I own.

Each hexagram is covered by a double page and covered in great detailed but doesnt drag on.Step by step instructions,advice on what kinds of questions to ask and how to interpret your reading.Even has a section on Feng Shui.I like the hexagram reference section at the front of the book,in colour too.Nice touch.One of the more thorough books on I-Ching.

I hope the publishers reprint this book.

I found this book in a 2nd hand bookshop and bought it out of curiosity as much as anything else. I am old enough to feel comfortable fooling around with strange stuff! I have been a regular meditator for many years and live in hope of some day attaining realisation - whatever that might mean. So - I asked the I Ching the following question - "what must I do to attain realisation in this lifetime?". The answer given was Hexagram 33 - "retiring". The book gives the following hexagram statement "retire. there will be success... GO ON A RETREAT!!!. Take a vacation alone." Couldn't really be more specific could it. I am not sure if I want to ask how long I have to go on a retreat though - I have a job and family. The strange things is the Richard Wilhelm translation of the I Ching talks about retreat in the military sense of withdrawing from a battle - less appropriate than this book's statement. I have asked a couple of other questions related to my business - the answers given were appropriate and actually quite helpful.
This is Truly strange.This book gives a good intro. to the I Ching and seems to be agood stepping off point.

I have just added this to the review - it relates to the current disaster in Japan. It is about 2PM on the 19th March in Japan.The news tells me that the Japanese hope to get electrical power connected to one of the reactors in a few hours time.
I asked the I Ching the following questions:
1. What will happen at the Fukushima nuclear power station?
2. What effect will the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear reactor damage have on the japanese economy?
3. What effect will the same events have on the world economy?

Well the hexagrams I got were pretty vague and seemingly irrelevant.
Question one the numbers were 897 879 - "penetrating" hexagram, with 9 on line 2 and 9 on line 6. The future hexagram was 39 "obstructing.
Question 2 the the numbers were 687 887 hexagram "stopping" with 6 on line 1. the future hexagram was 22 "adorning"
Question 3 the numbers were 967 787 - hexagram "brightness" with 9 on line 1 and 6 on line 2. the future hexagram was 50 "the caldron"
I won't go into all the hexagram statements but they seem rather off track in terms of answering the questions, whether I use the "complete idiot's guide" or Wilhelm.
So - the "answers" don't seem that relevant but maybe I asked the wrong questions. My earlier questions (my first using the Complete Idiots guide) were answered with seemingly appropriate responses.
Go figure!