What Is the I Ching? History, Text vs. Commentary
The I Ching (Book of Changes, 《周易》) is China's oldest divination and philosophical classic. Its earliest layer consists of the judgments (卦辭) of the 64 hexagrams and the 384 line texts (爻辭), which modern scholarship generally dates to the Western Zhou period. A second layer, the Ten Wings (《十翼》), was compiled much later and turns the oracle into philosophy; tradition says Confucius wrote it, but that is a traditional attribution, not a proven fact. At NPC Code we treat it as a mirror for thinking through a situation and choosing an action, not as fixed fate.
「易與天地準，故能彌綸天地之道。」
Source: 《《周易・繫辭上》》
Reviewed by: The Little Slime ScribeLast updated:
Two layers of text: the Classic (經) and the Commentaries (傳)
Most misunderstandings about the I Ching come from blending its two layers of text into one.
| Layer | Contents | Approximate date | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Classic — Zhou Yi 《周易》 | 64 hexagram names, judgments 卦辭, 384 line texts 爻辭 | Western Zhou, roughly 1000–750 BCE | Extremely terse oracle language: images, omens, short verdicts |
| The Commentaries — Ten Wings 《十翼》 | 彖傳, 象傳, 繫辭傳, 文言傳 (traditionally the 文言 for the hexagrams Qian and Kun), 說卦傳, 序卦傳, 雜卦傳 | Warring States to early Han, several centuries later | Explains, moralises, and builds a cosmology of change |
So when someone quotes "天行健，君子以自強不息", those are words from 《周易・乾・象傳》, not the Western Zhou oracle itself. Both are worth reading; they are simply not the same voice. NPC Code always labels which layer you are reading.
What is debated, stated plainly
- Authorship. Tradition says Fu Xi 伏羲 drew the trigrams, King Wen 文王 composed the hexagram judgments, the Duke of Zhou 周公 the line texts, and Confucius the Ten Wings. Modern scholarship treats these as traditional attributions; the Ten Wings are generally seen as later works, and not the product of one hand or one time.
- How to read it. Wang Bi 王弼 (3rd century) read the Changes through meaning and principle (義理), sweeping away the clutter of image-and-number systems and asking directly what each hexagram image means. Zhu Xi 朱熹, in 《周易本義》 and 《易學啟蒙》, emphasised instead that the Changes is fundamentally a book of divination with a definite casting method, upon which the philosophy is built. NPC Code takes both: Zhu Xi's procedural clarity and Wang Bi's interpretive openness.
- Status. The I Ching was established as one of the Confucian classics in the Han dynasty. Only as official classical learning took fixed form did it change from a diviner's handbook into a book scholars lived with for life.
One line from the source, and what it actually says
易與天地準，故能彌綸天地之道。 《周易・繫辭上》
Plain-language explanation (NPC Code's words, not the original): The framework of the Changes is measured against heaven and earth, so it can thread together and encompass the way heaven and earth operate.
Note what it does not say. It does not promise that this book knows your future. It says the book is a model — a patterned scheme describing how situations arise, peak and turn. A map can help you choose a road, but you are still the one driving.
A complete short reading
Question: "Someone has invited me to join a new team. Should I say yes now, or wait a while?"
Casting: three coins, thrown six times (heads = 3, tails = 2; a line totalling 6 is old yin, 9 is old yang, both of which change; 7 and 8 do not change). The result: Hexagram 3, Zhun 屯, with the first line changing (only one line changes, so the first-line text of the primary hexagram is the main focus).
Original text:
屯：元亨，利貞。勿用有攸往，利建侯。 《周易・屯》
初九：磐桓，利居貞，利建侯。 《周易・屯・爻辭》
Plain-language translation (our understanding): The beginning holds vitality but is tangled at the roots; holding firm and upright is appropriate. Do not rush off anywhere; it is favourable to establish a foundation (installing feudal lords). The first line depicts a state of hesitating and circling in place, saying that dwelling steadily and keeping upright is favourable, and that installing a lord is favourable too (installing a lord originally meant enfeoffing lords and establishing support, extended to mean first setting up a sound foundation and building your support).
Concrete action: Don't read 利居貞 as "refuse the job." Read it as: the matter is still young and unsettled, so the useful move is to make your footing solid first. Go and ask for a clear scope of responsibility, reporting line, and expectations for the first ninety days — and get it in writing. Decide after you have read that, not now. The hexagram described the shape of this moment; the choice remains in your hands.
Why NPC Code sees it as a tool, not a fate
The oracle's own vocabulary is in fact quite modest. 吉 auspicious, 凶 ill-omened, 悔 regret, 吝 stinting, 无咎 no blame — these are best read as "weather reports" on a situation, not as verdicts on a whole life. 无咎 in particular is close to "there is nothing to be blamed for here": a comment on how one conducts oneself, not a guarantee of outcome.
So this course will teach you to: pose a question you can actually act on, cast with three coins, locate the hexagram by the King Wen sequence, read the judgment and the changing lines, and then translate the hexagram image into one next step. Other systems — six-line Na Jia 六爻納甲 (dense with stems and branches) and Plum Blossom Numerology 梅花易數 (casting by number, seeking speed) — appear only for comparison. We stay with the received Zhou Yi and the Ten Wings. The I Ching is a mirror for reflection, and never a replacement for professional medical, legal or financial advice.
Key takeaways
- The I Ching has two layers: the Western Zhou judgments and line texts (the Classic, 經), and the much later Ten Wings (the Commentaries, 傳).
- Confucius's authorship of the Ten Wings is a traditional attribution, not a proven fact.
- It became a Confucian classic in the Han dynasty; before that it was mainly a book of divination.
- Zhu Xi kept the casting method precise; Wang Bi kept the meaning open. Both are useful.
- Omen words like 吉 and 无咎 describe a situation's tendency, not a destiny already sealed.
Questions & answers
Is the I Ching 3,000 years old?
The earliest layer comes close. Scholars generally date the hexagram judgments and line texts to the Western Zhou, roughly 1000–750 BCE. The Ten Wings are several centuries later, and the received text we read today took fixed form later still.
Do I have to read the Ten Wings in order to cast a reading?
Not necessarily. You can read the judgments and line texts directly. But 彖傳 and 象傳 are short and often clarify a difficult hexagram image, so most readers consult them — just remember that they are commentary, not the Western Zhou oracle.
Can the I Ching predict the future?
NPC Code does not use it that way. What it gives you is a structured image of a situation's dynamics, and a prompt for one round of honest reflection. The outcome still depends on what you and others actually do.
Why three coins instead of yarrow stalks?
The yarrow method is older and slower, and the probability distribution of the four line types differs. The three-coin method is symmetrical between old and young (old yang and old yin each 1/8, young yang and young yin each 3/8), whereas the yarrow method gives old yang 3/16, old yin 1/16, young yang 5/16, young yin 7/16. The three-coin method is a clean, repeatable procedure suited to beginners, which is why this course starts with it.