Intuition, Dec 1998
The publisher's decision to call this 'the definitive translation' might at first seem presumptuous, given the fact that generations of readers have come to venerate the Wilhelm, Legge, and Blofeld versions. However, a careful comparison of Huang's translation with these prior classics reveals it superiority in nearly every respect. Readers interested in acquainting themselves with the I Ching for the first time need to look no further; those who have formed a deep personal attachment to a previous translation owe it to themselves to explore this one as well.


The Book Reader, Spring/Summer 1999
What is constant through the translation is both a sense of tradition and an appreciation of modernity. . . . Throughout is a philosophical calmness, a sense of the intellectual mingling with the spirit of things. Most importantly, Huang makes this a useful Ching, more useful for the current temperament than older, more self conscious translations.


New Age Retailer, Mar/Apr 99
Huang's definitive translation provides Western audiences with deeper insight into the I Ching. . . . Any reader interested in Eastern philosophy definitely will appreciate this book.


Book Description

This authoritative translation is the first by an eminent Chinese scholar, and it includes the essential Confucian commentaries.


Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Chinese


About the Author
  A professor of Taoist philosophy and former Dean of Students at Shanghai University, Master Alfred Huang is a third-generation master of Tai Chi, Chi Kung, and Oriental meditation, wtih over 50 years of experince.  He is the founder of New Harmony, a non-profit organization devoted to teaching self-healing, and is the author of Complete Tai Chi.  He lives on the island of Maui. 


Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
The Definitive Translation by the Taoist Master Alfred Huang

Wu Wang ï Without Falsehood
Qian ï Heaven
Zhen ï Thunder
Name and Structure
Wu Wang literally means not untruthful. Wilhelm translates Wu Wang as Innocence (the Unexpected) and Blofeld as Integrity, the Unexpected. In this book I adopt the term Without Falsehood. In Chinese, Wu means not, and Wang is untruthful, dishonest, or insincere. Thus, Wu Wang means truthful, honest, and sincere, without any fabrication. It was considered to be the natural state of the individual.
Sequence of the Gua: When the turning point returns, there will be no untruthfulness and insincerity taking place. Thus, after Turning Back, Without Falsehood follows.
Wu Wang is an abstract term, very difficult to express with ideographs. There are, however, two ideographs for the name of the gua. The first resembles a person bending his back carrying a heavy load. This image, suggesting having no breath, is used to express no. The upper part consists of three strokes representing a heavy load; the lower part is the ideograph for a person, ren. The person is winded and eventually will run out of breath.
The second ideograph consists of two parts. The upper part, wang, provides the sound as well as the significance. Wang means to walk away. The ancients drew an ideograph of a person at the top. Underneath is a vertical stroke connected to a horizontal stroke, symbolizing the act of walking away. Beneath this image is an ideograph of a woman. The ideograph for woman is similar to the ideograph for person, except that there is a curved line in the middle representing the breasts of a woman. These two images together express that the woman is walking away. A woman walking away was an ancient symbol of falseness.
In The Biography of Prince Chun Shen, the famous historian Si-ma Qian of the Western Han dynasty (206 b.c. to 24 a.d.) referred to Wu Wang as not anticipated instead of not false. In ancient times the words anticipated and unfaithful shared the same sound but were written differently. This change bears a philosophical meaning: truthfulness is the Tao of Heaven. As a human being, one does the best one can. As for good fortune or bad fortune, blessing or calamity, events had to take their own course. One should not live in anticipation. This is the meaning of Wu Wang.
Wu Wang comes from Retreat (33) g. When the solid line at the top of Retreat retreats to the bottom, Retreat alternates to Without Falsehood (25). Thus Confucius’s Commentary on the Decision says, the firm comes from the outer [gua] and becomes the host of the inner [gua]. When the solid line at the second place of Contention (6) F interchanges with the yielding line at the bottom, Contention alternates to Without Falsehood. The yang element at the second place and the yin element at the bottom of Contention are not correct. After they change places, both of them are correct. This change is reasonable and equitable truthful.
The structure of the gua is Heaven 1 above, Thunder 2 below. The inner gua is Thunder, symbolizing motion; the outer gua is Heaven, indicating strength. The solid line at the fifth place is firm, central, and correct and corresponds to the yielding line at the second place, which is also central and correct. These two conditions provide a very auspicious picture of strength with motion a state totally free from untruthfulness, dishonesty, and insincerity. For this reason, this gua possesses the four supreme virtues yuan, heng, li, and zhen, the virtues of Heaven. The ancient sages considered thunder to be the sound of Heaven. The thunder rolling under Heaven proclaimed these virtues to myriad beings. Those who preserved and nurtured these virtues were naturally aligned with the will of Heaven and would be powerful and endowed with the potential to be successful. Thus Confucius’s Commentary on the Decision says, Movement with strength; the firm is at the central place and has a correspondent. Great prosperity and smoothness through its correctness. This is the will of Heaven.
Decision
Without Falsehood.
Sublimely prosperous and smooth.
Favorable to be steadfast and upright.
If one’s intention is not truthful,
There is trouble.
Unfavorable to have somewhere to go.
Commentary on the Decision
Without Falsehood.
The firm comes from the outer
And becomes the host of the inner.
Movement with strength;
The firm is at the central place and has a respondent.
Great prosperity and smoothness through its correctness.
This is the will of Heaven.
If one’s intention is not truthful,
One will fall into errors.
It is unfavorable for one
To have somewhere to go.
When truthfulness is gone,
Where can one go?
When the will of Heaven will not protect,
How can anything be done?
Commentary on the Symbol
Under Heaven, Thunder rolls.
An image of all things accompanied by truthfulness.
In correspondence with this,
The ancient king enriches his virtue in harmony with the time And nurtures myriad beings.
Yao Text
1. Initial Nine
Without falsehood. Going forward: good fortune.
Going forward with no falsehood.
His will will be fulfilled.
2. Second Six
Not counting on the harvest while plowing,
Nor on the results while tilling.
Then, favorable to have somewhere to go.
Not counting on the harvest while plowing.
One does not aim for wealth.
3. Third Six
A catastrophe of no falsehood,
As if a tethered cow is carried off by a passerby.
Passerby’s gain,
Villager’s loss.
The passerby gets the cow.
It is a loss to the villagers.
4. Fourth Nine
Appropriate to be steadfast and upright.
No fault.
Appropriate to be steadfast and upright.
No fault.
He is able to firmly hold fast his nature.
5. Fifth Nine
An illness for no falsehood.
No medicine.
A joyful occasion.
Medicine for no falsehood.
One should not try.
6. Top Nine
Without falsehood.
Take action; there is trouble.
Nothing is favorable.
Action without falsehood.
Misfortune is due to its dead end.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In "The Complete I Ching", an eminent Chinese scholar translated the original ideographs of the I Ching into English. This book also includes a new emphasis on the intricate web of interrelations among the names and sequence of the 64 hexagrams, the preservation of the original poetic style, plus more.

SYNOPSIS

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.

FROM THE CRITICS

Intuition - Dec 1998