Yijing (Book of Changes) and Divination

Course Title: The Yijing (Book of Changes) and Divination in Chinese Thought

  • Course Code: CHIN 307 / RELS 307 / PHIL 307 (depending on department)
  • Department: East Asian Studies
  • Level: Upper-level undergraduate / Entry-level graduate
  • Credits: 3 credits


Course Description:

This course explores the Yijing (I Ching), one of the most influential texts in Chinese intellectual, religious, and philosophical traditions. Students will examine its origins as a divinatory manual, its transformation into a cosmological and philosophical system, and its continuing relevance in contemporary East Asian culture. The course integrates textual study, historical context, philosophical analysis, and practical engagement with Yijing divination techniques.


Learning Objectives:

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

  1. Explain the historical development and textual layers of the Yijing.
  2. Interpret hexagrams using traditional commentaries and systems.
  3. Evaluate the philosophical implications of divination in Confucian, Daoist, and modern contexts.
  4. Compare the Yijing’s methods and worldview with other divination systems globally.
  5. Conduct a basic divination reading and critically assess its cultural function.


Weekly Topics Overview:

Week 1: Introduction to Divination and the Yijing

  • Divination in human societies
  • Overview of the Yijing: structure and significance

Week 2: History of the Yijing

  • From Zhou dynasty origins to Han commentaries
  • Canonization and political use

Week 3: Structure of the Text

  • Hexagrams and trigrams
  • Yin and Yang, solid and broken lines
  • Ten Wings and layers of interpretation

Week 4: Early Chinese Cosmology

  • Correlative cosmology: Five Elements, Heaven-Earth-Man triad
  • Daoist and Confucian metaphysics in Yijing

Week 5: Methods of Divination

  • Yarrow stalk method vs. coin method
  • Ritual protocols and significance

Week 6: The Ten Wings and Philosophical Interpretation

  • Tuan (Judgment), Xiang (Image), Wenyan (Appended Sayings), etc.
  • Influence on Confucian thought (Zhu Xi, Cheng Yi)

Week 7: Daoist Readings of the Yijing

  • Zhuangzi and spontaneity
  • Inner alchemy and meditative uses

Week 8: Case Study: Hexagram 1 (Qian) and Hexagram 2 (Kun)

  • Creative vs. receptive forces
  • Gendered cosmologies

Week 9: Yijing and Political Philosophy

  • Use by statesmen and rulers
  • Divination in bureaucratic contexts

Week 10: Comparative Divination Systems

  • Mesopotamian, Greek, and African parallels
  • Cross-cultural theories of chance and fate

Week 11: The Yijing in Modernity

  • 20th century interpretations (Wilhelm, Jung)
  • Yijing in New Age and Western esotericism

Week 12: Practical Workshop I

  • Performing a hexagram cast
  • Interpreting line changes and transforming hexagrams

Week 13: Practical Workshop II

  • Student-led interpretations
  • Ethical considerations in divination practice

Week 14: Contemporary Scholarship and Debates

  • Academic controversies
  • Future of Yijing studies

Week 15: Final Presentations and Course Review


Assessment Methods:

  • Participation: 10%
  • Reading Quizzes: 10%
  • Midterm Essay (2,000 words): 25%
  • Divination Practice Journal: 15%
  • Final Project (Presentation + Essay, 3,000 words): 40%


Required Texts:

  • The I Ching or Book of Changes, trans. Richard Wilhelm, intro by C.G. Jung (Bollingen Series)
  • Edward Shaughnessy, Unearthing the Changes
  • Kidder Smith et al., Sung Dynasty Uses of the I Ching
  • François Jullien, A Treatise on Efficacy