150 Questions for Beginners to the Zhouyi

Name: 150 Questions for Beginners to the Zhouyi
ISBN: 9787301312025

詹石窗Peking University Press · ChinaAug 2025

3.5

Word count: 235K words
Chapters: 22
ISBN: 9787301312025

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Summary

This book is divided into two parts and, in the fresh format of 150 questions and answers, introduces in detail the basic knowledge of the Zhouyi (Book of Changes) and its practical applications.

Part One, “Foundations of the Zhouyi,” outlines the Zhouyi’s authorship, era of appearance, structure and hexagram sequence, images and numbers and meaning and principle, methods of divination, and the basis for interpreting hexagrams; Part Two, “Practical Applications of the Zhouyi,” covers its applications in many fields, including history and culture, astronomy and calendrical calculation, feng shui and architecture, traditional Chinese medicine and health preservation, self-cultivation and governance, calligraphy and painting, poetry and music and dance, and modern science and technology.

The book is concise, clear, and easy to understand throughout, suitable for general readers interested in traditional culture, especially Yijing culture, and can serve as an introductory book to the Zhouyi.

Editor's review

Zhouyi Rumen 150 Wen builds a convenient bridge to the Zhouyi in question-and-answer form. The book has two parts: Part One focuses on basic knowledge such as authorship, era, hexagram sequence, images and numbers and meaning and principle, and methods of divination, while Part Two extends to applied fields including history and culture, astronomy and calendrical calculation, feng shui and architecture, traditional Chinese medicine and health preservation, self-cultivation and governance, calligraphy and painting, and even modern science and technology. The advantage of this structure is that readers need not first work through the vast commentarial tradition before quickly locating the content they care about by question. The author, Zhan Shichuang, has long studied Daoism and Yijing learning, and his writing is concise and to the point, drawing easily mystified concepts back to a comprehensible level. The length of 150 questions is well controlled, with each question forming its own section, making the book suitable for fragmented reading and also as a desk reference. One caveat: the book is positioned as an introductory guide rather than in-depth research, and discussion of meaning and principle and textual verification are kept brief; genuine Yijing study still requires returning to the original classics.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Complete beginners to traditional culture who are curious about the Zhouyi but do not know where to start
Readers who need quick reference to basic concepts such as hexagram sequence, images and numbers, and divination
Cultural researchers interested in the application of Yijing learning in fields such as Chinese medicine, architecture, and art
Commuters who want to read in question-and-answer form in fragmented time

Not a good fit for

Specialist researchers who already have a foundation in Yijing learning and seek in-depth analysis of meaning and principle or textual verification
Readers expecting to study the original hexagram and line statements of the sixty-four hexagrams systematically
Pragmatists who only want to learn divination techniques and are not interested in cultural background

Reading tips

First read Part One straight through to build a conceptual framework, then dip into the applied chapters in Part Two according to interest; there is no need to proceed from beginning to end in order.
After each question, restate the main points in your own words; when encountering terms such as hexagram sequence and images and numbers, jot them down on index cards as you go.
Use the book as an index: after reading an entry that interests you, find the corresponding original classic or monograph for deeper study.
When Part Two touches on topics such as Chinese medicine and feng shui, be careful to distinguish cultural introduction from practical methods and maintain a cautious attitude.

About the publisher

Peking University Press China · Founded in 1979

Peking University Press is a comprehensive university press whose publishing areas cover classical literature, popular science, social culture, world history, Western philosophy, and culture. Its catalogue contains 6,031 titles, with representative books including A Dream of Red Mansions, Relativity: The Special and General Theory (15th Edition) (with Einstein's classic papers on unified field theory and other topics), Elements, Conics, The Aristocratic Families of the Eastern Jin, The Philosophy of Mythology (Volume I), The Philosophy of Mythology (Volume II), and The Origin of Continents and Oceans. Representative authors include Cao Xueqin, Zhou Ruchang, Albert Einstein, Euclid, Apollonius, Tian Yuqing, Schelling, and Xian Gang. The press has developed distinctive strengths in classical Chinese literature and in the translation of Western philosophical classics, while also covering scientific classics and social and cultural studies. As public information is limited, this description is based only on the books in the catalogue and offers no further extrapolation.

版权信息
凡例
导言
上编易学基础
第一章《周易》名实引说
第二章《周易》象数底蕴
第三章《周易》图式要略
第四章《周易》义理思想
第五章易学占筮法度
第六章易学断卦依凭
下编易学致用
第七章易学与儒释道三教
第八章易学与天文历算
第九章易学与风水建筑
第十章易学与中医养生
第十一章易学与传统术数
第十二章易学与身国治理
第十三章易学与历史文化
第十四章易学与书画艺术
第十五章易学与诗词乐舞
第十六章易学与现代科学
后记

FAQ

I have no foundation in classical Chinese at all. Can I understand this book?

Yes. The book uses a question-and-answer format and explains the basic concepts and background knowledge of the Zhouyi in modern Chinese; it does not require readers to have classical Chinese reading ability beforehand. When hexagram and line statements are involved, explanations are provided, with the focus on helping beginners build an overall framework of understanding. If you want to study the original text further, you can move on to annotated translations on the basis of this book.

Does this book teach people how to divine and cast hexagrams?

Part One touches on methods of divination and the basis for interpreting hexagrams as a matter of knowledge, with the aim of helping readers understand the composition and operating logic of traditional Yijing learning, not of providing a practical manual for predicting fortune and misfortune. The book’s focus is on basic knowledge and cultural applications; if you come to it hoping to learn fortune-telling, you may find it not specific enough.

Are the 150 questions independent of one another, or should they be read in order?

The questions are relatively independent and can be read by jumping around according to the table of contents. However, the basic concepts in Part One are progressive; readers new to the subject are advised to read Part One in order first to build a basic framework of hexagram sequence, images and numbers, and meaning and principle, and then move on to Part Two and select applied sections according to interest, which will make understanding smoother.

After finishing this introductory book, what should I read next?

You can first return to the original classic of the Zhouyi and choose a reliably annotated edition to study hexagram by hexagram; or, according to interest, turn to specialized works on the history of Yijing learning, image-and-number Yijing learning, or a particular applied field. The value of this book lies in building a framework and clarifying terminology, reducing obstacles for later in-depth study of the original classic and specialized research.

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About the author

詹石窗 Author

Zhan Shichuang is an author whose publicly available biographical information is limited; the only confirmed Chinese work by this name in the current collection is 150 Questions for Beginners to the Zhouyi (Yijing). The book falls under Eastern philosophy and introduces the basics of the Zhouyi in a question-and-answer format, aimed at general readers who wish to understand this classic. Based on the available information, Zhan Shichuang's writing focuses on introductory and popularizing works about classical texts, using a structure of questions and answers to turn specialized material such as hexagrams, lines, and commentaries into accessible sections that lower the threshold for beginners. Because only this one work is held in the collection, it is not yet possible to sketch his full research scope or academic background; details such as his education, positions, and other publications require further verification. As far as can be seen, this introductory volume serves as an accessible reader for approaching the Zhouyi, and its influence lies mainly in the dissemination of classical knowledge.