About Book of Changes Academy
Book of Changes Academy is an open scholarly resource dedicated to making the I-Ching (易經) accessible to modern readers while preserving the depth of its classical tradition.
Our Approach
Every hexagram page presents the original classical Chinese text alongside multiple layers of commentary: Richard Wilhelm's foundational German-to-English translation, Bradford Hatcher's character-by-character pinyin glosses, and modern interpretive commentary that connects these timeless patterns to contemporary life.
We believe the I-Ching is best understood through direct engagement with the source text. That's why each page includes character-by-character breakdowns—so readers can develop their own relationship with the classical language, rather than relying solely on any single translation.
Sources & Methodology
Our content draws from three primary scholarly sources:
- Wilhelm-Baynes Translation — The most widely referenced English translation, originally rendered from Chinese to German by Richard Wilhelm and translated to English by Cary F. Baynes.
- Bradford Hatcher Glosses — Character-by-character pinyin romanizations and English meanings, enabling readers to study the original Classical Chinese directly.
- Modern Commentary — Interpretive commentary connecting each hexagram's themes to contemporary situations and decisions.
The Project
Book of Changes Academy is built and maintained by Digital Rain Studio, a team focused on digital tools for classical text study. The project is a companion to Six Lines and 8-Bit Oracle, our interactive I-Ching consultation tools.
Get Started
New to the I-Ching? Start with the eight trigrams to understand the building blocks, then explore the 64 hexagrams or browse by topic.