The Book of Changes: Understanding China from Traditional Chinese Philosophy and History

Abstract

Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism are the main characteristics of Chinese traditional thoughts and philosophies. However, The Book of Changes, also called Yi Jing or Zhou Yi, had been the original Chinese thought system earlier than Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. It can be precisely  traced back to at least 3,000 years ago. The Book of Changes has profoundly influenced Chinese philosophy, thought and culture. Taoism originated  from The Book of Changes, and Confucianism derives important ideological values from it. Although not the author of this thought  system, Confucius studied The Book of Changes and made essential contributions to develop it. This paper discusses the development history of  The Book of Changes thought and some of its key concepts. The paper also discusses the history and religious attitudes of the Chinese people.  These are the essentials to understanding China and its culture.