The I Ching or Yi Jing, usually translated Book of Changes or Classic of Changes, is an ancient Chinese divination text that is among the oldest of the Chinese classics. The I Ching was originally a divination manual in the Western Zhou period (1000–750 BC). Over the course of the Warring States and early imperial periods (500–200 BC), it transformed into a cosmological text with a series of philosophical commentaries known as the "Ten Wings". After becoming part of the Chinese Five Classics in the 2nd century BC, the I Ching was the basis for divination practice for centuries across the Far East and was the subject of scholarly commentary. During the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, it took on an influential role in Western understanding of East Asian philosophical thought.
Fifty yarrow (Achillea millefolium) stalks, used for I Ching divination.
Wood block printed page of Zhou Yi Zhuan Yi Da Quan depicting the eight trigrams
A diagram of I Ching hexagrams sent to Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz from Joachim Bouvet. The Arabic numerals were added by Leibniz.
Oracle bones are pieces of ox scapula and turtle plastron, which were used for pyromancy – a form of divination – in ancient China, mainly during the late Shang dynasty. Scapulimancy is the specific term if ox scapulae were used for the divination, plastromancy if turtle plastrons were used. A recent count estimated that there were about 13,000 bones with a total of a little over 130,000 inscriptions in collections in China and some fourteen other countries.
A Shang dynasty oracle bone from the Shanghai Museum
Wang Yirong, Chinese politician and scholar, was the first to recognize the oracle bones as ancient writing.
Oracle bone pit at Yinxu, Anyang
Ox scapula recording divinations by Zhēng 爭 in the reign of King Wu Ding