Table of Contents

1. The Mandate of Heaven The framework of the argument The title of the oracle Imprisoned for a sigh An overlooked solar eclipse record Darkness at noon, June 20, 1070 BC The army carries the corpse Battling in the Wilds A few concluding remarks 2. Further Mysteries of the Changes The mingyi bird Melons, willows, hoarfrost, and creepers King Wen is fed his own son The curse of the ancestors Clouds follow the dragon No skin on his thighs 3. Appendices The sinological maze of Wilhelm-Baynes Genealogical matters Chinese text of hexagram 55 The sexagenary cycle Simplified dynastic chronology

Promotional Information

The I Ching is one of the cornerstone texts of Chinese civilization and remains a tremendously popular book throughout the world. Scholars have increasingly dismissed the traditions surrounding the text, while many readers in both China and the West have been more willing to accept this divinatory work at face value. S. J. Marshall sets out to reconcile these opposing approaches.

About the Author

S. J. Marshall works as an editor for one of the premier medical journals, The Lancet, when he is not pursuing his interest in ancient Chinese history.

Reviews

S. J. Marshall's intriguing work will be read with great interest by ["I Ching"] aficionados, and it will also attract the attention of contemporary scholars. The former will be immensely grateful for the clarity that Marshall brings to such an enigmatic text. . . . Everyone who reads "The Mandate of Heaven" will return to the "Book of Changes" with a renewed historical perspective.