42 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 42 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
When life changes, how do you know whether to act, wait, or begin again?
The I Ching, also called the Book of Changes, explores that question through sixty-four symbols and their short texts. Each presents a situation: a hard beginning, a time of waiting, peace, or breakdown. Rather than announce a fixed fate, the text asks what this moment calls for.
Its oldest layer, the Zhou Yi, sits alongside commentaries known as the Ten Wings. Together, they connect a tradition of divination with questions of character and right action. No single author stands behind the book; scholars see many hands shaping its ideas over centuries.
What you’ll discover
- A world of changing situations Explore sixty-four hexagrams that give shape to moments of difficulty, waiting, peace, and breakdown.
- Simple lines, many possibilities Follow the book’s structure from two kinds of line through eight trigrams to sixty-four hexagrams.
- Images rather than rules Read short texts, including the Judgment, that invite reflection on a whole situation.
- An oracle becomes philosophy Discover how the Ten Wings bring commentary and philosophical reflection to the older text.
- The moment shapes the action Consider why the same act can be wise in one season and foolish in another.
Who will love it
Readers drawn to ancient wisdom, symbolic imagery, timing and choice will love this book. It also suits those who enjoy reflecting on decisions, life transitions and thoughtful action.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Each moment calls for its move
- Strength and yielding work together
- Meet unsettled beginnings with care
- Every condition carries a turning point
- Restraint keeps power useful
- Stillness and repair answer danger
- Community needs openness and lasting commitment
- Images express what words cannot
- Let the moment guide your conduct
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
The I Ching in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
The I Ching
by Anonymous
A hidden dragon waits, then flies, then flies too high, opening a book of sixty-four patterns of change.
Easy read2–5 hours to read2 languages
Learn a language with easy classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
Picture a dragon lying hidden, with one instruction: do not act. A few lines later the same dragon rises in a field, leaps from the abyss, and flies in the heavens.
The I Ching at a glance
- Reading time
- About 2 h 15 min1 h 45 min fast, 2 h 40 min slow
- Length
- 31,800 words
- Library level
- Easy short sentences, plain words
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Sixty-four figures of six lines map every situation
The book is built from sixty-four hexagrams. Each hexagram is a stack of six lines, and each line is either solid or broken. Solid lines stand for the firm, active force called yang. Broken lines stand for the yielding, receptive force called yin. With two kinds of line in six places, the book can picture sixty-four different situations.
Most hexagrams follow a recurring pattern. First comes a short Judgment on the whole situation, such as success, perseverance or a warning. Then a commentary explains it. Next comes the Image, which links the figure to something in nature and draws a lesson for the superior person. Each line also gets its own saying, named by its place and kind.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 25 min
- Level
- Easy read
Cite this edition
The I Ching. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-i-ching.
The I Ching. (2026). Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-i-ching
The I Ching. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-i-ching.
@book{anonymous2026i,
title = {The I Ching},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-i-ching}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about The I Ching
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is the I Ching about?
It is a Chinese book of sixty-four hexagrams, each a figure of six lines with a Judgment, an Image and line sayings. It describes patterns of change and advises how to act well in each situation.
What does I Ching mean?
The title is usually given as the Book of Changes. Change is its central idea, since every situation moves through stages and turns into another. The book teaches how to meet those turns with timing and good conduct.
What are the hexagrams and the trigrams?
A trigram is a figure of three lines, and there are eight. A hexagram joins two trigrams into six lines, giving sixty-four. Each line is solid for yang or broken for yin, and each hexagram has its own meaning.
More by Anonymous
See all their booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
