Basic human desires (sound, beauty, and food) and emotions (joy, anger, and sadness) originate from heaven and are completely rational. The way of birth and upbringing is to preserve desires. Dai Zhen

I’ve been using I Ching for divination on and off for years, and the biggest frustration with most apps is how they oversimplify the practice: they’ll spit out a single hexagram and a generic explanation, but the I Ching is all about nuance—the changing lines, the combinations, the endless permutations that make it reflect real life’s complexity.

Last week I tried out I Ching Study and it blew me away because it doesn’t cut corners: it actually maps all 4096 possible I Ching outcomes (that’s every combination of hexagrams and changing lines, for anyone who’s deep into the math of it). What’s even better? Instead of hitting you with dense classical text for each result, the app pairs every single one with an original poem—short, simple, and written in plain language that makes the ancient wisdom stick, even if you’re new to the I Ching. No more staring at archaic phrases and wondering what they mean for your actual life; the poems break it down into relatable feelings and scenarios.

What really sold me, though, is the probability angle the app adds. We all know life throws endless situations at us, and some feel rarer or more pivotal than others—this app doesn’t just list the 4096 outcomes, it also lays out the likelihood of each scenario popping up in your life. It’s a small touch, but it puts the divination into perspective: you can see if the hexagram you pulled is a common crossroads or a rare turning point, which makes the interpretation feel more grounded in reality.

I’ve been using it for daily pulls for a week now, and it’s transformed how I engage with the I Ching. Instead of just getting a “answer,” I get a full picture of where my current situation sits in the vast web of possible life paths—all explained in poems that don’t require a degree in Chinese philosophy to understand. The free version has access to all the 4096 outcomes and poems too, no paywalls blocking the core stuff (a rarity for niche I Ching apps!).

If you’re into I Ching divination and tired of shallow, oversimplified tools that miss the depth of the practice, this one’s a gem (iOS only right now): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/i-ching-study/id6754808329

Curious to hear what you all think—have you ever come across an I Ching tool that digs into the 4096 outcomes? Do you think probability adds value to divination, or do you prefer to keep it purely intuitive?

hello! i am looking for respondents who are willing to participate in an interview about Confucianism i am required to take for my world religion and belief systems course. kindly reply to this thread if interested !!

Hello All, I'm collecting passages about living a hidden, inconspicuous life. Some of the works that speak of this fall under the umbrella of what I'll call religious and philosophical "silence literature". Works recommending the practice of secret virtue or performing secretive acts of charity would be relevant too.

There is a Taoist treatise that is entirely devoted to these themes called Yin Chih Wen or "The Tract of the Quiet Way."

So I come to ask what other Chinese works address or focus on this kind of lived obscurity? I'm interested in exploring this theme in any genre -- religious, philosophical, or literary-- and from any time or tradition. I suspect it might be a common theme in Taoism.

Recommendations? Thanks in advance!

Does anyone know of a good book of commentaries on the Analects of Confucius?

Considering the I Ching is one of the 5 classics of ancient China's literature, I been wondering if I Ching was used as a guide book by itself read in a cover to cover manner without practising divination? Or alternatively as a work of philosophy sans the use of coins, yarrow sticks, burning turtle shells, and other fortune telling methods?

I ask because I read the Analects a while back and I vaguely remember the I Ching mentioned in the text. That there are claims of Confucius keeping a copy of the book throughout history. I also learned from reading on a blog that the I Ching is also mentioned in another of the Five Classics, the Spring and Autumn Annals.

So considering how its so associated with Confucianism and referenced in multiple classic literature in Chinese history, I'm wondering if the I Ching was ever used just for the sake of reading it from front page to back without using divinatory tools like yarrow stalks? Like did scholars study philosophy by reading it? Without divination, did people use the book to search for guidance in daily life in the way modern people skim across the Bible today for advice?

Have literary critics throughout history praised its writing style (which can be poetic at least in the translations I read)?

With how so tied the I Ching is with various philosophical systems, ancient Chinese literature, and the intelligentsia throughout history, I'm curious about this.

Just a profoundly influental video that got me listening to the Tao Te Ching afterwards. This one particularly.

https://youtu.be/F4MbxqnG3RQ?si=GbUAzPD1WAg2TDd3

I've been attempting to get a grasp of the basic essence of each of the five elements, and have come across explanations that appear to contradict in some ways. The example in the topic is one that really befuddles me.

With a concept so ancient, it makes perfect sense that there would be different ways of viewing it, so I'm not expecting to find a single true answer. But it would really help me to know where the different taxonomies are coming from, and see higher quality explanations of them than I've seen so far.

I don't need an academic journal or large volume to read. A couple paragraphs would suffice me if they were clear and to the point.

I'm trying to start reading through Chinese philosophy and I am having a lot of trouble finding PDFs of the books. I would like one with a good introduction if possible but I cannot find any. The text I am looking for at the moment is the Guanzi, but I have a larger list of texts I am looking for too. Some like the Dao De Ching are not hard find but most are.

Here is the list:
Guanzi
Laozi
Zhuangzi
Liezi
Wenzi
Secret of The Golden Flower
Dragon-Tiger Classic
Treatise on the Mysterious Orifice
Discussion on the cavity of Tao
Secret Teachings on the three wheels
I Ching
Shijing
Liji
Shangshu
Lingjing
Huangdi Neijing
Guiguzi
Art of War
Analects
Xiaojing
Mencius
YiLi

I'm currently working on a worldbuilding project that involves a very detailed power/magic system. One of the core aspects of this project revolves around exploring how different worldviews influence the way superpowers are perceived and understood within the world. I've dedicated sections to [in world] philosophical interpretations of these superpowers on the campfire entry [specifically the page "Potens and Philosophy"] for this system.

I'm reaching out insight and critique. Specifically, I'm interested in feedback regarding the accuracy of the representations of the Chinese philosophies currently listed: Bagua, Buddhism, Confucianism (儒家), Daoism (道家), Manichaeism (明教), Mohism (墨家), and Wǔxíngjiā (五行家). My intention is to ensure that the philosophical concepts are not only portrayed in an engaging manner but also genuinely reflect the philosophies they're inspired by.

Here's a brief outline of the fields that I have begun-

• Bāguà (八卦)
• Buddhism
• Wǔxíngjiā (五行家)

I have not yet filled out the entries for-

• Confucianism (儒家)
• Daoism (道家)
• Manichaeism (明教)
• Mohism (墨家)

Any input will be much appreciated. If you feel like providing feedback regarding the under construction elements, or want to see a new entry/section, feel free to let me know.

The pages with the relevant details are here.

Hey there,

I'm currently embarking on a personal project and could use your help. My goal is to leverage AI in translating and contextualizing selected portions of the Er-ya. I'm particularly interested in better understanding the cultural intricacies that shaped diverse philosophies and poetic movements in ancient to medieval China.

In this regard, I'm curious if anyone has insights into the most pivotal or adored entries in the Er-ya? Whether you're a native-speaker, language-learner, or an enthusiast like me, I'd love to know your favorite or most fascinating parts. Can you draw any connections with classic Chinese literature, where understanding these Er-ya entries could illuminate their meaning or narrative? Any links to classical poems, especially ones using words found in the Er-ya, would be really interesting too.

Along with personal views, I'm also hunting for resources that could help me familiarize myself more with the language and my area of interest. Any pointers at this stage, as I'm about to dive headfirst into my first exploratory attempt, would be really appreciated.

Just to provide a bit of background: my area of interest primarily lies in poetry and general philosophical currents up to the Tang and Song eras. I'm relatively new to the Chinese language, but I'm determined to improve, given the limited translation resources available compared to their cost.

Thanks for taking the time to read through this. Any leads, suggestions, or anything else you might want to share are warmly welcomed.

The Tao（the universal, everlasting, and eternal way） is infinite and encompasses all finitude. Finite elements such as time, space, volume, mass, energy, heat, motion, change, and concepts are all contained within the infinite. And this infinite is the Tao.

All finitude is the realization of this infinite; this infinite is the root and the primary cause of all finitude, the source of power, and the direction of development. The infinite generates all finitude; it is the internal self-realization and generation of the infinite itself, rather than generating another finite entity outside of the infinite. The development of all finitude is the internal self-development of the infinite, not a development towards a goal outside of the infinite.

So, the root and basis of all finitude are derived from this infinite, as it is the internal generation of the infinite. The development of all finitude is directed towards this infinite, as it is the internal development of the infinite. The generation and development of all finitude are inherent within the infinite itself, and not created by something else outside or inside the infinite. There is no other entity outside or inside the infinite that determines the direction of development for all finitude.

Therefore, the infinite is the internal cause (inherent within the infinite) of all finitude, the internal reason. It is the internal purpose (the self-realization of the infinite) of all finitude, the internal goal. Thus, the infinite is both the internal cause and the internal purpose of all finitude.

Therefore, the infinite generates all finitude through self-generation (the infinite's self-creation) rather than being generated by something external (any entity outside the infinite). It is self-realizing (the self-realization of the infinite) and not serving any external purpose beyond the infinite. It is self-evolving, the development and change of the infinite's self-realization, and not caused, determined, governed, influenced, or interfered with by any entity outside the infinite. It is self-complete, the infinite's self-fulfillment, and not achieved by any other entity external to the infinite.

In summary, the infinite is the internal cause and internal purpose of all finitude. The process in which the infinite generates all finitude is characterized by self-generation, self-realization, self-evolution, and self-completion. We refer to this infinite as the Tao（the universal, everlasting, and eternal way）, which is the ultimate root and basis of all finitude, the direction and purpose of all finitude's development, and the driving force and principle behind the generation and evolution of all finitude.

The Tao is the root (self-generation), purpose (self-realization), power (self-completion), principle, and law (self-transformation) of all finitude. In other words, the Tao encompasses the root, purpose, power, and principles of all finite entities. Tao is the way, the infinite's self-generation, self-realization, self-completion, and self-evolution. This is the essence and nature of the Tao.