Oldest Book in the World is Made Up of Lines

The oldest book in the world is made up of symbols of lines.

The I-Ching, or Yi Jing, is an ancient Chinese divination text and the oldest of the Chinese classics. Its history is at least 7,000 years old and there are 3 primary authors: Fu Xi, King Wen of the Zhou Dynasty and Confucius.

Four Facts about Yijing:

1. It is based on a system of Yin and Yang, the two opposing forces that permeate all things in the universe.

The Yang is represented by an unbroken line while the Yin is represented by 2 broken lines of the same length. It is said that when you break the unbroken Yang line into 2, the 2 lines are called Yin.

2. Yijing explains the 8 phenomena of life:

a. The universe and sky,

b. The earth

c. Quake and thunder

d. River and water

e. Fire

f. Lake and pond

g. Mountain

h. Wind

3. The above 8 phenomena are represented by symbols of 3 lines, called The 8 Trigrams or Ba Gua. The 3 lines could be any combination of Yin or Yang lines. There are 8 such combinations.

4. Each of the 8 Trigrams is combined with another trigram to form 64 6-line Hexagrams or 64 Gua.

The 64 hexagrams symbolize different states of life and provide guidance on how to act in order to bring about positive outcomes.

By interpreting the Yijing, we can gain insight into one’s current state of being and make decisions that will lead to success and balance.

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