Unearthing the Changes

Edward L. Shaughnessy is the Creel Distinguished Service Professor of Early China at the University of Chicago. He is the author of Rewriting Early Chinese Texts and Before Confucius: Studies in the Creation of the Chinese Classics; translator of I Ching, The Classic of Changes: The First English Translation of the Newly Discovered Second-Century B.C. Mawangdui Texts; and coeditor of The Cambridge History of Ancient China: From the Origins of Civilization to 221 B.C.

• List of Illustrations List of Tables Preface Acknowledgments 1. Divining the Past, Divining the Future: Archaeology and the Rediscovery of the Changes 2. The Context, Content, and Significance of the Shanghai Museum Manuscript of the Zhou Yi 3. Translation of the Shanghai Museum Manuscript of the Zhou Yi 4. The Wangjiatai Bamboo-Strip Manuscripts of the Gui cang 5. Translation of the Gui cang Fragments 6. The Fuyang Zhou Yi Manuscript 7. Translation of the Fuyang Zhou Yi Manuscript Conclusions and Conjectures Notes Works Cited Index

A truly wonderful book, masterfully conceived and extremely well crafted. Edward L. Shaughnessy demonstrates once again why he is, among all Western scholars, the premier translator and interpreter of the early history of what became the Classic of Changes-arguably the most important single work in all of premodern Chinese history. -- Richard J. Smith, author of The I Ching: A Biography Shaughnessy has written the definitive account of these materials. Nothing like it exists, in any language. Closely argued, and drawing on an impeccable control of the literature, this study re-forms our understanding of how and what the Yijing might have been. -- Kidder Smith, Bowdoin College In his skillful presentation of three groups of bamboo-strip manuscripts discovered in China since the 1970s, Shaughnessy gives new meaning and pleasure to reading one of the two oldest works of Chinese literature, the Classic of Changes. These manuscripts bring to life the significance of divination in early Chinese culture, while remaking our understanding of the 'Changes.' -- Donald Harper, University of Chicago As a master of the 'Changes,' one of China's most influential and yet most perplexing texts, Shaughnessy presents specialist scholars and students with an admirably clear account of the difficulties of interpretation and a comprehensive review of recently found manuscript copies of the book. His deeply researched text breaks new ground for the study of Chinese manuscripts and China's methods of divination, with penetrating contributions to the scholarly handling of fragments, the recovery of lost literature, and the problems of textual criticism. -- Michael Loewe, University of Cambridge Highly recommended. CHOICE Unearthing the Chances will appeal to the archeologist in everybody... Beautifully designed... Shaughnessy's attention to detail is admirable, and makes this an essential book for those interested in the history of the I Ching. Contemplating IChing A groundbreaking work. Journal of Asian Studies A perfect reference work for students and specialists of both the Zhouyi and Chinese palaeography. -- Dimitri Drettas The Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies