Background
Where the I Ching comes from, in brief. Dates are rough and debated.
Oracle bones
Early practice of reading cracks in bone appeared in the Shang era, over three thousand years ago.
The Zhou text
The core judgments formed during the Zhou, with a focus on plain counsel.
Confucius
Later thinkers, incl. Confucius, read it as a book of wisdom and conduct.
Wang Bi
A third-century reading turned it toward philosophy and quiet reflection.
We follow that later turn. We offer the figures as prompts for reflection, not as forecasts.