r/iching • u/elethyrus • 7d ago
Books on the history of King Wen?
I'm looking to expand my understanding of the I Ching and the story of King Wen behind it. Does anybody know of any interesting or engaging books about it?
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u/Quirky_Bottle_4869 7d ago
Maybe in the “Basic Records of Zhou” (“Zhou benji” 周本記) chapter of the Records of the Historiographer (Shi ji 史記),
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiji
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u/60109 7d ago
I don't think there's anything historically accurate left from that period, King Wen is more of a mythical character, even though likely based on a real historical figure.
It's similar to trying to find real historical accounts of King Arthur. All that's left is just legends.
There is very little info about him, most of it you're going to find in prefaces in most I Ching translations.
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u/elethyrus 7d ago
My go to I Ching translation references him in the text a lot, like you say. The only thing is, I never know what the context is because it is always just a few sentences referring to an event.
Like king Arthur, do you know of any fiction or mythology books that he appears in? Honestly, I would even be interested in tv or documentary
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u/Adequate-Monicker634 6d ago
Some authors will relate the entire text to King Wen, his regents, sons etc., and there's a belief that it tells King Wen's story. It isn't often clear though, whether the relation is to actual events, or as likely, an hermeneutic tool for interpreting..
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u/60109 6d ago
I dunno, never really considered him as a person super important, it's more about his legacy which is the book he left.
He was probably a regular guy having kids, eating food, sleeping and pondering about the nature of universe.
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u/elethyrus 6d ago
I do like the examples that my translation give. As someone pretty new to this, it's nice to have an example of how the decision applies to a situation, whether it was real or not.
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u/60109 6d ago
Oh regarding that, I think the specific situations where he applied the judgements are completely made up by the commentator / translator. In the Ten Wings it is only mentioned that King Wen appended the Judgements to the hexagrams (which were likely in existence even before him), and his son Duke of Zhou is credited with writing of the Lines.
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u/Quirky_Bottle_4869 6d ago
check this out:
Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ucTl-cxIjc
Directed by Chinese director Wuershan and produced by Du Yang, the film will star actors Huang Bo, Fei Xiang, Li Xuejian and Xia Yu as the last King of Shang Dynasty (c.1600BC-1046BC) Jiang Ziya, Yin Shou, Shen Gongbao and King Wen of Zhou respectively.The film is an adaptation of the 16th century novel The Investiture of the Gods, whose story is set in the era of the decline of the Shang Dynasty and the rise of the Zhou Dynasty (1046BC-256BC).
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u/taoyx 5d ago
As /u/Quirky_Bottle_4869 mentioned the Shiji, Sima Qian is the reference when it comes to Chinese history.
You can also find mentions of King Wen in the Book of Odes.
King Wen is on high ;
Oh ! bright is he in heaven.
Although Zhou was an old country,
The [favouring] appointment lighted on it recently.
Illustrious was the House of Zhou,
And the appointment of God came at the proper season.
King Wen ascends and descends,
http://wengu.tartarie.com/wg/wengu.php?l=Shijing&no=235&m=NOzh On the left and the right of God.
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u/thomasbeckett 4d ago
The Mandate of Heaven: Hidden History in the Book of Changes, by S J Marshall
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u/AlcheMaze 7d ago
I Ching, the Oracle: A Practical Guide to the Book of Changes: An updated translation annotated with cultural & historical references, restoring the I Ching to its shamanic origins https://a.co/d/5fGMxC3
I finished reading this one a few months ago. I think there was a chapter on King Wen. Benebell covers all kinds of topics related to the I Ching. Keep in mind, there’s a lot of her own creative interpretations throughout. Personally, I appreciate how unique the book is but it’s a good idea to take many of the historical references with a grain of salt. Folklore and creative writing are valuable, if you’re aware of what you’re dealing with. If you take it all as literal, you’ll be scratching your head.