🤯 Did You Know (click to read)
The I Ching, rooted in Zhou divination traditions, remains one of the oldest continuously used texts in the world.
The Zhou inherited divination traditions involving heated bones and turtle plastrons. While large-scale oracle bone inscriptions declined after the Shang, ritual inquiry persisted. Zhou elites emphasized moral governance rather than exclusive reliance on oracles. The Book of Changes, later known as the I Ching, emerged from evolving divination systems. Hexagram analysis replaced earlier pyromantic inscriptions as dominant interpretive method. The shift reflected broader philosophical transformation. Ritual continuity blended with intellectual adaptation. Divination evolved from royal monopoly to shared scholarly tradition.
💥 Impact (click to read)
The reinterpretation of divination aligned with the Mandate of Heaven framework. Moral causation gained prominence over deterministic omen reading. Philosophical schools later drew from these traditions. Intellectual pluralism flourished during Eastern Zhou fragmentation. Ritual practice adapted to shifting political realities. Cosmology became interpretive rather than predictive.
For scholars, the I Ching offered meditative reflection on change. Divination moved from crack interpretation to symbolic reasoning. Communities sought guidance in structured patterns. The evolution preserved continuity with Shang ritual roots. Belief systems adjusted without complete rupture. Tradition proved flexible.
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