# I Ching by Richard Wilhelm and Cary Baynes

8 Hacker News commenters recommended I Ching by Richard Wilhelm and Cary Baynes and 3 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** People recommend the Wilhelm/Baynes edition for its serious, deep treatment of the ancient Taoist text, along with its interpretations and full index. Critics say Wilhelm's translation has a Christianized tone.

## Why people recommend it

- Deep treatment of the Taoist tradition (4 comments): "the entire work is of course a profound metaphysical model of human reality through the lens of Taoist sages" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48730869)) "distinct from the 'Christianized' tone you sometimes get with Wilhelm" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46664590)) "Built it because I wanted something that treated the tradition seriously." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48727374))
- Useful interpretations and full index (3 comments): "That PDF is amazing but I would need some way to cook it down to get interpretations quickly." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46670792)) "having the full index on a single page is actually super handy for quick referencing" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46299102)) "I like the interpretation part" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48729283))
- Respected Wilhelm/Baynes translation (2 comments): "Wilhelm's translation is indeed wonderful" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48727800)) "Sticking to the Wilhelm/Baynes text." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46286944))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [The Bible](https://hackerapproved.com/p/bible.md): 47 recommend
- [Magnifica Humanitas by Pope Leo XIV](https://hackerapproved.com/p/magnifica-humanitas.md): 11 recommend
- [Bhagavad-gita As It Is by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada](https://hackerapproved.com/p/bhagavad-gita.md): 8 recommend
- [Antiqua et Nova by Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith](https://hackerapproved.com/p/antiqua-et-nova.md): 8 recommend
- [Fides et Ratio by John Paul II](https://hackerapproved.com/p/fides-et-ratio.md): 2 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/069109750X?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780691097503) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "I Ching by Richard Wilhelm and Cary Baynes", https://hackerapproved.com/p/i-ching/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).