I Ching
I Ching by Richard Wilhelm and Cary Baynesby Richard Wilhelm and Cary Baynes
Shares rank 3 of 6 religious texts by recommenders
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.
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.
11 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 8
- criticize it
- 3
- approval share
- 73%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 8 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 2.7 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Deep treatment of the Taoist tradition
“the entire work is of course a profound metaphysical model of human reality through the lens of Taoist sages”
Comment from 30 Jun 2026 in “I built a free I Ching oracle web app” “distinct from the 'Christianized' tone you sometimes get with Wilhelm”
Comment from 18 Jan 2026 in “I removed AI from my I Ching app” “Built it because I wanted something that treated the tradition seriously.”
Comment from 30 Jun 2026 in “I built a free I Ching oracle web app” - Comment from 16 Dec 2025 in “Show HN: I Ching simulator with accurate Yarrow Stalk probabilities”
Useful interpretations and full index
“That PDF is amazing but I would need some way to cook it down to get interpretations quickly.”
Comment from 18 Jan 2026 in “I removed AI from my I Ching app” “having the full index on a single page is actually super handy for quick referencing”
Comment from 17 Dec 2025 in “Show HN: I Ching simulator with accurate Yarrow Stalk probabilities” “I like the interpretation part”
Comment from 30 Jun 2026 in “I built a free I Ching oracle web app” Respected Wilhelm/Baynes translation
“Wilhelm's translation is indeed wonderful”
Comment from 30 Jun 2026 in “I built a free I Ching oracle web app” “Sticking to the Wilhelm/Baynes text.”
Comment from 16 Dec 2025 in “Show HN: I Ching simulator with accurate Yarrow Stalk probabilities”
Other religious texts people recommend
The four most recommended other religious texts, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Bible | 47 | 26 | 64% | 10 | — | — |
| Magnifica Humanitasby Pope Leo XIV | 11 | 1 | 92% | 5 | — | Approved |
| I Chingby Richard Wilhelm and Cary BaynesThis page | 8 | 3 | 73% | 4 | — | — |
| Bhagavad-gita As It Isby A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada | 8 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Antiqua et Nova by Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith | 8 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
15 of the 16 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I'm a huge fan of the I Ching and built a few websites around it”
“the entire work is of course a profound metaphysical model of human reality through the lens of Taoist sages”
“I like the interpretation part”
“It is the I Ching, and like all world scripture it has a textual potency that affects its readers.”
“Wilhelm's translation is indeed wonderful”
“Built it because I wanted something that treated the tradition seriously.”
“one of the most ancient books from China, written 3000 years ago”
“That PDF is amazing but I would need some way to cook it down to get interpretations quickly.”
“His work is incredibly deep, pragmatic, and distinct from the 'Christianized' tone”
“distinct from the 'Christianized' tone you sometimes get with Wilhelm”
“having the full index on a single page is actually super handy for quick referencing”
“Sticking to the Wilhelm/Baynes text.”
“It's mathematically precise and respects the source material.”
“It is fascinating whether or not you buy into it.”
“has defnitely helped obscure any great secrets it contains”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.