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Bradford Hatcher's I Ching

The Book of Changes:
Word by Word

This section is dedicated to the work of Bradford Hatcher (1949-2020), whose monumental translation offers one of the most rigorous, scholarly, and psychologically nuanced approaches to the I Ching in the English language.

Hatcher's work distinguishes itself by peeling back the layers of Confucian moralism to reveal the raw, imagistic core of the original bronze-age text.

Visit Hermetica.infoDownload Complete PDF (3.8MB)

Upper Canon (Part 1)

Hexagram 1
No. 1CREATINGQIAN2
Hexagram 2
No. 2ACCEPTINGKUN1
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No. 3RALLYINGZHUN1
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No. 4INEXPERIENCEMENG2
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No. 5ANTICIPATIONXU1
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No. 6CONTENTIONSONG4
Hexagram 7
No. 7THE MILITIASHI1
Hexagram 8
No. 8BELONGINGBI3
Hexagram 9
No. 9RAISING SMALL BEASTSXIAO3 CHU4
Hexagram 10
No. 10RESPECTFUL CONDUCTLU3
Hexagram 11
No. 11INTERPLAYTAI4
Hexagram 12
No. 12SEPARATINGPI3
Hexagram 13
No. 13FELLOWSHIP W/ OTHERSTONG2 REN2
Hexagram 14
No. 14BIG DOMAINDA4 YOU3
Hexagram 15
No. 15AUTHENTICITYQIAN1
Hexagram 16
No. 16READINESSYU4
Hexagram 17
No. 17FOLLOWINGSUI2
Hexagram 18
No. 18DETOXIFYINGGU3
Hexagram 19
No. 19TAKING CHARGELIN2
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No. 20PERSPECTIVEGUAN1
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No. 21BITING THROUGHSHI4 HE2
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No. 22ADORNMENTBI4
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No. 23DECOMPOSINGBO1
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No. 24RETURNINGFU4
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No. 25WITHOUT PRETENSEWU2 WANG4
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No. 26RAISING GREAT BEASTSDA4 CHU4
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No. 27HUNGRY MOUTHYI2
Hexagram 28
No. 28GREATNESS IN EXCESSDA4 GUO4
Hexagram 29
No. 29EXPOSUREKAN3
Hexagram 30
No. 30ARISINGLI2

Lower Canon (Part 2)

Hexagram 31
No. 31RECIPROCITYXIAN2
Hexagram 32
No. 32CONTINUITYHENG2
Hexagram 33
No. 33DISTANCINGDUN4
Hexagram 34
No. 34BIG AND STRONGDA4 ZHUANG4
Hexagram 35
No. 35EXPANSIONJIN4
Hexagram 36
No. 36BRIGHTNESS OBSCUREDMING2 YI2
Hexagram 37
No. 37FAMILY MEMBERSJIA1 REN2
Hexagram 38
No. 38ESTRANGEMENTKUI2
Hexagram 39
No. 39IMPASSEJIAN3
Hexagram 40
No. 40RELEASEJIE3
Hexagram 41
No. 41DECREASINGSUN3
Hexagram 42
No. 42INCREASINGYI4
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No. 43DECISIVENESSGUAI4
Hexagram 44
No. 44DISSIPATIONGOU4
Hexagram 45
No. 45COLLECTEDNESSCUI4
Hexagram 46
No. 46ADVANCEMENTSHENG1
Hexagram 47
No. 47EXHAUSTIONKUN4
Hexagram 48
No. 48THE WELLJING3
Hexagram 49
No. 49SEASONAL CHANGEGE2
Hexagram 50
No. 50THE CAULDRONDING3
Hexagram 51
No. 51AROUSALZHEN4
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No. 52STILLNESSGEN4
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No. 53GRADUAL PROGRESSJIAN4
Hexagram 54
No. 54LITTLE SISTER’S MARRIAGEGUI1 MEI4
Hexagram 55
No. 55ABUNDANCEFENG1
Hexagram 56
No. 56THE WANDERERLU3
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No. 57ADAPTATIONXUN4
Hexagram 58
No. 58SATISFACTIONDUI4
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No. 59SCATTERINGHUAN4
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No. 60BOUNDARIESJIE2
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No. 61THE TRUTH WITHINZHONG1 FU2
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No. 62SMALLNESS IN EXCESSXIAO3 GUO4
Hexagram 63
No. 63ALREADY COMPLETEJI4 JI4
Hexagram 64
No. 64NOT YET COMPLETEWEI4 JI4

Why we integrated this translation?

Bradford Hatcher's work represents a unique intersection of scholarly rigor and intuitive depth. Unlike many translations that smooth over the rough edges of the original text, Hatcher preserves the raw, multi-layered imagery of the Bronze Age original.

Read Our Full Rationale

📚 Build Your Library

While Hatcher provides unique modern insights, we recommend grounding your study with these two essential classics.

The I Ching or Book of Changes - Wilhelm/Baynes Edition
The Wilhelm/Baynes Edition

The definitive Western classic, foreword by C.G. Jung.

Check Price on Amazon ↗
The Complete I Ching - The Taoist Master's Guide
The Taoist Master's Guide

A clear, authentic translation grounded in Taoist tradition.

Check Price on Amazon ↗

Additional Resources & Friendly Links

Official Website (Hermetica.info)Nanjing Method ToolStandard I Ching Library

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