六十四卦皆伏羲所畫。夏經以「艮」居首，名曰《連山》；商經以「坤」居首，名曰《歸藏》，各有繇辭以斷吉凶。文王囚羑里時，繫今彖辭，以「乾」「坤」二卦居首，名之曰《易》；周公被流言時，復繫爻辭；孔子又為之〈傳〉，以輔翌之，故名《周易》。古本文王、周公彖、爻二辭，自分上下兩經。孔子則有〈上經彖傳〉、〈下經彖傳〉，〈上經象傳〉、〈下經象傳〉，〈乾坤二卦文言〉，〈繫辭上傳〉、〈繫辭下傳〉、〈說卦傳〉、〈序卦傳〉、〈雜卦傳〉，共名《十翼》。後人以孔子前之五傳會入上下兩經，而〈繫辭〉等五傳不可會入，附後別行，即今經也。
The sixty-four hexagrams were all drawn by Fu Xi. The Xia Dynasty classic placed "Gen" (Mountain) at the beginning, calling it the *Lianshan*; the Shang Dynasty classic placed "Kun" (Earth) at the beginning, calling it the *Guicang*. Each had its own prognostications to determine fortune and misfortune. When King Wen was imprisoned in Youli, he attached the current "Tuan" (Judgment) texts, placing the two hexagrams "Qian" (Heaven) and "Kun" (Earth) at the beginning, naming it the *Yi* (Book of Changes). When the Duke of Zhou faced slander, he further attached the "Yao" (Line) texts. Confucius then composed the "Commentaries" to supplement and clarify them, hence it was called the *Zhouyi* (Zhou Changes). In the ancient text, King Wen's and the Duke of Zhou's Tuan and Yao texts were themselves divided into two parts: the Upper Canon and the Lower Canon. Confucius composed the "Commentary on the Tuan of the Upper Canon," "Commentary on the Tuan of the Lower Canon," "Commentary on the Xiang of the Upper Canon," "Commentary on the Xiang of the Lower Canon," "Wenyan Commentary on the Qian and Kun Hexagrams," "Appended Judgments Part One," "Appended Judgments Part Two," "Discussion of the Trigrams," "Sequence of the Hexagrams," and "Miscellaneous Notes on the Hexagrams," collectively known as the *Ten Wings*. Later generations integrated the first five of Confucius's commentaries into the Upper and Lower Canons, while the "Appended Judgments" and the other four commentaries could not be integrated and were appended separately, forming the current classic.
可上可下、可內可外，易地皆然，初無死局，故名「交易」；能動能靜、能柔能剛，陰陽不測，初無死法，故名「變易」。雖無死局，而就事論事，則上下內外仍自歷然；雖無死法，而即象言象，則動靜剛柔仍自燦然，此所謂萬古不易之常經也。若以事物言之，可以一事一物各對一卦一爻，亦可于一事一物之中，具有六十四卦三百八十四爻。若以卦爻言之，可以一卦一爻各對一事一物，亦可于一卦一爻之中，具斷萬事萬物，乃至世出世間一切事物。又一切事物即一事一物，一事一物即一切事物；一切卦爻即一卦一爻，一卦一爻即一切卦爻，故名「交易」、「變易」。實即「不變隨緣」、「隨緣不變」、「互具互造」、「互入互融」之法界耳。
It can move upward or downward, inward or outward; changing its position, the principle remains the same, never fixed in a rigid pattern. Thus it is called "interchange." It can be active or still, soft or firm; the interplay of yin and yang is unfathomable, never bound to a fixed method. Thus it is called "transformation."
Though there is no rigid pattern, when we examine matters as they are, the distinctions of up and down, inside and outside, remain clear. Though there is no fixed method, when we observe phenomena as they appear, the qualities of movement and stillness, softness and firmness, remain distinct. This is what is called the unchanging, eternal principle throughout the ages.
If we speak in terms of things and events, a single matter or object can correspond to one hexagram or one line, yet within that one matter or object, all sixty-four hexagrams and three hundred eighty-four lines may be contained. If we speak in terms of hexagrams and lines, a single hexagram or line can correspond to one matter or object, yet within that one hexagram or line, all things and events—even all worldly and transcendental phenomena—may be discerned.
Moreover, all things and events are just one thing or event; one thing or event is just all things and events. All hexagrams and lines are just one hexagram or line; one hexagram or line is just all hexagrams and lines. This is why it is called "interchange" and "transformation."
In truth, it is the Dharma-realm where "the unchanging adapts to conditions," "adapting to conditions yet remaining unchanging," where "all things mutually contain and mutually create," "mutually enter and mutually merge."
伏羲但有畫而無辭，設陰陽之象，隨人作何等解，「世界悉檀」也；文王彖辭，吉多而凶少，舉大綱以生善，「為人悉檀」也；周公爻辭，誡多而吉少，盡變態以勸懲，「對治悉檀」也；孔子《十傳》，會歸內聖外王之學，「第一義悉檀」也。偏說如此，剋實論之，四聖各具前三悉檀；開權顯實，則各四悉。
Fu Xi created the diagrams without words, establishing the symbols of yin and yang, allowing people to interpret them freely—this is the "worldly approach." King Wen's judgments on the hexagrams are mostly auspicious and rarely inauspicious, outlining broad principles to foster goodness—this is the "approach for guiding people." The Duke of Zhou's line statements are more cautionary than auspicious, exploring all variations to encourage virtue and deter wrongdoing—this is the "therapeutic approach." Confucius' "Ten Wings" synthesize the teachings of inner sagehood and outer kingship—this is the "ultimate truth approach." While each sage emphasized one approach, in reality, all four sages embodied the first three approaches. By skillfully adapting their teachings to reveal the ultimate truth, each sage also encompassed all four approaches.