Since times immemorial, the Chinese, and with them other peoples of Eastern Asia, until this very day consult the Yiging, the "Book of the Proper Changes", for a suggestion, which course is best to follow in a critical or ambiguous situation. The logic of the Yiging has influenced the philosophy of great sages such as Kungfutse and Laotse (both 7th century B.C.). The great Mongol ruler Genghis Khan (1162 - 1227 A.D.) consulted the Yiging when he set out to conquer what was almost the rest of the world known in those days. Indications are that the Yiging acted as a sort of filter through which Maotsetung passed marxist doctrine in order to adapt it to the Chinese way of perceiving our world. Businessmen and politicians of the "Tiger States" consult the Yiging until this very day with obvious success.

In the modern comic-style edition of the Yiging shown here, the six lines of the Hexagram Da Chu suggest that despite tempting opportunities, one should remain calm and contain one's potential until the proper moment has come to let loose energies and achieve all aims. Singapore 1993. Drawing: Tan Xiaochun