There are a few attitudes I dislike about Yi students or enthusiasts who wants to be translators of their own right.
One is that they make disparaging remarks in forums on renowned Yi translators who are deceased, without the necessary evidence to substantiate why the definitive translations were in fact wrong. Mere conjectures would not suffice. Word for word translations obtained from readily available Classical Chinese into English websites would not do either. Neither would half-baked ideas of what the ancients know and can do, help in their self-serving cause to elevate their status in the discerning eyes of the Yi experts and scholars.
The worst is an attempt to disparage the definitive translations on the primary hexagrams of Qian and Kun before pouring forth with their own translations which showed a lack of understanding of the ‘Ten Wings’, Tao, Yin and Yang. Who do they really want to fool?
Another wrong attitude is the lack of integrity. If unsure of what the words meant in a line or a hexagram, please say so if you have to write something. It is alright as no one expects us to know everything about the Yi. Do not bullshit and mislead the students. Just share the experiences, knowledge and/or opinion. Students can learn from the post(s) if they so wish.
Perhaps these potential translators in line with some of the ‘New Age’ Yi translators have totally forgotten about this age old wisdom that: “To remain blameless is the highest good”?
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