The
I Ching, also known as
Yijing -- the words mean "Classic of Changes" or "Book of Changes" -- is an ancient Chinese text dating from the 9th century BC. (Memo to young people: A "text" was something written, not sent via a cell phone.) The
I Ching is one of the "Five Classics," the fundamental books of Confucianism. Random numbers were obtained by casting lots, throwing coins or throwing six-pointed objects known as hexagrams. The sequence of numbers could then be looked up in the
I Ching, which was believed to offer guidance in matters of life, religion, philosophy, morality and other subjects. "I Ching" is also the title of today's crossword by Jeffrey Wechsler. Six phrases are altered by the addition of CHING:
Country club mentors? TEACHINGCADDIES
Late-shift laundry job? EVENINGSTARCHING
Job for the philharmonic's publicist? ORCHESTRAPITCHING
Sign over a woodcarver's shop? NOTCHINGFORSALE
Crowding on the barbecue grill? HAMBURGERBUNCHING
Marriage of theater performers? BROADWAYHITCHING
The "evening star" is the planet Venus when it appears in the west (the evening sky) after sunset. In Greek mythology, the evening star was personified as Hesperus, son of the dawn goddess Eos.
STRATA is "Rock bands" -- a clever clue. "Very, in Mannheim" is SEHR -- not used in English. "One changing hotels, perhaps" is REPACKER -- an awkward word. "Half a drum" is TOM -- an awkward answer. A tom-tom is a medium-sized cylindrical drum first used in the 17th century in Africa and later by Native Americans. The drum was originally called
tam tam in Hindi and
tamatama in Telugu, reflecting the sound made by someone beating on the drum with his hands.
"'A kind of library, perhaps,' to Borges" is PARADISE. Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986) was an Argentinian author, poet and essayist. In his 1941 essay
La Biblioteca de Babel (
The Library of Babel), he wrote, "I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library." A detailed biography and analysis of his works is on the Poetry Foundation webiste:
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/jorge-luis-borgesMy favorite Jorge Luis Borges quote: "Don't talk unless you can improve the silence."
