The I Ching or Yi Jing (Chinese: 易經; pinyin: Yìjīng, Mandarin pronunciation: [î tɕíŋ]), usually translated as Book of Changes or Classic of Changes, is an ancient Chinese divination text and among the oldest of the Chinese classics. With more than two and a half millennia's worth of commentary and interpretation, the I Ching is an influential text read throughout the world, providing inspiration to the worlds of religion, philosophy, literature, and art.