The “Ten Wings” (Shí Yì 十翼) are a traditional set of ten commentaries that accompany the I Ching and elevate it from a manual of divination into a foundational work of Chinese philosophy. Traditionally attributed to Confucius, they are regarded as the second major section of the text and are central to how the I Ching came to be read within both Confucian and Taoist traditions. By elaborating the terse oracular statements of the hexagrams, these writings give the classic its ethical, cosmological, and metaphysical depth. Through them, the I Ching becomes not merely a tool for foretelling change, but a guide to understanding the patterns of Heaven, Earth, and human conduct.

The Ten Wings are conventionally divided into distinct treatises, each with its own focus. The **Tuan Zhuan** (Commentary on the Judgments), in two parts, explains the overall meaning of each hexagram’s judgment, drawing out its moral and philosophical implications. The **Xiang Zhuan** (Commentary on the Images), also in two parts, interprets the images of the hexagrams and their individual lines, relating symbolic forms to natural phenomena and human affairs. The **Wenyan Zhuan** (Commentary on the Words of the Text) concentrates especially on the first two hexagrams, Qian and Kun, unfolding their language to reveal fundamental ideas about Heaven, Earth, virtue, and the noble person.

Another pair, the **Xici Zhuan** (Great Commentary or Appended Remarks), offers the most expansive reflection on how the I Ching works as a whole. These two sections explore the underlying principles of change, the interplay of yin and yang, and the relation of the text to the Dao, sagehood, and governance. Alongside them stand three more focused treatises: the **Shuogua Zhuan** (Discussion of the Trigrams), which analyzes the eight trigrams and their attributes; the **Xugua Zhuan** (Sequence of the Hexagrams), which explains the meaningful order of the sixty-four hexagrams; and the **Zagua Zhuan** (Miscellaneous Hexagrams), which provides brief, often contrasting, reflections that clarify the distinct character of each figure.

Their importance lies not only in the detail they provide, but in the way they reshape the entire work. The Ten Wings supply a hermeneutical framework, demonstrating how to read the hexagrams symbolically, ethically, and cosmologically, and thereby turn a set of divinatory statements into a coherent vision of the cosmos and human life. Through these commentaries, the I Ching becomes a cornerstone of Chinese intellectual history, integrating Confucian ethical and social concerns with a broader cosmology of change that also speaks to Taoist sensibilities. As a result, the Ten Wings serve as both philosophical foundation and interpretive authority, the lens through which generations have sought to align human action with the subtle movements of Heaven and Earth.