The Zhou Yi or Book of Changes is inclusive of the ways of heaven and earth and teemed with philosophical wisdom. Based on the philosophical thoughts of the Zhou Yi and John Minford’s English translation of the I Ching, this paper demonstrates that translation is a multiple process that involves “word-image-thought” and “thought-image-word”, in which the source text is transformed and translation distance is created. In order to make an optimum adjustment of translation distance, the translator should follow the principles of expressing the author’s communicative intention, achieving the harmony between the translator’s style and the original’s style, making changes according to the requirements of time and aiming at “the perfect state of equilibrium and harmony”, and flexibly adopt various translation methods and skills to produce aesthetically satisfying texts.