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I Ching

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I Ching | 64 Hexagrams | Core Hexagrams | Yarrow Stalks | Explanations | Hosts | Interpretation | Moving Line


Wikibooks - I Ching Project[edit | edit source]

I Ching (pronounced as Yi-Ching) is an ancient Chinese book that has been used for divination. The I Ching is also known as the Zhou I (pronounced as Zhou-Yi).

Location Table[edit | edit source]

There are 64 hexagrams used in I Ching. Each hexagram is comprised of an upper trigram (as shown in the top row), and a lower trigram (as shown in the first column) of the table below:

Trigrams:
Upper →
plus
Lower ↓


乾 Qián
Heaven
(天)


震 Zhèn
Thunder
(雷)


坎 Kǎn
Water
(水)


艮 Gèn
Mountain
(山)


坤 Kūn
Earth
(地)


巽 Xùn
Wind
(风)


離 Lí
Flame
(火)


兌 Duì
Lake
(泽)


乾 Qián
Heaven
(天)

01
(乾 qián)
Initiating
34
(大壯 dà zhuàng)
Great Strength
05
(需 xū)
Needing
26
(大畜 dà chù)
Great Accumulation
11
(泰 tài)
Advance
09
(小畜 xiǎo chù)
Little Accumulation
14
(大有 dà yǒu)
Great Harvest
43
(夬 guài)
Eliminating

震 Zhèn
Thunder
(雷)

25
(無妄 wú wàng)
Without Falsehood
51
(震 zhèn)
Taking Action
03
(屯 zhūn)
Beginning
27
(頤 yí)
Nourishing
24
(復 fù)
Turning Back
42
(益 yì)
Increasing
21
(噬嗑 shì kè)
Eradicating
17
(隨 suí)
Following

坎 Kǎn
Water
(水)

06
(訟 sòng)
Contention
40
(解 xiè)
Relief
29
(坎 kǎn)
Darkness
04
(蒙 méng)
Childhood
07
(師 shī)
Multitude
59
(渙 huàn)
Dispersing
64 ䷿
(未濟 wèi jì)
Not Yet Fulfilled
47
(困 kùn)
Exhausting

艮 Gèn
Mountain
(山)

33
(遯 dùn)
Retreat
62
(小過 xiǎo guò)
Little Exceeding
39
(蹇 jiǎn)
Hardship
52
(艮 gèn)
Keeping Still
15
(謙 qiān)
Humbleness
53
(漸 jiàn)
Developing Gradually
56
(旅 lǚ)
Travelling
31
(咸 xián)
Mutual Influence

坤 Kūn
Earth
(地)

12
(否 pǐ)
Hindrance
16
(豫 yù)
Delight
08
(比 bǐ)
Union
23
(剝 bō)
Falling Away
02
(坤 kūn)
Responding
20
(觀 guān)
Watching
35
(晉 jìn)
Proceeding Forward
45
(萃 cuì)
Bringing Together

巽 Xùn
Wind
(风)

44
(姤 gòu)
Encountering
32
(恆 héng)
Long Lasting
48
(井 jǐng)
Replenishing
18
(蠱 gǔ)
Remedying
46
(升 shēng)
Growing Upward
57
(巽 xùn)
Proceeding Humbly
50
(鼎 dǐng)
Establishing The New
28
(大過 dà guò)
Great Exceeding

離 Lí
Flame
(火)

13
(同人 tóng rén)
Seeking Harmony
55
(豐 fēng)
Abundance
63
(既濟 jì jì)
Already Fulfilled
22
(賁 bì)
Adorning
36
(明夷 míng yí)
37
(家人 jiā rén)
Household
30
(離 lí)
Brightness
49
(革 gé)
Abolishing The Old

兌 Duì
Lake
(泽)

10
(履 lǚ)
Fulfillment
54
(歸妹 guī mèi)
Marrying Maiden
60
(節 jié)
Restricting
41
(損 sǔn)
Decreasing
19
(臨 lín)
Approaching
61
(中孚 zhōng fú)
Innermost Sincerity
38
(睽 kuí)
Diversity
58
(兌 duì)
Joyful

The 8 Trigrams[edit | edit source]

Each hexagram is made up of two parts, namely an upper trigram and a lower trigram, which are also known as the outer gua and the inner gua respectively. Each trigram is made up of 3 lines, and each line can either be a Yin line or a Yang line. A Yin line is a broken line and a Yang line is an unbroken line. For example, Qian (Heaven) is represented by 3 Yang lines, and Kun (Earth) is represented by 3 Yin lines. The lines are read from bottom to top, and the bottom line is called line 1. For example, line 1 of Zhen (Thunder) is a Yang line, and lines 2 and 3 of Zhen are Yin lines. The order of the lines is important when a hexagram is cast (written down) or read/interpreted. The order is also used when determining the moving line(s).

In order, the eight trigrams are:

Number Trigram Traditional Chinese Simplified Chinese
1 (乾) Qián (Heaven) (乾) Qián (Heaven)
2 (坤) Kūn (Earth) (坤) Kūn (Earth)
3 (震) Zhèn (Thunder) (震) Zhèn (Thunder)
4 (坎) Kǎn (Water) (坎) Kǎn (Water)
5 (艮) Gèn (Mountain) (艮) Gèn (Mountain)
6 (巽) Xù (Wind) (巽) Xùn (Wind)
7 (離) Lí (Flame or Fire) (离) Lí (Flame or Fire)
8 (兌) Duì (Lake or Marsh) (兑) Duì (Lake or Marsh)

Since 1703 when Leibniz related yin and yang to zero and one, binary numbers have been considered in connection with the I Ching. Each trigram can be read as an octal number with the top line corresponding to four when yang, the middle line to two when yang, and the bottom line as one when yang. The sum of the yang lines is then between 1 and 7, with zero corresponding to ☷. The use of octal numbers and yin-yang complementation is described in the chapter Octal Bagua.

Circular Arrangement (Early Heaven)[edit | edit source]

For the purpose of divination, the 8 trigrams may be arranged in a circle, and ordered as follows:

Anti-clockwise Direction

  1. (乾) Qián (Heaven) pointing South, at the top of the circle
  2. (兌) Duì (Lake or Marsh), pointing South-East
  3. (離) Lí (Flame or Fire) pointing East, on the left-hand-side of the circle
  4. (震) Zhèn (Thunder), pointing North-East

Clockwise Direction

  1. (巽) Xùn (Wind), pointing South-West
  2. (坎) Kǎn (Water) pointing West, at the right-hand-side of the circle
  3. (艮) Gèn (Mountain), pointing North-West
  4. (坤) Kūn (Earth) pointing North, at the bottom of the circle
Early Heaven Arrangement of the eight trigrams (Ba Gua)
Dui

2
Qian

1
Xun

5
Li

3

Kan

6
Zhen

4
Kun

8
Gen

7

The Moving Line[edit | edit source]

Whilst a Gua gives an initial understanding of the present situation, the Moving Line is used to obtain a deeper understanding of the present situation, by understanding the current stage that a person is at in a given situation, as well as a future potential situation. When the Moving Line is converted to its counterpart (that is, a Yin line is converted to a Yang line, or a Yang line is converted to a Yin line), a new Gua, the approached Gua, emerges. A line in a Gua is also known as a "Yao" in Chinese.

The Moving Line

The 64 Hexagrams (Gua)[edit | edit source]

The 64 Hexagrams

Twelve of the sixty-four hexagrams correspond to months of the year according to light in the northern hemisphere. The winter solstice is marked by all yin lines in hexagram 2. The summer solstice is marked by all yang lines in hexagram 1. As the light returns in winter and spring, yang lines enter from below: hexagrams 24, 19, 11, 34, and 43. As the light fades in summer and fall, yin lines enter the hexagram from below: 44, 33, 12, 20, and 23. Note the adjacent hexagrams across the line of symmetry between the solstices.

Host Of The Hexagrams[edit | edit source]

Host Of The Hexagrams

Core Hexagrams[edit | edit source]

Core Hexagrams

Interpretation[edit | edit source]

Interpretation

Explanation Of Hexagrams And Lines[edit | edit source]

Explanation Of I Ching Hexagrams And Lines

Casting Hexagrams[edit | edit source]

There are many ways to cast an I Ching hexagram. The ancient yarrow stalk method will take about half an hour to obtain a hexagram. The modified method, as described by Alfred Huang in "The Complete I Ching", takes about five minutes and is much more convenient.

  1. The Ancient Yarrow Stalk Method
  2. The Modified Yarrow Stalk Method
  3. The 3-coin Method

Xuan Kong Da Gua[edit | edit source]

The I Ching hexagrams have been used in other areas of Chinese culture, including Feng Shui, such as Xuan Kong Da Gua (玄空大卦).