I Ching

Wikibooks - I Ching Project
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
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:

The 8 Trigrams
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:

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 &#9783;. The use of octal numbers and yin-yang complementation is described in the chapter Octal Bagua.

Circular Arrangement (Early Heaven)
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

 ☴ (巽) Xùn (Wind), pointing South-West  ☵ (坎) Kǎn (Water) pointing West, at the right-hand-side of the circle  ☶ (艮) Gèn (Mountain), pointing North-West  ☷ (坤) Kūn (Earth) pointing North, at the bottom of the circle 

The Moving Line
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)
/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
/Host Of The Hexagrams/

Core Hexagrams
/Core Hexagrams/

Interpretation
/Interpretation/

Explanation Of Hexagrams And Lines
/Explanation Of I Ching Hexagrams And Lines/

Casting Hexagrams
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
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).