🔍
☯️ 8 Trigrams Explained(Click for deep symbolism)
🔯 64 Hexagrams Explained(In Zhou Yi order, click for details)
🏯 Jing Fang 8 Palace System(Hexagrams under each of the 8 palaces)
🌓 12 Message Hexagrams(Yin-Yang waxing & waning · 12 monthly hexagrams)
📖 Basic Yi Theory Concepts(Tai Chi · Yin Yang · Five Elements · Stems & Branches · He Tu Luo Shu)
Yin-Yang Theory
The fundamental philosophy of the Yijing: one yin and one yang constitute the Dao.
Yin-Yang is the core concept of Chinese philosophy. The Great Commentary (Xici Zhuan) states: "One yin and one yang constitute the Dao; that which continues it is goodness, and that which completes it is human nature." All things possess both yin and yang aspects, which mutually depend on each other, transform into each other, and restrain each other, forming the fundamental law of all things in the universe. Yang represents: Heaven, male, firmness, movement, brightness, heat, and odd numbers; yin represents: Earth, female, softness, stillness, darkness, cold, and even numbers.
🧬 Core Principles
- ◆Yin-Yang Opposition: All things have two opposite aspects.
- ◆Yin-Yang Interdependence: Yin contains yang, yang contains yin; neither can exist independently.
- ◆Yin-Yang Waxing and Waning: Yin and yang constantly change, with one growing as the other diminishes.
- ◆Yin-Yang Transformation: Extreme yang becomes yin, extreme yin becomes yang — things reverse when they reach their limit.
The Three Powers (Triad)
The triad of Heaven, Earth, and Human — the cosmic structure reflected in the six lines.
The Great Commentary states: "The Book of Changes is vast and comprehensive. It contains the way of Heaven, the way of Humans, and the way of Earth. Combining the Three Powers and doubling them yields six lines. The six lines are nothing other than the way of the Three Powers." In a six-line hexagram, the first and second lines represent Earth, the third and fourth represent Humanity, and the fifth and sixth represent Heaven. Each Power has two lines (one yin, one yang), totaling six lines.
🧬 Core Principles
- ◆Line 1 and Line 2 = The way of Earth (softness and firmness).
- ◆Line 3 and Line 4 = The way of Humanity (humaneness and righteousness).
- ◆Line 5 and Line 6 = The way of Heaven (yin and yang).
- ◆Humans stand between Heaven and Earth and must emulate their ways.
Yao Positions and Proper Placement
Structural principles of line positions in a hexagram, including proper placement, correspondence, proximity, and riding
The six lines of a hexagram are numbered from bottom to top: first (bottom), second, third, fourth, fifth, and top. Solid lines are called "nine" and broken lines are called "six." Odd positions (first, third, fifth) are yang positions; even positions (second, fourth, top) are yin positions. A solid line in a yang position or a broken line in a yin position is called "properly placed"; otherwise it is "improperly placed."
🧬 Core Principles
- ◆Proper Placement: Solid line in yang position (e.g., Nine at First, Nine at Third, Nine at Fifth) or broken line in yin position (e.g., Six at Second, Six at Fourth, Six at Top) — structurally balanced
- ◆Central Position: Second line (center of lower trigram) and Fifth line (center of upper trigram) — central position carries special significance regardless of line type, with Nine at Fifth being the most esteemed
- ◆Correspondence: First & Fourth, Second & Fifth, Third & Top — one solid and one broken form a responsive pair; two of the same type lack correspondence
- ◆Riding and Supporting: An upper line "rides" a lower line (broken riding solid is traditionally seen as problematic); a lower line "supports" an upper line (broken supporting solid is traditionally favorable)
Ti-Yong and Derived Hexagrams
The ti-yong distinction in Plum Blossom numerology, plus mutual, changed, opposing, and reversed hexagrams
In a hexagram reading, the unmoving lines form the "ti" (body/subject) hexagram, representing the self or essence, while the changing lines form the "yong" (function/object) hexagram, representing the other or the situation. When the body overcomes the function, the outlook is positive; when the function overcomes the body, the outlook is challenging; when body and function are in harmony, it is most favorable. Derived hexagrams include: the mutual hexagram (formed by lines 2-3-4 and 3-4-5, representing the developing process), the changed hexagram (formed by changing moving lines, representing the outcome), the opposing hexagram (all six lines flipped, representing the opposite), and the reversed hexagram (rotated 180 degrees, representing the other perspective).
🧬 Core Principles
- ◆Body (Ti) Hexagram: The unmoving, stable part — represents the self, the past, and the essential nature
- ◆Function (Yong) Hexagram: The active, changing part — represents the other, the present, and the manifest effect
- ◆Mutual Hexagram: Represents the intermediate stages of development and internal factors at work
- ◆Changed Hexagram: Represents the final outcome and future direction of the situation
- ◆Opposing Hexagram (Pang Tong): All six lines inverted — represents the opposite side of things and latent possibilities
- ◆Reversed Hexagram (Fu Gua): Rotated 180 degrees — represents viewing the situation from another angle, or the other party's position
🔮 Divination & Reading Guide(Casting methods · Reading steps · Precautions)
Beginner Basics
Complete Guide to Yijing Divination Methods
From the ancient Yarrow Stalk Method to modern Three Coin Method, time-based divination, and number-based divination — a step-by-step guide to casting a hexagram.
Divination Methods
Three Coin Method (Six Line / Na Jia Method)
4 steps total
Plum Blossom Divination — Time-Based Method
4 steps total
Number-Based Divination Method
4 steps total
💡 Experience Tips
- • Before divination, wash your hands, calm your mind, and silently focus on your question
- • Cast only once per question — do not keep asking until you get a "good result"
- • Be specific: do not ask "What will my future be like?" — ask "Will I pass this interview?"
- • Do not repeat the same question within three months
Interpretation Techniques
Hexagram Interpretation Methodology and Steps
Don't panic when you receive a hexagram — follow the steps and go deeper from the macro to the micro level.
Interpretation Steps
- Read the hexagram name and Hexagram Judgment. The name reveals the theme (e.g., "Qian" = strength and success, "Bo" = peeling and decline), and the Judgment sets the overall tone of fortune.
- Examine the Body (Ti) and Action (Yong) relationship (Plum Blossom) or Shi / Ying lines (Six Line Method). Determine who overcomes whom and who generates whom to judge the overall trend.
- Look at the great image — the relationship between upper and lower trigrams. Do they generate or overcome each other? For example, Earth over Heaven = Tai (peace, auspicious), Heaven over Earth = Pi (obstruction, inauspicious).
- Study the Moving Lines. Moving Lines are the key points of change. If there are no Moving Lines, read the Hexagram Judgment; if one Moving Line, focus on its Line Statement; if multiple, consider them all together.
- Examine the Mutual Hexagram and the Changed / Resulting Hexagram. The Mutual Hexagram shows the process; the Changed Hexagram reveals the outcome and final result.
- Integrate with real-life context. The Yijing is "living" — the same hexagram reads very differently for love, career, or health. Always ground interpretation in the questioner's actual situation.
💡 Experience Tips
Ethical Guidelines
Ethics and Taboos of Yijing Divination
The Yijing is the way of sages, not a charlatan's trick. Divination has its principles — practice it with reverence.
📜 Precepts6 items
🧭 Ethics4 rules
💡 Experience Tips