Hexagram (I Ching)

The hexagrams of the I Ching in a diagram belonging to the German mathematician philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz[1]

The I Ching book consists of 64 hexagrams.[2] [3] A hexagram is a figure composed of six stacked horizontal lines (爻 yáo), where each line is either Yang (an unbroken, or solid line), or Yin (broken, an open line with a gap in the center). The hexagram lines are traditionally counted from the bottom up, so the lowest line is considered line one while the top line is line six. Hexagrams are formed by combining the original eight trigrams in different combinations. Each hexagram is accompanied with a description, often cryptic, akin to parables. Each line in every hexagram is also given a similar description.

Types

hexagram numbers

Classic and modern I Ching commentaries mention a number of different hexagram types:

Sequences

The most commonly known sequence is the King Wen sequence. A totally different sequence was found in the Mawangdui Silk Texts. The hexagrams are also found in the Binary sequence, also known as Fu Xi sequence or Shao Yong sequence.

Lookup table

Upper →

Lower ↓

 ☰
乾 Qián
Heaven		 ☳
震 Zhèn
Thunder		 ☵
坎 Kǎn
Water		 ☶
艮 Gèn
Mountain		 ☷
坤 Kūn
Earth		 ☴
巽 Xùn
Wind		 ☲
離 Lí
Flame		 ☱
兌 Duì
Lake
☰
乾 Qián
Heaven		 01 ䷀ 34 ䷡ 05 ䷄ 26 ䷙ 11 ䷊ 09 ䷈ 14 ䷍ 43 ䷪
☳
震 Zhèn
Thunder		 25 ䷘ 51 ䷲ 03 ䷂ 27 ䷚ 24 ䷗ 42 ䷩ 21 ䷔ 17 ䷐
☵
坎 Kǎn
Water		 06 ䷅ 40 ䷧ 29 ䷜ 04 ䷃ 07 ䷆ 59 ䷺ 64 ䷿ 47 ䷮
☶
艮 Gèn
Mountain		 33 ䷠ 62 ䷽ 39 ䷦ 52 ䷳ 15 ䷎ 53 ䷴ 56 ䷷ 31 ䷞
☷
坤 Kūn
Earth		 12 ䷋ 16 ䷏ 08 ䷇ 23 ䷖ 02 ䷁ 20 ䷓ 35 ䷢ 45 ䷬
☴
巽 Xùn
Wind		 44 ䷫ 32 ䷟ 48 ䷯ 18 ䷑ 46 ䷭ 57 ䷸ 50 ䷱ 28 ䷛
☲
離 Lí
Flame		 13 ䷌ 55 ䷶ 63 ䷾ 22 ䷕ 36 ䷣ 37 ䷤ 30 ䷝ 49 ䷰
☱
兌 Duì
Lake		 10 ䷉ 54 ䷵ 60 ䷻ 41 ䷨ 19 ䷒ 61 ䷼ 38 ䷥ 58 ䷹

See also

References

  1. ↑ Perkins, Franklin. Leibniz and China: A Commerce of Light. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. p 117. Print.
  2. ↑ Wilhelm, Richard (1950). The I Ching or Book of Changes.
  3. ↑ Legge, James (1964). I Ching: Book of Changes.
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