The hexgrams of the I Ching are derived from the eight trigrams that legend says were discovered by the sage Fu Xi. Many years after Fu Xi, King Wen of Zhou was imprisoned by the Tyrant of Shang for seven years. During his imprisonment, he meditated on the trigrams, and realized they could be combined to form the hexgrams.
Combining Trigrams
The eight trigrams are symbols representing:
- Heaven/Qian
- Earth/Kun
- Wind/Xun
- Thunder/Zhen
- Fire/Li
- Water/Kan
- Lake/Dui
- Mountain/Genaxw
King Wen combined these by placing one trigram on top of another to form a series of six lines, each representing either Yin or Yang. In all there are 64 hexgrams, starting with Heaven/Heaven - Qian/Initiating, and ending with Fire/Water - Wei Ji/Not Yet Fulfilled.
Meaning of the Hexgrams
The meaning of a hexgram is based on the meaning of the trigrams that form it, and the image the trigrams create.
For example, the fifth hexgram, Xu/Needing, is formed from Water above, and Heaven below. Water above the heavens is a cloud, so Xu is described as a symbol of waiting for the rain, or a time of drought. If the symbol is placed on it's side, it becomes a symbol of confrontation, with Water, which means danger, blocking Heaven, which symbolizes strength. The meaning is Xu is the need for patience to get through a difficult time.
In addition to the meaning of the hexgram, each line of the hexgram has it's own meaning. The meaning of each line was first described by the Duke of Zhou, King Wen's brother. The lines follow a situation through time, with the bottom line describing the beginning of a situation, and the top line describing the end of it. The Duke of Zhou frequently used descriptions of events in the lives of his brother and nephew, King Wu, to explain the meaning of the lines. In seeking to understand the meaning of the lines, it's important to learn the history of Kings Wen and Wu.
Further understanding of the meanings of the hexgrams, and the lines, can be found in the Commentaries of Confucius, referred to in China as the Ten Wings of the I Ching.
Sequence of Hexgrams
King Wen placed the hexgrams in inverse pairs. If the first symbol in a pair is turned upside-down, it becomes the second symbol. There are 8 hexgrams that are the same if they are turned upside-down. These are paired as opposites (Qian/Initiating is all Yang lines, it's opposite is Kun/Responding, which is all Yin lines).
The meaning of each pair is related, and the pairs are arranged to describe the cycle of existence, as King Wen understood it. The first eight hexgrams show the beginning of this sequence
- Qian/Initiating - heaven starts all things
- Kun/Responding - what Heaven initiates, Earth responds to and many things are created
- Zhun/Beginning - beginning follows creation
- Meng/Childhood - beginning is also birth, which is followed by childhood
- Xu/Needing - children have many needs in order to grow
- Song/Contention - when people are in need, there is fighting over resources
- Shi/Multitude - contention makes people divide into factions
- Bi/Union - factions must have some bond of unity, or the country (family/tribe/etc) will fall apart.
This sequence, which is part of the Upper Canon, is followed through 26 more hexgrams (11 more pairs). There is a second sequence of 34 hexgrams (17 pairs), called the Lower Canon. The Upper Canon focuses on the yang of existence, and describes the Tao of Heaven. The Lower Canon focuses on the yin of existence, and describes the Tao of Humanity.
The Importance of the Hexgrams
Truly understanding all the meaning built into these simple symbols takes years. Someone who takes the time to learn the meaning of the hexgram can read from the symbols themselves everything the decisions say, and much more. In a very real way, the hexgrams are the I Ching, everything else is just a series of very long captions.
References
- Huang, Alfred, The Complete I Ching. Vermont: Inner Traditions. 1998.
- Wing, R.L., The I Ching Workbook. New York: Broadway Books. 1979.
Jessica Burde - Jessica Burde is a freelance writer living in Pennsylvania, USA. Jessica has been writing and loved writing for as long as she can ...
