above TUI THE JOYOUS, LAKE below LI THE CLINGING, FIRE The Chinese character for this hexagram means in its original sense an animal’s pelt, which is changed in the course of the year by molting. From this word is carried over to apply to the...

above LI THE CLINGING, FIRE below SUN THE GENTLE, WIND, WOOD The six lines construct the image of Ting, THE CALDRON; at the bottom are the legs, over them the belly, then come the ears (handles), and at the top the carrying rings. At the same time, the image suggests...

above CHêN THE AROUSING, THUNDER below CHêN THE AROUSING, THUNDER The hexagram Chên represents the eldest son, who seizes rule with energy and power. A yang line develops below two yin lines and presses upward forcibly. this movement is so violent that it arouses...

above KêN KEEPING STILL, MOUNTAIN below KêN KEEPING STILL, MOUNTAIN The image of this hexagram is the mountain, the youngest son of heaven and earth. The male principle is at the top because it strives upward by nature; the female principle is below, since the...

above SUN THE GENTLE, WIND, WOOD below KêN KEEPING STILL, MOUNTAIN This hexagram is made up of Sun (wood, penetration) above, i.e., without, and Kên (mountain, stillness) below, i.e., within. A tree on a mountain develops slowly according to the law of its being and...

above SUN THE GENTLE, WIND, WOOD below SUN THE GENTLE, WIND, WOOD Sun is one of the eight doubled trigrams. It is the eldest daughter and symbolizes wind or wood; it has for its attribute gentleness, which nonetheless penetrates like the wind or like growing wood with...

above SUN THE GENTLE, WIND below K’AN THE ABYSMAL, WATER Wind blowing over water disperses it, dissolving it into foam and mist. this suggests that when a man’s vital energy is dammed up within him (indicated as a danger by the attribute of the lower...

above K’AN THE ABYSMAL, WATER below TUI THE JOYOUS, LAKE A lake occupies a limited space. When more water comes into it, it overflows. Therefore limits must be set for the water. The image shows water below and water above, with the firmament between them as a...

above SUN THE GENTLE, WIND below TUI THE JOYOUS, LAKE The wind blows over the lake and stirs the surface of the water. Thus visible effects of the invisible manifest themselves. The hexagram consists of firm lines above and below, while it is open in the center. this...

above K’AN THE ABYSMAL, WATER below LI THE CLINGING, FIRE this hexagram is the evolution of T’ai PEACE (11). The transition from confusion to order is completed, and everything is in its proper place even in particulars. The strong lines are in the strong...