Eight Trigrams

The Eight Trigrams are the eight notions Heaven (Qian), Lake (Dui), Fire (Li), Thunder (Zhen), Wind (Xun), Water (Kan), Mountain (Gen) and Earth (Kun) — these eight notions are what we call the eight trigrams. In East Asian philosophy, the Limitless gives birth to the Supreme Ultimate, the Supreme Ultimate gives birth to the Two Forms, the Two Forms give birth to the Four Images, and the Four Images split into the Eight Trigrams.

If it works, it works

We shall not argue whether the philosophy is right or wrong; it is enough to know that this is the axiom of a great many disciplines called metaphysics, such as the Yi, Feng Shui and Zi Wei… If it works, it works, in the same way that we don't need to know who thought of the wheel, only that the wheel can be used. It's the same with the Yi: who thought of it doesn't matter, if it works it works.

The eight trigrams to remember

What we use, we need only remember:

1. 1 Heaven (Qian) Heaven Metal
2. 2 Lake (Dui) Lake Metal
3. 3 Fire (Li) Fire Fire
4. 4 Thunder (Zhen) Thunder Wood
5. 5 Wind (Xun) Wind Wood
6. 6 Water (Kan) Water Water
7. 7 Mountain (Gen) Mountain Earth
8. 8 Earth (Kun) Earth Earth

This part has to be remembered, the ordinal numbers included; remembering it will pay off later for one method of casting a hexagram.

See also

• The 64 hexagrams and how they are named — two trigrams stacked on each other make one hexagram
• The eight palaces and the 64 hexagrams
• Five Elements
• Casting a hexagram from the time, Casting a hexagram