Life stages (Chang Sheng)

The Life stages in the Yi are still arranged as in the other disciplines of East Asian metaphysics (why call it East Asian metaphysics? because the countries of East Asia — China, Korea and Japan — all took as their basis of development Yin and Yang: one Yin and one Yang, that is called the Way); but apart from Conception, which is judged in the particular case of reading pregnancy, only Birth, Peak, Tomb and Extinction have any effect on Strength and on the information in the hexagram.

The life stages of the Five Elements

The life stages of the Five Elements in the Yi are (Metal is born at Si, Prosperous at You, in the Tomb at Chou and at Extinction at Yin — that is, the element Metal has its Birth at Si, its Peak at You, its Tomb at Chou and its Extinction at Yin):

Element	Birth	Peak	Tomb	Extinction
Metal	Si	You	Chou	Yin
Wood	Hai	Mao	Wei	Shen
Fire	Yin	Wu	Xu	Hai
Water · Earth	Shen	Zi	Chen	Si

Metal

Wood

Fire

Water · Earth

BirthPeakTombExtinction

The life stages are referred to the Day and to the changed line, with a moving line added for the Tomb; as a particular case the Tomb of Earth is not counted, except for the timing of Earth of Excessive strength.

Birth

Birth signals the beginning of something new: in business it is moving into a new field, in health it is a turn for the better, in land it is the vein of the earth returning...

But within Birth there are two cases to note:

First, the Birth of Metal. Metal is born at Si, but Si is Fire and controls Metal. In this case it does not report the present but the past. The past of this event was a burst of high spirits at the start, but now much reduced; if it is Weak then it is finished altogether — or the greatness at the beginning, which has now faded away. If Metal changes into Si, then by the time of Fire it is finished altogether, meaning gone for good.

Second, Earth is born at Shen. The Birth of Earth signals things getting better, but not at once; if it changes into Shen there is an outlay at the start and then things settle gradually. Even when Earth is Weak, if the Day is at Shen it will still go up from the bottom — don't fear the hardship, it will succeed. And if it changes into Shen, there is an investment at the start and then success; because in any case Earth changing into Shen is still changing into draining.

Prosperous (Peak)

Prosperous signals self-reliance; but the case of Earth still has to be noted, because the other elements have their Peak at the strong branch of the element, while for Earth, Zi Water has nothing to do with it. The case of Earth Prosperous at Water signals self-reliance and self-strengthening, but loneliness, standing on one's own. Earth at Zi still reports a Prosperous line; and if it is Rootless, the prosperity will still come at the time of Zi — don't worry, heaven does not cut off a person's road. In this situation note Chou changing into Zi, which is changing into Prosperous but combined, so the success happens at the time of Wu. Note this.

What is interesting within the life stages

Within the life stages of the Five Elements there are interesting things of their own:

Yin and Shen combining with the branch of Birth

• Yin Wood is born at Hai; Yin combines with Hai, and Yin is generated by Hai as well. Basically this is a case that is good whichever way one takes it, a new beginning; if it changes into it, it reports that there is help. But if Yin moves, then Hai combines with the moving line, and it reports a state in which there is a beginning, but an uncomfortable beginning, tied down — though it will get better and better.
• Shen combines with Si: in this case, if there is no generation or support from the Month or from a moving line, it reports a case where things were very well before but bad afterwards, or were once very well but are bad now. Most of these hexagrams have reported a very glorious past; if a moving line changes into it, then it is both combined and controlled, meaning that there was once great glory, but the past is a pressure on oneself, and it will be spoilt at the moment of timing, spoilt outright. This case is better than You being born at Si, because at least Shen still combines with Si, so it is relieved in part: there is loss, but not total loss as with You.

Extinction

• Wood is at Extinction at Shen, which is both Extinction and control; likewise Fire at Extinction at Hai
• Metal is at Extinction at Yin, which is only Extinction without control; likewise Water

In cases of Extinction, if the line is Prosperous or at least has some vigour, it is all the image of being on the way down to the bottom but getting through; and if it is Prosperous it will reach its peak again at the moment of Peak — as Metal is at Extinction at Yin, but if Metal is Prosperous it will come back at the time of Si and reach its peak at the time of You.

Earth within the life stages

Earth is born at Shen, which is both draining and Birth (draining if it moves and changes from Earth into Shen), signalling that the start will cost rather a lot, but it will succeed. What is interesting about Earth at Birth and at Peak is that, even when controlled by the Month, if its Birth or its Peak falls at the Day it still counts as a Prosperous line; only the moment differs, but as to the original nature it still counts as a Prosperous line.

Earth at its Peak at Zi reports success through one's own strength, building a fortune with bare hands; but in exchange, this is a lonely person.

Earth is at Extinction at Si, which is both Extinction and generation: it reaches the bottom and then goes up again; and if it is a change, it is going along the same road as someone else, but on the way down to the bottom as well — don't be afraid.

For Wood, Fire and Water, the branch of Birth is always a generating branch, so it is all good.

Yin changing into Mao is both Prosperous and advancing; note that changing into Advancing will be good, even for a Rootless line — but only when it moves.

Break fears Extinction, Void fears the Tomb

There is a case worth noting: a line in Break that moves and changes into Extinction is spoilt outright, whether it is Prosperous or generated by the Day. The only exception is where a moving line supports it, or where Earth changes into Si, Si Fire generating Earth by nature, and then it can be saved, answering at its own branch or at its combination.

Void as well: if Void meets the Tomb, then however Prosperous it is, it is spoilt; but if it is supported, it gets through, answering at its own branch or at the clash.

So Break fears Extinction, and Void fears the Tomb. Note this.

See also

• Tomb, Following the Officer into the Tomb
• Month Break, Void
• Five Elements, Strength
• Combination and clash of lines, Advancing line