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WHAT ARE THE I CHING TRIGRAMS?
The trigrams or Pa Kua are the basic symbols or images of Eastern philosophy that combined in pairs give rise to the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching. The trigrams are composed of three lines that can be broken (yin) and/or whole (yang):
This combination of three yin and yang lines gives rise to 8 trigrams representing the 8 basic forces of Nature: Heaven, Earth, Thunder, Mountain, Water, Fire, Lake and Wind.
Pa means “8” and Gua means “image”. The ancient Chinese sages observed that there are 8 basic images or phenomena in the Universe that represent the 8 forms of energy movement. These sages developed a system of symbols based on lines to represent the universal images and this was the origin of the trigrams. Each trigram has its image, quality and essence and corresponds to a moment in the annual cycle; they describe a type of energy, a form of movement in the process of universal change and represent the form of what happens. According to the ancient Taoist cosmology the trigrams are generated from Wu Chi, the void, the unity in the following way:
By combining the trigrams in pairs we have the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching, a microcosm within the Universe and 64 symbolic descriptions of the processes of continuous universal change:
The Great Commentary (chapter within the book) says that one who partakes of the spiritual dimension of the I Ching will be able to understand the profound patterns that recur in the Universe and associates knowledge of the I Ching with the ability to delight in Heaven and understand destiny: “The wise man who reads it will see cosmological patterns and will not despair at mere material difficulties”.
The 8 fundamental images or trigrams, the 8 primordial forces of the Universe are associated with a characteristic that describes them and a time of the year when they are most important in the natural realm:
The trigrams or Pa Kua have positive and negative aspects; they can represent a balanced or unbalanced energy and suggest the following particularities:
Chien, The Creative, The Sky
Chien directs the movements in the Universe. Three solid lines represent its power. “Heaven and Earth determine the direction”.
Father
Yang
Creative energy
Kindness
Dignity
Health
Higher Self
Originality
Perseverance
Power
Prosperity
Protection
Virtue
Divine Power
Space
Kun, The Earth, The Receptive
Kun is the visible form of unlimited acceptance. Three broken lines show a central space that receives what falls from the sky.
- Mother
- Yin
- Receptive energy
- Cave
- Dependence
- Devotion
- Fertility
- Gentleness
- Kindness
- Maturity
- Passivity
- Security
- Vulnerability
- Softness
- Unlimited acceptance
- Shelter
- Flexibility
Chen, Thunder, The Generator, The Mobilizing
“Thunder awakens all things. All change begins with thunder”. The two broken lines at the top symbolise the image of lightning and the solid line at the base symbolises elevation; the image of lightning striking against a mountain.
- Yang
- High voltage
- Lightning
- Agitation
- Confrontation
- Impending revolution
- Impetus
- Renewal
- Sudden change of climate
- Voice from the sky
- Terrified
- Trembling
- Becoming pregnant
- Turning point
- Shock
- Intimidation
Sun, The Wind, The Soft, The All-Pervading
“With Sun all creatures become pure and perfect.” “The wind and the thunder excite each other.” The two solid lines represent the sky and energy. The broken line represents the earth. The image is the sky and its energy bequeathing to the earth.
- Yin
- Penetrating Energy
- Affection
- Courtesy
- Fugacity
- Growth
- Lying
- Flooding
- Transformer
- Wood
- Grass
- The voice of the earth
- Humility
- Submission
- Hint
- Renunciation
- Dispersion
- Advance and retreat
- Indecision
Kan, Water, The Abismal, The Dangerous
“Kan is water, bending and straightening the bow and the wheel”. “Water and fire do not fight each other”. The two broken lines represent the depression of the earth on the banks of a river. The solid central line represents movement, the image of water flowing in the river.
- Yang
- Adaptive Energy
Moulding
The river
Adventures
Concealment
Concealment
Cruelty
Latent
Fluency
Hard work
Risk, danger
Uncertainty
Vitality
Crisis
Li, Fire, The Adherent
Fire depends on the fuel that makes it burn and transforms one form into another. The two solid lines indicate the movement of fire. The broken line is the still centre of the fire.
- Yin
- Luminous Energy
- Clinging
- Consciousness
- Celebration
- Charisma
- Dependence
- Discrimination
- Extremes
- Immortality and rebirth
- Understanding
- Vision
- Discernment
- Talent
- Originality
- Fickleness; emotional instability
- Illumination of the occult
- Sticking
Ken, The Mountain, Stillness
Everything moves around the mountain, but the mountain does not move from its place. The solid line represents elevation and the two broken lines represent the earth: the image of the mountain elevated above the earth.
- Yang
- Revolutionary Energy
- Achievement
- Deep Thought
- Meditation
- Philosophy
- Faithfulness
- Stagnation
- Stubbornness
- Stubbornness
- Arrogance
- Reliability
- Thrift
- Conservation
Tui, The Lake, The Serene, The Joyful
Tui is the entrance to the depths of the earth, to the depths of the soul. Through Tui one can hear the messages of the unconscious. The broken line at the top is water and the two solid lines at the bottom are the sky; the sky reflected beneath the surface of the water.
- Yin
- Joyful Energy
- Rejoicing
- Grace
- Narcissism
- Sensuality
- Serenity
- Loquacity
- Tranquility
- Loosen
- Release
- Heavy
- Infiltrate, impregnate
- Open passages and crevices
- Swamp
- Reciprocal exchange