Each particular day of the month or time of day has its own associated hexagram. The Yi Jing was consulted for scientific inquiry and astronomy as hexagrams are associated with both the lunar and daily (solar) cycles. Teacup media audio podcast by Laszlo Montgomery. Presentation box of 64 divining sticks for Yi Jing divination For more on some of the numerical properties and associations of the trigrams see our Luo Shu (magic square) section. The Book of Changes muses on the meaning when one of the six lines are changed from yin to yang or yang to yin. Two trigrams combine to give the six lines that represent each of the 64 possible hexagrams. These eight trigrams (bagua 八卦) are shown surrounding the traditional taiji (yin-yang) figure in the illustration. It can be thought of as a combination of two trigrams stacked on top of each other (a trigram is made up of three lines). The hexagrams are called 卦 guà in Chinese. It builds ‘hexagrams’ made up of six lines that are either yang (solid) or yin (broken). Nowadays it is best known as a popular fortune telling system, but its foundations go far deeper. ![]() In the classic divination method two hexagrams are cast at the same time, the one changing to the other representing past and present or present and future.įeng Shui, Confucianism and Yin/Yang all contribute to the ‘ (Book of Changes ➚’). ![]() It is called ‘Book of Changes’ because it is rooted in transformation. We offer a free, online consultation of the Yi Jing using the ancient method and there is a page explaining the meaning of all the 64 hexagrams. We fully describe both the ancient yarrow stick method of divination as well as the quicker and more modern coin method. In our Yi Jing (I Ching) section we have a full reference of the history of the most influential classic of ancient China. His son, the Emperor Yongzheng consulted it widely including when pondering what to do with the case of the traitor Zeng Jing ➚, his Yi Jing consultation gave hexagram 61 ‘ Inner Trust’ and he interpreted this to mean he should treat him with leniency. He considered it of great depth touching on both fortune-telling and morality. Emperor Kangxi never tired of it, spending over six months studying it - twice - and consulted the book to determine such things as the just punishment of rebels. The Qing dynasty Emperor Kangxi’s edition of the I Ching had by 1715 accumulated no less than 218 commentaries written by esteemed scholars. In Imperial China its influence was all pervasive. As many objects and actions are associated with a particular hexagram it was used as a proto-science - putting everything in its appropriate logical category. It served as a broad method for characterizing all things, people, events and situations systematically. Marcel Granet ➚ has described it as “the Cosmos in capsule form”. Many great scholars have studied the ‘Yi Jing’ (which is still widely known as ‘I Ching’ following the Wade Giles system) as a source of contemplation and reflection. “The Yi Jing thinks of nothing, does nothing in tranquility, unmoving, it fathoms what is at the back of everything in the world” (Great Appendix to the Yi Jing). Kongfuzi ( Confucius) said “If years were added to my life, I would dedicate fifty to study the ‘Yi Jing’, then I might approach perfection” (Analects 7.16). The Yi Jing ‘Book of Changes’ is foremost among the five ancient classics of China. With the goal of harmony and balance with nature, it has excellent environmental credentials. ![]() It is still practiced today, particularly for choosing the site for buildings and graves. Modern history People's Republic of China Future Leaders Government Space Exploration Economy Long March Republic of China May 4th Movement Yi Jing Yi Jing 易 经 ( I Ching WG) - The Book of Changes Feng ShuiThe ancient tradition of Feng Shui has been far reaching for thousands of years.
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