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YI JING OR ZICHOU
ONE INDIVIDUAL'S [ MIS - ] [ ? ] UNDERSTANDING
Chapter 3

Qian moves up Qian^
Kan moves down KanV
Gen moves down GenV
Zhen moves up Zhen^
Sun moves down XunV
Li moves up Luo^
Kun moves down KunV
Dui moves up Dui^

The next stage is to look at the "family" of trigrams and thus the family of hexagrams. A listing of the Tables Of Permutation Values follows. Each trigram has movement associates with it, which it passes onto the hexagram. The direction of movement applies to part of the interpretation of the trigram in relationship to the hexagram in which it occurs. « Easy way to remember movement directions: Yin base line sinks, yang base line rises. »

The Co-ordinate Value #1 is derived from the starting value, by replacing the base line with its complementary line --- yin changes to yang, and vice versus. Co-ordinate value #2 is created by changing the base line and the middle line to their complementary line. The complimentary opposite is created by changing all three lines to their complementary line. The parallel value is created by changing the middle line to the complementary opposite line. Later on, we will touch upon why the top line , the top and bottom line, or middle and top lines are not changed to derive the family. We could respectively term these Complementary Co-ordinate value #1 and Complementary Parallel value, and Complementary Co-ordinate Value # 2.

Basic Trigram Families

A: Starting ValueC1: Coordinated Opposite ValueC2: Complement ValueO: Opposite ValueP: Parallel ValueE1: Excluded Trigram # 1E2: Excluded Trigram # 2E3: Excluded Trigram # 3
Qian Xun Gen Kun Luo Zhen Dui Kan
Kan Dui Zhen Luo Kun Xun Gen Qian
Gen Kan Qian Dui Xun Kun Luo Zhen
Zhen Kun Kan Xun Dui Luo Qian Gen
Xun Qian Luo Zhen Gen Dui Kan Kun
Luo Gen Xun Kan Qian Dui Zhen Kun
Kun Zhen Dui Qian Kan Gen Xun Luo
Dui Kan Kun Xun Zhen Luo Qian Gen

A Subject trigram
C1 Co-ordinate Value # 1
C2 Co-ordinate Value # 2
O Complementary Opposite
P Parallel Value
E1 Excluded Trigram # 1
E2 Excluded Trigram # 2
E3 Excluded Trigram # 3

Why not place all the trigrams above "A" or below "A", instead of the way shown? That would then make every trigram, from each trigram. However, by not using all eight trigrams, but just five, one can relate each trigram to the five-element-theory-of-the-multiverse. Of course, with eight trigrams, the four-element-theory-of the-multiverse could be utilized, with each element having two trigrams attached to it. But utilizing eight elements would result in a minor, but significant problem --- some hexagrams would belong to two or even three families, whilst others would only belong to one family.

Hexagrams are:

QianKanGenZhenSunLiKunDui
A/A 1 29 52 51 57 30 2 58
A/C1 44 60 22 16 9 56 24 47
A/C2 33 3 26 40 37 50 19 45
A/O 12 63 41 32 42 64 11 31
C1/O 20 49 38 46 25 4 34 39
C2/O 23 55 10 48 21 59 43 15
P/O 35 36 61 28 27 6 5 62
P/A 14 7 53 17 18 13 8 54

The point of having the houses is that we can then relate them to more than the trigrams, but the hexagrams can thus come into closer contact with each other, and share the same characteristics. Furthermore, by arranging them into houses, one can do a reconstruction of the trigrams, and hexagrams, into what is most likely the original order, which Fu Xi had them in. Assuming that:

  1. He did exist.
  2. He constructed the hexagrams and trigrams.
  3. He had a mathematical reason for his arrangement.

Now, you might be asking why they are not all simply placed above A, or below A, instead of the « maybe » strange looking order in which they are, in the diagram. Basically, it is due to if each family were to only have the base trigram, or top trigram, the hexagram would have an overabundance of that element, which was represented by the trigram.

This would result in the families being at war with each other, so to speak, rather than harmonious living together as they currently do.

Thus :

On the next page are the tables for both A/Trigram, and Trigram/A.

Hexagrams, with Trigram "A" on top:

Qian Kan Gen Zhen Sun Li Kun Dui
A/A 1 29 52 51 57 30 2 58
A/C1 44 60 22 16 9 56 24 47
A/C2 33 3 26 40 37 50 19 45
A/O 12 63 41 32 42 64 11 31

The Following hexagrams would be new to these Houses

A/P 13 8 18 54 53 14 7 17
A/E1 10 48 23 55 42 21 15 43
A/E2 25 39 4 34 20 38 46 49
AE3 6 5 27 62 61 35 36 28

Hexagrams, with Trigram "A" on the base:

Qian Kan Gen Zhen Sun Li Kun Dui
A/A 1 29 52 51 57 30 2 58
P/A 14 7 53 17 18 13 8 54

The following hexagrams are new to these Houses

C1/A 9 47 56 24 44 22 16 60
C2/A 26 40 33 3 50 37 45 19
O/A 11 64 31 42 32 63 12 41
E1/A 43 59 15 21 48 55 23 10
E2/A 34 4 39 25 46 49 20 38
E3/A 5 6 62 27 28 36 35 61

A natural procession of order can be seen, if their order was Earth, Mountain, Water, Wind, Thunder, Fire, Lake, and Heaven. This shows a number of symmetrical patterns, which could be utilized for further understanding. However, do take care not to get involved in any of the mind-games the Yi Jing can bring on.

To extract the total meaning out of all the possible arrangements, is to delve into the Yi Jing, and stay buried in it, from one's birth, until one's death, a few millennia later, if so short a period of time is there. « After all, the Yi Jing considers its own cycle to be in the range of an eternity and then some.» 6 to the power of 64 years -- but Chinese years of 384 days, not 365 days. While glancing across calendars, I ought to point out that there are days that are a part of the Chinese calendar, but not a part of the cycle, by not being there, represented by the Yi Jing. The Chinese year is based upon the Yi Jing, and hence the number of days in year, and the value of the number of years in its cycle. See Khiegh Alx Dhiegh ( 1982; 1983) for more information on the Chinese year.

If one could survive that long, then maybe one could understand it, in its entirety. However, Daoist priests and practitioners have claimed that immortality is there for the taking, « for example: Lu K'uan Yu: 1970 » especially by using White Tiger, Green Dragon Alchemy, with fourteen ounces of unsmelted silver, to use the traditional expression. White Tiger is Metal, and thus is Dui, whilst Green Dragon is Wood, and thus is Sun. The actual union itself is depicted in the Yi Jing through the following abridged sequence of hexagrams:

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