I CHING: THE TRIGRAMS

When we first encounter the I Ching, we immediately learn that it consists of 64 hexagrams (figures of six lines, composed of a combination of unbroken and broken) and that each hexagram has a unique meaning and significance. However, at the same time each hexagram can be broken down into two trigrams of three lines, one on top of the other, and we need to understand the eight trigrams if we want to fully comprehend the meaning of each hexagram. The eight trigrams are Heaven, Earth, Thunder, Water, Mountain, Wind, Fire and Lake. Interestingly, and very much in the spirit of the I Ching, the three trigrams which contain only one unbroken line are designated as Yang, whereas the trigrams with only one broken line are seen as Yin.

This short piece looks briefly at the meaning of each trigram. More detailed information about them can be found in Discussion of the Trigrams (in pages 262-279 of my version of Baynes’ translation of Wilhelm).  

Heaven

This trigram is composed of three unbroken lines and represents Heaven, and most of what I write about Hexagram 1, The Creative, is true of the trigram. It is generally auspicious, especially the middle line (13), although its top line can sometimes be associated with an excess of ambition (6), and its bottom line with a lack of caution and a tendency to waste energy by acting before the time is right (34). It is associated with the sky, the dragon, authority, power, the masculine. In the family, it represents the father.

Earth

This trigram is composed of three broken lines and represents the Earth, and most of what I write about Hexagram 2, The Receptive, is true of the trigram. Its middle line is often auspicious, and shows a willingness to take a back seat and let others lead the way that can be desirable in many situations (11). However, it sometimes denotes a way of looking and thinking which is narrow and shallow (20). The trigram also sometimes represents the people, the masses, as, for example, in hexagrams 7, 8, 15 and 16, where the single yang line is the central power around which the five yin lines gather. Associated with the feminine, in the family it represents the mother.

Thunder

This trigram has an unbroken line at the bottom with two broken lines above it. It is associated with the season of spring and vigorous growth, a time when the Yang line below is strong and can move upwards without resistance from the two broken lines above it. In general the lowest line is the most auspicious since the power of the trigram is concentrated there (24, 51) and quickly dissipates as the trigram moves upwards (3). In the family, it is the oldest son.

Water

This trigram has an unbroken line at its heart enclosed by broken lines above and below. It represents the human spirit trapped within matter, and is associated with difficulty, suffering and pain, and several of the hexagrams in which it is included show a strong person struggling with a negative situation (29, 39, 47). On the positive side, it is associated with sincerity, since, like water, it always follows its own nature and moves downwards, taking the line of least resistance, which is often the advice given in the line and in the hexagram as a whole (6). In the family, it is the middle son.

Mountain

The unbroken line stands at the top of this trigram, above two broken lines. As such, it towers like a mountain over the earth (the broken lines) below it. As the top line of a hexagram, this is generally auspicious since it has accumulated the wisdom of a lifetime’s experience to form a mountain of knowledge and virtue (27, 52), and often has the role of a teacher or guide. It stands firm and solid and still and is therefore linked to the backbone. In the family, it is the youngest son.  

Wind

This is the first of the Yin trigrams, with a broken line at the bottom and two unbroken lines above it. It represents an influence which gradually builds up through ceaseless effort and repetition, just as the wind blows everywhere, and is eventually able to penetrate the unbroken lines above it through gentleness and patience. For obvious reasons, it is associated with communication, travel, and the spreading of knowledge (20). The trigram has a secondary meaning of growth, but a growth which is gradual in the manner of a tree (53), rather than the vigorous growth of the Thunder trigram. In the family, it is the oldest daughter.

Fire

This trigram has two different meanings which at first sight may not seem to fit naturally together to a western mind: fire and the concept of clinging. In its role as fire, it appears in many hexagrams as the sun (35, 36). It is related to beauty, art and culture, as the broken line in the centre is seen as adorning the yang lines above and below it. The second idea of clinging comes from the fact that fire clings to whatever fuels it and burns out once that fuel is spent. This aspect of the trigram is symbolised by the docility of the cow (30). In the family, it is the middle daughter.

Lake

Although generally translated as ‘lake’, this trigram is not a pool of water sparkling in the sunlight but closer to what we might call a marsh in English. It features two unbroken lines below and is open at the top. It represents joy and pleasure. The bottom line is generally auspicious, signifying a pleasure that is natural and moderate and shared collectively, but the top line is nearly always associated with lack of self control and a hedonistic loss of self. Both of these things are evident in hexagram 58, in which the trigram is doubled, and the bottom line is positive while the top is very much the opposite. The trigram is associated with the mouth, careless speech and seduction, and the Confucian commentaries view it very negatively in these cases. In the family, it is the youngest daughter.