The Eight Trigrams

八卦 · Ba Gua

八卦 · Ba Gua

The Eight Trigrams

Eight three-line figures. The building blocks of the I Ching.

Ch'ien

Qian

Element: Metal
Family: Father
Direction: Northwest

K'un

Kun

Element: Earth
Family: Mother
Direction: Southwest

Chên

Zhen

Element: Wood
Family: Eldest Son
Direction: East

K'an

Kan

Element: Water
Family: Middle Son
Direction: North

Kên

Gen

Element: Earth
Family: Youngest Son
Direction: Northeast

Sun

Xun

Element: Wood
Family: Eldest Daughter
Direction: Southeast

Li

Li

Element: Fire
Family: Middle Daughter
Direction: South

Tui

Dui

Element: Metal
Family: Youngest Daughter
Direction: West

Ba Gua

The Two Arrangements

Fu Xi · 伏羲

Earlier Heaven

Attributed to Fu Xi. Pairs opposites — a cosmological map.

King Wen · 文王

Later Heaven

Attributed to King Wen. Follows the seasonal cycle of change.