The Eight Palaces
Last updated 10/7/2026
For Wen Wang Gua construction, a hexagram needs two lookup values: its palace and its position inside that palace. The rule for this lesson is simple:
Look up the hexagram once. Copy the palace name and the column position. Do not infer either from the King Wen number.
The eight positions are: palace head, first through fifth generation, Soul-Wandering, and Soul-Returning. In this lesson those are position labels, not narratives about a person or event.
The complete lookup
| Palace | Element | Head | First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth | Soul-Wandering | Soul-Returning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qian | Metal | 1 | 44 | 33 | 12 | 20 | 23 | 35 | 14 |
| Kan | Water | 29 | 60 | 3 | 63 | 49 | 55 | 36 | 7 |
| Gen | Earth | 52 | 22 | 26 | 41 | 38 | 10 | 61 | 53 |
| Zhen | Wood | 51 | 16 | 40 | 32 | 46 | 48 | 28 | 17 |
| Xun | Wood | 57 | 9 | 37 | 42 | 25 | 21 | 27 | 18 |
| Li | Fire | 30 | 56 | 50 | 64 | 4 | 59 | 6 | 13 |
| Kun | Earth | 2 | 24 | 19 | 11 | 34 | 43 | 5 | 8 |
| Dui | Metal | 58 | 47 | 45 | 31 | 39 | 15 | 62 | 54 |
Each number from 1 through 64 appears exactly once. That uniqueness is the failure control: two matches or no match means the table was copied or searched incorrectly.
Worked lookup: Case 00035
Case 00035 begins with Hexagram 3. Find 3 in the table:
| Input | Palace | Position | Course position index |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hexagram 3 | Kan | Second generation | 2 |
Record Kan / second generation. Do not use the changed Hexagram 19 to replace the primary palace. The primary chart remains the construction anchor.
Reproduce one sequence
Use Qian as a checksum. Read across the row:
1 → 44 → 33 → 12 → 20 → 23 → 35 → 14
Now answer these without interpretation:
- Which palace contains Hexagram 35? Qian.
- Which position does it occupy? Soul-Wandering.
- Does its King Wen number tell you that position? No; the palace lookup does.
Common failures
- Using the changed hexagram’s palace: palace classification for the primary skeleton starts from the primary hexagram.
- Treating King Wen order as palace order: the two lists perform different jobs.
- Adding meaning to the position name: Soul-Wandering and Soul-Returning are labels here. Their doctrinal use is outside this input lesson.
- Reconstructing when a lookup is available: a derivation may help study the wider Eight Palaces system, but routine WWG construction should use the verified table.
The broader Eight Palaces flagship course teaches the family architecture. This page owns only the WWG lookup task.
Source note
The complete 8 × 8 roster and palace-element table are the lookup used throughout this course. They make every assignment reader-checkable but do not establish historical authorship or interpretation.
Next: Continue to Palace Element and copy the element attached to your palace.