Palace Element
Last updated 10/7/2026
The palace element is the chart’s reference element for deriving the five line roles. Copy it from the palace lookup; do not guess it from the visible upper or lower trigram.
The lookup rule
| Palace | Palace element |
|---|---|
| Qian | Metal |
| Dui | Metal |
| Kan | Water |
| Gen | Earth |
| Kun | Earth |
| Zhen | Wood |
| Xun | Wood |
| Li | Fire |
The duplicate elements are intentional. Eight palaces map into five phases, so Metal, Earth, and Wood each serve two palaces. Water and Fire each serve one palace.
Worked annotation: Case 00035
The previous lesson established:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Primary hexagram | 3 |
| Palace | Kan |
| Palace position | Second generation |
Kan’s palace element is Water. Add one line to the chart header:
Palace: Kan · Position: second generation · Reference element: Water
Water remains the reference element even though the visible hexagram contains Thunder below and Water above. The palace classification, not either visible trigram by itself, supplies the role reference.
Why this field comes before line roles
The same line element can receive a different role in a different palace. A Wood line is:
- the same element in a Wood palace;
- generated by a Water palace;
- controlled by a Metal palace;
- controlling in an Earth palace;
- generating in a Fire palace.
Those directions will receive stable role names after Najia supplies each line’s branch and element. For now, record only the reference element.
Exercise
Look up each primary hexagram, then add its palace element:
| Hexagram | Palace | Element |
|---|---|---|
| 35 | Qian | Metal |
| 19 | Kun | Earth |
| 29 | Kan | Water |
| 57 | Xun | Wood |
| 30 | Li | Fire |
Failure control: if you used Hexagram 19’s Earth element for Case 00035’s primary line roles, you switched to the changed chart too early. Return to the primary Hexagram 3 and use Kan / Water.
Source note
The complete palace-to-element table is the course lookup. Its job is deterministic chart construction only.
Next: Continue to Stem-Branch Assignment (Najia) and install the fixed labels on all six lines.