Six Relatives
Last updated 10/7/2026
The five line roles are derived categories, not free associations. Compare the line element with the palace element, keep the direction visible, and assign exactly one role.
This lesson uses “Six Relatives” as the established system name, although the construction produces five role categories. World and Response are separate position markers.
The complete derivation rule
| Element relation | Role used in this course |
|---|---|
| Line element = palace element | Sibling |
| Line element generates palace element | Parent |
| Palace element generates line element | Child |
| Line element controls palace element | Officer |
| Palace element controls line element | Wealth |
Direction is the main failure point. “Line controls palace” and “palace controls line” do not produce the same role.
Worked derivation: Case 00035
Hexagram 3 belongs to the Kan palace, whose element is Water.
| Line | Branch | Line element | Relation to Water palace | Derived role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zi | Water | same | Sibling |
| 2 | Yin | Wood | Water generates Wood | Child |
| 3 | Chen | Earth | Earth controls Water | Officer |
| 4 | Shen | Metal | Metal generates Water | Parent |
| 5 | Xu | Earth | Earth controls Water | Officer |
| 6 | Zi | Water | same | Sibling |
The source case later selects the visible Child line at position 2 for its own weather method. That later selection does not change the construction rule: every row receives its role before a target is chosen.
A five-row checksum
Use a Wood palace and supply one line of each element:
| Line element | Derivation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Wood | same as Wood | Sibling |
| Water | Water generates Wood | Parent |
| Fire | Wood generates Fire | Child |
| Metal | Metal controls Wood | Officer |
| Earth | Wood controls Earth | Wealth |
If Officer and Wealth are reversed, the controlling direction was reversed. Write the subject of the verb explicitly before naming the role.
Boundary: category is not interpretation
Parent, Officer, Sibling, Wealth, and Child are routing labels used by later target-selection rules. A label by itself does not identify a particular person, event, document, condition, or outcome. Keep the role column structural until the question has been screened and Act 4 selects a target.
Source note
This page defines the exact UAYA course convention used in every later exercise. Apply the relation from the palace element toward the line element. Reversing that direction reverses Officer and Wealth, so always write both elements before assigning the role.
Next: Continue to World and Response and mark the two structural positions.