The 64 Hexagrams
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Description The 64 hexagrams are formed by combining two trigrams, with each hexagram having six lines, totaling 384 lines. The upper three lines form the outer trigram (upper trigram), and the lower three lines form the inner trigram (lower trigram).
Order of the 64 Hexagrams
The Upper Canon (Hexagrams 1-30)
| No. | Hexagram Name | Hexagram Image | Hexagram Statement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qian | ☰☰ | Initiating, penetrating, benefiting, persevering |
| 2 | Kun | ☷☷ | Initiating, penetrating, benefiting through the perseverance of a mare |
| 3 | Tun | ☵☳ | Yuan, Heng, Li, Zhen. Do not use for going anywhere. It is beneficial to establish feudal lords. |
| 4 | Meng | ☶☵ | Heng. It is not I who seek the ignorant child, but the ignorant child who seeks me. The first divination is told; if repeated two or three times, it is disrespectful, and if disrespectful, it is not told. It is beneficial to be firm and upright. |
| 5 | Need | ☵☰ | Possessing sincerity, brilliant success, perseverance brings good fortune, favorable for crossing the great river. |
| 6 | Dispute | ☰☵ | Possessing sincerity, obstructed and fearful, good fortune in the middle, but ill fortune in the end |
| 7 | Teacher | ☷☵ | Chaste, the elder is auspicious, no blame. |
| 8 | Comparison | ☵☷ | Auspicious, original divination, great and eternal chastity, no blame. The disquieted come, the later husband is ominous. |
| 9 | Small Accumulation | ☴☰ | Success. Dense clouds, no rain, from our western suburbs. |
| 10 | Treading | ☰☱ | Treading on the tiger's tail, it does not bite people. Success |
| 11 | Peace | ☷☰ | The small departs, the great approaches. Good fortune and success. |
| 12 | Obstruction | ☰☷ | Obstruction is not caused by people. It is not beneficial for the perseverance of the noble person. The great departs, the small approaches |
| 13 | Fellowship | ☰☲ | In the wilderness, success. It is beneficial to cross the great river, and beneficial for the gentleman to be firm. |
| 14 | Great Possession | ☲☰ | Great prosperity |
| 15 | Modesty | ☷☶ | Success. The superior man has a goal. |
| 16 | Joy | ☳☷ | It is beneficial to establish feudal lords and to lead armies |
| 17 | Following | ☱☳ | Great, prosperous, beneficial, upright, no blame |
| 18 | Decay | ☶☴ | Great prosperity, beneficial to cross the great river |
| 19 | Approaching | ☷☱ | Initiating, prospering, benefiting, persevering |
| 20 | Contemplation | ☴☷ | Washing without offering, with sincerity and reverence |
| 21 | Shi He | ☲☳ | Success. It is beneficial to use the prison. |
| 22 | Bi | ☶☲ | Success. It is slightly beneficial to have somewhere to go |
| 23 | Peeling | ☶☷ | It is not favorable to have somewhere to go. |
| 24 | Return | ☷☳ | Success, no illness in coming and going, no blame from friends |
| 25 | Innocence | ☰☳ | Supreme success, furthering through perseverance. If not upright, there will be misfortune. It is not favorable to undertake anything. |
| 26 | Great Accumulation | ☶☰ | Perseverance brings advantage. Not eating at home brings good fortune. It is favorable to cross the great river |
| 27 | Yi | ☶☳ | Perseverance brings good fortune. Observe what fills the mouth, and seek sustenance for oneself. |
| 28 | Da Guo | ☱☴ | The ridgepole sags. It is advantageous to have somewhere to go. Success |
| 29 | Kan | ☵☵ | There is sincerity, and the heart is open, and actions are honorable. |
| 30 | Li | ☲☲ | It is beneficial to be upright and prosperous. Keeping a cow brings good fortune |
Lower Scroll (Hexagrams 31-64)
| No. | Hexagram Name | Hexagram Image | Hexagram Statement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | Xian | ☱☶ | Success, advantage, perseverance, taking a woman is auspicious |
| 32 | Heng | ☳☴ | Success, no blame, beneficial to persevere, beneficial to have somewhere to go |
| 33 | Retreat | ☰☶ | Success, small benefit in perseverance |
| 34 | Great Strength | ☳☰ | Benefit, perseverance |
| 35 | Advance | ☲☷ | Kang Hou used to bestow horses abundantly, three times a day |
| 36 | Darkening of the Light | ☷☲ | Benefit from perseverance |
| 37 | Family | ☴☲ | Benefit from the perseverance of a woman |
| 38 | Estrangement | ☲☱ | Minor matters auspicious |
| 39 | Obstruction | ☵☶ | Beneficial to the southwest, not beneficial to the northeast. Beneficial to see great people. Auspicious. |
| 40 | Solution | ☳☵ | Southwest, no destination, return brings good fortune; going somewhere early brings good fortune. |
| 41 | Loss | ☶☱ | Having sincerity, supreme good fortune, no blame, perseverance is beneficial, beneficial to have a destination. |
| 42 | Gain | ☴☳ | It is favorable to have somewhere to go; it is favorable to cross the great river. |
| 43 | Guai | ☱☰ | He is displayed in the king's court, and he is proclaimed with sincerity. There is danger. |
| 44 | Gou | ☰☴ | A strong woman. Do not take a woman. |
| 45 | Cui (Gathering) | ☱☷ | Heng (Success). The king approaches the temple. It is beneficial to see a great person. Success. It is beneficial to be firm and upright. Using a great sacrifice is auspicious. It is beneficial to have a destination. |
| 46 | Sheng (Ascending) | ☷☴ | Yuan Heng, it is beneficial to meet great people, do not worry, a southern expedition will be auspicious. |
| 47 | Distress | ☱☵ | Success, perseverance, good fortune for great people, no blame, words are not believed. |
| 48 | The Well | ☵☴ | The town may change, but the well remains; there is no loss and no gain; people come and go, and the well is always there. |
| 49 | Revolution | ☱☲ | On the day of Ji, there is sincerity, great success, and benefit in perseverance; regret vanishes. |
| 50 | Cauldron | ☲☴ | Yuan Ji, Heng |
| 51 | Zhen | ☳☳ | Heng, Zhen comes with awe, laughter and chatter. Shocks a hundred li, but does not lose the sacrificial vessels. |
| 52 | Gen | ☶☶ | He turns his back, does not get his body, walks in his courtyard, does not see his person, there is no blame. |
| 53 | Gradual Progress | ☴☶ | The woman's marriage is auspicious, and it is beneficial to be upright. |
| 54 | The Marrying Maiden | ☳☱ | Seeking the culprit, no advantage |
| 55 | Abundance | ☳☲ | Success, the king arrives, do not worry, it is appropriate at midday |
| 56 | The traveler | ☲☶ | Small success, good fortune for the journey |
| 57 | Submissive | ☴☴ | Small success, beneficial to have somewhere to go, beneficial to see a great person |
| 58 | Joyful | ☱☱ | Prosperity, benefit, perseverance. |
| 59 | Dispersion | ☴☵ | Prosperity. The king approaches the temple. It is beneficial to cross the great river. It is beneficial to persevere. |
| 60 | Restraint | ☵☱ | Heng, bitter perseverance, not beneficial for divination |
| 61 | Zhong Fu | ☴☱ | Pigs and fish are auspicious, beneficial for crossing great rivers, beneficial for divination |
| 62 | Xiao Guo | ☳☶ | Success, advantage, perseverance |
| 63 | Already Fording | ☵☲ | Small success, advantageous to persevere, good at first, chaotic at the end |
| 64 | Not Yet Fording | ☲☵ | Heng, the little fox has nearly crossed, wetting its tail. There is nothing beneficial. |
Hexagram Sequence Song
乾坤屯蒙需讼师，比小畜兮履泰否
同人大有谦豫随，蛊临观兮噬嗑贲
剥复无妄大畜颐，大过坎离三十备
咸恒遁兮及大壮，晋与明夷家人睽
蹇解损益夬姤萃，升困井革鼎震继
艮渐归妹丰旅巽，兑涣节兮中孚至
小过既济兼未济，是为下经三十四Table of 64 Hexagrams
Quickly find the corresponding hexagram by its upper trigram (outer hexagram) and lower trigram (inner hexagram):
| Heaven | Lake | Fire | Thunder | Xun | Kan | Gen | Kun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qian | 1 Qian | 43 Guai | 14 Da You | 34 Da Zhuang | 9 Xiao Chu | 5 Xu | 26 Da Chu | 11 Tai |
| Dui | 10 Lu | 58 Dui | 38 Kui | 54 Guimei | 61 Zhongfu | 60 Jie | 41 Sun | 19 Lin |
| Li | 13 Tong Ren | 49 Ge | 30 Li | 55 Feng | 37 Jia Ren | 63 Jiji | 22 Bi | 36 Mingyi |
| Zhen | 25 Innocence | 17 Following | 21 Biting Through | 51 Arousing | 42 I | 3 Tun | 27 Yi | 24 Fu |
| Xun | 44 Gou | 28 Da Guo | 50 Ding | 32 Heng | 57 Xun | 48 Jing | 18 Gu | 46 liters |
| Kan | 6 Lawsuits | 47 Trapped | 64 Weiji | 40 Xie | 59 Huan | 29 Kan | 4 Meng | 7 Shi |
| Gen | 33 Dun | 31 Xian | 56 Lü | 62 Xiao Guo | 53 Jian | 39 Jian | 52 Gen | 15 Qian |
| Kun | 12 No | 45 Cui | 35 Jin | 16 Yu | 20 Views | 8 Ratio | 23 Peel | 2 Kun |
How to use: The horizontal row represents the upper trigram (outer trigram), and the vertical column represents the lower trigram (inner trigram). The intersection is the desired hexagram.
Hexagram Structure
Each hexagram consists of six lines:
上爻（六爻） ━━━
五爻 ━━━
四爻 ━━━
三爻 ━━━
二爻 ━━━
初爻 ━━━- First to Third Lines: Lower Trigram (Inner Trigram)
- Fourth to Sixth Yao: Upper Trigram (Outer Trigram)
- Second and Fifth Yao: Middle Position
- Fifth Yao: Esteemed Position (Ruler's Position)
Brief Introduction to Key Hexagrams
Qian Hexagram (Hexagram 1)
Hexagram Image: Qian ☰ above, Qian ☰ below Hexagram Statement: Supreme success, furthering through perseverance. Interpretation: A pure Yang hexagram, symbolizing the vigorous and robust way of heaven. A gentleman strives for self-improvement without cease. A hexagram of great auspiciousness.
Kūn Hexagram (2nd Hexagram)
Hexagram Image: Kūn ☷ above, Kūn ☷ below Hexagram Statement: Supreme success, beneficial to the perseverance of a mare. Interpretation: A pure yin hexagram, symbolizing the gentle and yielding way of the earth. A gentleman, with profound virtue, carries all things. Following the natural course of events brings good fortune.
Tai (Hexagram 11)
Hexagram Image: Qian ☰ below, Kun ☷ above Hexagram Statement: The small departs, the great arrives. Auspicious and propitious. Interpretation: Heaven and Earth unite in harmony, above and below are in accord. Yang energy rises, Yin energy descends, all things are interconnected.
No (Obstruction) Hexagram (the 12th Hexagram)
Hexagram Image: Kun ☷ below, Qian ☰ above Hexagram Statement: Obstruction is not for the people; it is not beneficial for the perseverance of the noble person. Interpretation: Heaven and Earth do not interact, leading to blockage and stagnation. Yang energy floats upward, while Yin energy sinks downward. The noble person should remain steadfast.
Learning Suggestions
- Start with the Double Trigrams: First, learn the eight trigrams formed by the same trigram overlapping (Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, Dui)
- Understand the Trigram Images: Grasp the basic symbolic meaning of each trigram
- Memorize the Trigram Sequence: Familiarize yourself with the sequence of the sixty-four hexagrams for easy reference
- Apply What You Learn: Understand the hexagram and line statements in conjunction with real-world situations
TIP
Tips: It is recommended to use the Hexagram Quick Reference Chart to quickly find hexagrams and their basic meanings.