The experienced wisdom of thousands of years has gone into the making of the I-Ching. Both branches of Chinese philosophy, Confucianism and Taoism, have their common roots in this ancient calssic, also known as The Book of Changes. Only the I-Ching, among all the Confucian classics, escaped the great book burning under Emperor Chin Shih Huang Ti in 213 BC.
The origins of the I Ching go back to mythical antiquity, both as a book of divination and as a book of wisdom. Everything great and significant in Chinese cultural history is inspired by the I-Ching: aspects of the many related principles and symbols of Chinese predictive sciences, its vision of the Trinity, Heaven, Earth and Man, the Yin and Yang concepts. , balance and harmony, positive and negative forces, good fortune and misfortune, all derive from interpretations of the texts and judgments of the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching.
The I Ching hexagrams are each made up of six lines, one superimposed on the other. These lines may be broken (–) intact gold (-). Broken lines are known as yin and solid lines are known as yang. These lines can also change or not change (ie a broken yin line can change to a solid yang line and vice versa). Therefore, the key to understanding the I Ching texts lies in understanding the location of these broken and unbroken lines in relation to each other.
The hexagrams originated from three aligned trigrams (ie, by doubling the trigrams). There are 8 possible combinations of dashed and solid lines when arranged in sets of three lines. There are thus 64 hexagrams (8 X 8 = 64). When placed in sets of six lines, there are a total of 64 possible combinations of dashed and solid lines. Each of the eight Trigrams symbolizes different meanings; and their positions contain hints of good or bad luck. It is this aspect of the I Ching texts that has made it the first Chinese divination classic.
The I Ching hexagrams contain symbols and ideas of nature, society, and the individual. For those who consult the I Ching before deciding on an action, the hexagrams offer wisdom, warnings, and also specific predictions of outcomes, thus providing guidance on whether to proceed, wait, or not to proceed at all. The hexagrams also advise on times and behaviors and attitudes directly related to the specific question asked. In his case, he advises greater preparation, or pleads for patience and even reveals hidden misfortunes in apparent good fortune and vice versa. Favorable or unfavorable conditions are described and difficulties are revealed, either at the beginning or at the end.
The six lines of the hexagrams contain 3 elements: a symbol, an event, and a judgment. The hexagram itself represents a general indication of good fortune or misfortune. The interpretations of these elements are directly related to the question being asked. Thus, when consulting the I Ching, the questions must be specific.
Each hexagram contains four trigrams. Each of these Trigrams has an attribute, a symbol and a characteristic and they are also related to the five elements: water, wood, fire, metal or earth. The anatomy of each hexagram is made up of two primary trigrams and two nuclear trigrams.
The two main trigrams consist of the three upper and three lower lines. The two core trigrams are made up of lines two, three, and four (from below) and lines three, four, and five (from below). The primary trigrams reveal the circumstances of the situation being consulted, while the nuclear trigrams reveal the prediction. The latter provide precise details for judging the nuances of predicted good or bad fortune. When consulting the I Ching, therefore, readers should familiarize themselves with the meanings of each of the eight Trigrams, as well as what each symbolizes. The I Ching texts on the 64 hexagrams can then be better understood and the predictions become clearer and easier to understand.