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| The 8 trigrams, composed of all
the possible combinations of 3 lines, have meanings of their own and combine
together to signify the meanings of the hexagrams. In the beginning, before
King Wen compiled the I Ching in a form like that which we see today, the
trigrams were used alone in divination, but obviously 8 trigrams lack the
subtlety of 64 hexagrams. In fact, the 64 hexagrams combine via the changing
lines to create 4096 total possible readings.
Here are the meanings of each of the 8 trigrams: |
 Heaven, sky, day General attributes: Creative, strong, energy, light Season/meteorological: Early winter, cold, ice Family: Father Mental attributes: Firmness, Oneness Body part: Head, mind |
 Earth, night General attributes: Weak, yielding, dark, nourishing Season/meteorological: Early autumn, warm Family: Mother Mental attributes: Adaptiveness Body part: Belly, womb |
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Thunder General attributes: Arousing, active, exciting Season/meteorological: Spring, earthquake Family: Eldest son Mental attributes: Expansive Body part: Foot |
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Water, Moon General attributes: Dangerous, difficult, abyssmal Season/meteorological: Mid-winter, cloudy Family: Middle son Mental attributes: Anxious, melancholy Body part: Ear |
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Mountain General attributes: Keeping still, immovable Season/meteorological: Late winter, stillness Family: Youngest son Mental attributes: Calm, stubborn Body part: Hand |
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Wind, wood General attributes: Gentle, penetrating, gradual Season/meteorological: Early summer, mild movement Family: Eldest daughter Mental attributes: Gentle Body part: Thigh |
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Fire, Sun General attributes: Conscious, depending Season/meteorological: Mid-summer, lightning Family: Middle daughter Mental attributes: Intelligent, dependent Body part: Eye |
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Lake General attributes: Joyful, satisfied, fullness, pleasure Season/meteorological: Late autumn, rain Family: Youngest daughter Mental attributes: Openness, excess Body part: Mouth |
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