Yin, yang, trigrams and casting a hexagram

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The method described in Zeng Shan Bu Yi begins with coin casting and a consistent arrangement of the resulting lines. The article stresses that Six Lines divination follows defined rules for yin, yang and the five elements rather than arbitrary interpretation. Errors in the initial casting or arrangement undermine the reading that follows.

Sources Zeng Shan Bu Yi

Core principles

Coin-casting rules: yin, yang, moving and static lines

Ye He Lao Ren favors casting with copper coins, seeing it as a way to express the traditional interaction of yin, yang, movement and stillness:

  1. Cast three coins six times, building the hexagram from bottom to top, from the first line to the sixth.
  2. The four possible outcomes：
    • One reverse: yang line —: called dan, or single. This is a static, unchanging line.
    • Two reverses: yin line - -: called chai, or split. This is also a static line.
    • Three reverses: old yang, moving yang 〇: called zhong. Yang has reached its extreme: extreme yang gives rise to yin. This is a major pivot of change, capable of disruption or growth。
    • Three inscribed faces: old yin, moving yin ✕: called jiao. Yin has reached its extreme: extreme yin gives rise to yang. This too is a source of substantial change.

Assigning stems and branches to the six lines

Abstract yin–yang figures, such as Qian for Heaven and Kun for Earth, need a structured arrangement before their lines can be related to specific matters. This is the process of furnishing the hexagram with its interpretive attributes.

  • Na Jia assignment: heavenly stems and earthly branches are assigned to each line. For example, the first line of Qian receives Zi Water and its second line receives Yin Wood.
  • This gives each line an element—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire or Earth—and establishes the framework for relating it to the Six Spirits and the day and month branches.

The eight palaces and the sixty-four hexagrams

The sixty-four hexagrams belong to eight palace groups: Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun and Dui. Each group is headed by its pure hexagram; for example, all eight hexagrams of the Qian palace belong to Metal.

  • A hexagram's element is determined by its palace, not assigned arbitrarily. This provides the reference for classifying a line as Siblings when it shares that element, Officer–Ghost when it controls it, and so on. Identifying the palace therefore establishes the basis for the relationship categories.

Liu Yao foundations · 4 articles in this volume

Yin, yang, trigrams and casting a hexagramZeng Shan Bu YiSix Relations and the Subject–Response linesZeng Shan Bu YiThe Six Spirits: symbolic detailsZeng Shan Bu YiAuxiliary stars in Six Lines: what to retainZeng Shan Bu Yi

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