How the I Ching Hexagrams Work

What is a Hexagram?

A hexagram (卦, guà) is a figure composed of six horizontal lines stacked on top of each other. Each line is either solid (yang) or broken (yin). With six positions and two possible states per position, there are exactly 2⁶ = 64 possible combinations — the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching.

Each figure is traditionally read as a distinct pattern or phase of change. Together, the 64 hexagrams provide a compact symbolic vocabulary for considering different situations and transitions.

Yin and Yang Lines

The two building blocks of every hexagram are:

• Yang line ⚊ (solid) — represents the active, creative, bright, firm principle. Associated with heaven, movement, and initiative.
• Yin line ⚋ (broken) — represents the receptive, dark, yielding, soft principle. Associated with earth, stillness, and response.

During a consultation, the casting method can also record a line as young (stable) or old (changing). This status is not visible in the solid or broken shape alone: young lines maintain their state, while old lines transform into their opposite to create a related figure.

The Eight Trigrams

Every hexagram is composed of two trigrams — three-line figures associated with recurring natural images. The directions below follow the Later Heaven arrangement, and the elements are later Five Phases correspondences; other diagrams and interpretive traditions organize them differently.

☰ Qián · Heaven

Creative and strong · Northwest · Metal

☷ Kūn · Earth

Receptive and devoted · Southwest · Earth

☳ Zhèn · Thunder

Arousing and moving · East · Wood

☵ Kǎn · Water

Deep and dangerous · North · Water

☶ Gèn · Mountain

Still and stopping · Northeast · Earth

☴ Xùn · Wind/Wood

Gentle and penetrating · Southeast · Wood

☲ Lí · Fire

Clinging and bright · South · Fire

☱ Duì · Lake

Joyous and open · West · Metal

Hexagram Structure

A hexagram is divided into two trigrams:

• Lower trigram (lines 1–3) — commonly read as the inner, below, foundational, or earlier aspect of a situation.
• Upper trigram (lines 4–6) — commonly read as the outer, above, visible, or later aspect.

These are reading conventions rather than fixed definitions, but the interaction between the two trigrams is central to many interpretations. For example:

The Nuclear Trigrams

Some interpretive schools also examine two nuclear trigrams formed by lines 2–4 and lines 3–5. This technique became important in Han-era correlative interpretation and is often used to explore inner dynamics, but it is an optional method rather than a universal first step.

Hexagram Relationships

The 64 hexagrams are interconnected through several types of relationships:

• Reversal or rotation: Turning a hexagram upside down produces a reversed figure. Many neighboring pairs in the King Wen sequence use this relationship, such as Hexagrams 3 and 4, while some symmetrical hexagrams remain unchanged when reversed.
• Complement or opposite: Changing every yin line to yang and every yang line to yin produces the complementary figure; Hexagrams 1 and 2 are the clearest example.
• Sequence: The received King Wen order arranges 64 figures into 32 adjacent pairs, mostly by reversal and, where reversal gives the same figure, by complement. Interpretations of the sequence's larger rationale differ.

Reading a Hexagram

When you receive a hexagram through divination, consider it at multiple levels:

1. The overall image: What natural scene does the hexagram depict? What does the combination of its trigrams suggest?
2. The hexagram statement: The concise core text traditionally attributed to King Wen, often called the Judgment in translations.
3. The line statements: Six texts traditionally attributed to the Duke of Zhou. In a casting, the changing lines are especially relevant.
4. The Image commentary: A later Ten Wings interpretation that connects the trigrams' natural imagery with exemplary conduct.
5. The resulting hexagram: If you have changing lines, compare the related figure as added context or a possible direction of change, not a guaranteed outcome.

When you are ready to build a figure yourself, follow the three-coin consultation guide from the first bottom line through the resulting hexagram.