Commentary Describing the Trigrams

Commentary Describing the TrigramsComplete Book of Changes: Describing the Trigrams © Douglass A. White, 2009 V907 1
The Complete
by Douglass A. White, Ph.D.
Commentary Describing the Trigrams
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Complete Book of Changes: Describing the Trigrams © Douglass A. White, 2009 V907 2
Commentary Describing the Trigrams

1.01. Formerly, when the Sages invented the Changes, they developed the [divination with] straws for assisting in the spiritual elucidation of obscurities. This essay discusses the system of trigrams. “The Sages invented the Changes” means that Bao Xi and other sages cognized the binary system and devised symbolic notations for representing the various configurations as numbers, images, and concepts. Then they developed the method of using plant straws to assist in calculating the divination of the changes. Other common tokens used by the ancients for divination were pebbles and bones. This was the most primitive computer technology. Our modern computers are sophisticated extensions of the simple methodology of sorting straws. Before that there was the ancient Egyptian technique of “Jeba`” 5. (This word is pronounced pretty much like the Sanskrit word Japa, but with a glottal stop at the end. The first syllable is slightly more stressed than the second syllable.) The word “Jeba`” means finger and also means calculation and the number 10,000, or just very many of something. The “Jeba`” technology evolved as a method of calculating with fingers. Many cultures still maintain aspects of this tradition, especially simple versions that are commonly used in the marketplace. Originally the calculations were all mental and fell into two general classes: abstract jeba` arithmetic done in the Plane of Heaven with fingers assisting. Such math was applied to practical issues in the Plane of Earth. The other form of jeba` was meditation procedures in the Plane of Heaven also sometimes with the fingers assisting to keep track of the iterations. Meditation takes the attention to the transcendental Plane of Man to experience the Pure Undefined Awareness of the True Self. The first sentence of this essay introduces the key words “spiritual elucidation” () to indicate that the real purpose of the Jeba` manipulations is to take a person from a state of unenlightened ignorance where the nature of reality appears obscure () to the Plane of Spiritual Enlightenment where reality is clear. This is the transcendental level of the Plane of Man that exists beyond all the phenomena of the mental trigrams or the physical world. For most people this Plane of Man is completely obscure and unknown. Once it is awakened, it becomes a bright spiritual quality that penetrates all aspects of life. The divination procedure using the straws as tokens for the
fingers is a mechanism for awakening intuition. The divination itself is not important. Once a person has opened the eye of intuition, he enjoys Spiritual Elucidation and does not need divination in order to find the answers to his questions. The last section of the Appendices hinted at this possibility and provided a few examples of how this works in terms of understanding the minds of other people by observing their behavior. Practice at interpreting events and learning to recognize the archetypal structures that occur in the events is an excellent exercise. 1.02. They set heaven as three and earth as two, and then calculated the numbers [for the lines]. The influences of Heaven and Earth are equally probable, but the numbers assigned to these planes have to be different in order to generate trigrams and hexagrams. The Sages calculated each line as having a value of 6, 7, 8, or 9. These numbers represent a triplet of some combination of 2’s and 3’s (three 2’s, two 2’s and one 3, two 3’s and one 2, or three 3’s). The triplet represents the Planes of Heaven, Earth, and Man embodied in each line. They could have used one for Heaven and two for Earth. That gives the same probabilities of outcome. However, such a method produces outcomes of 3, 4, 5, and 6, and this does not fit the pattern of the Yellow River Diagram. There the numbers 1 through 5 represent the metaphysical realm, and the numbers 6 through 9 represent the physical realm. Ten integrates the metaphysical and physical realms. The ten numbers of the Yellow River counting system stand for the ten fingers used for “Jeba`” calculations. 1.03. They observed the transformations among the yin and yang [lines] and established the trigrams. They permuted the hard and soft and generated the lines. They harmoniously accorded with the Way and its Power and then set forth principles in terms of the interpretations. By mastering the principles and fully comprehending their nature, one may arrive at his [Life] Mission.
The eight trigrams are simply all the possible combinations of yin and yang lines arranged in sets of three. Generally, the yang lines represent dynamic creative forces that express the will, and the yin lines represent the yielding, receptive tendency of awareness to reflect the will’s creative decisions as experiences that have physical reality. The trigrams express natural phenomena, but are not quite the same as Western concepts of physics. For example, the trigram KAN has a yang line sandwiched between two yin lines. The image often represents flowing water. The
yang line is the dynamically moving water, and the two yin lines form the banks of the stream. We might think that the banks are hard and the water is soft, yielding to the shape of the banks. Closer inspection reveals that the water cuts the channel through soil, rock, or whatever the environment presents. This shows that the dynamic water is actually harder and the apparently solid rock is softer. Visit the Grand Canyon if you want to see the awesome power of water to cut through what appears to be solid rock. The Way and its Power is the topic discussed by Lao-zi in his little book, Dao4-De2-Jing . The text presents the principles that the Sages discovered by studying the archetypal structures of the trigrams and hexagrams. Study of the Changes involves first getting familiar with the principles, and then penetrating to their essential nature. This nature is our own essential nature. Thus, by understanding the Changes, a person understands who he really is. Once a person understands who he really is, then his [or her] personal destiny becomes clear. Only then will the Enlightened Spiritual quality of life become enlivened. 2.01. Formerly, when the Sages invented the Changes, they intended to follow the principles of Nature and Destiny. Therefore, they established the Plane of Heaven in terms of yin and yang, they established the Plane of Earth in terms of soft and hard, and they established the Plane of Man in terms of compassion and rightness. They then combined these three Geniuses and doubled them. Thus, we complete a hexagram in the changes by drawing six lines. We distinguish between yin and yang, and alternately use the soft and hard. Thus, we complete the graphic display of a change in six positions..

This section expands on the previous section. The text does not tell us the names of the Sages. Bao Xi represents No-Limit Being (Wu-ji ), and tradition holds that he discovered (or perhaps invented) the eight trigram system. Nature is inherent to everyone, and the Destiny is an individual’s particular optimum path in life to achieve his or her special contribution to the evolution of life on this planet and in the universe. The author again presents the theory of the Three Planes that we encountered several times in the Appendices. The Plane of Heaven in a limited sense consists of the images in the sky and the play of light and shadow. The more complete understanding of this Plane is that it is the mental plane of ideas and images. The constellations we see and the play of light and shadow are all Heavenly Plane mental interpretations of phenomena on the Plane of Earth. In its simplest sense the
Plane of Heaven is awareness of Binary Contrasts, symbolized abstractly in this system as yin and yang. The Plane of Earth is the physical world, and is measured most fundamentally in terms of the sense of touch. Hence, the sages describe it as a world of hard and soft phenomena. The Plane of Man transcends both Heaven and Earth. Its fundamental subjective nature is love. This manifests as compassion and a sense of what is right. These are subtle “ethical” ideas, but they are not based on arbitrary moral conventions. They arise from the witnessing acceptance of all things by Pure Awareness and the Fundamental Unity of all things in terms of Pure Awareness. This means that whatever happens to anyone or anything is the same as what happens to you. The Golden Rule spontaneously arises from this perspective. As the Mayans say, “I am another you.” Of course, that means you are another me. Why should I deliberately impose suffering on another person that I would not want to have imposed on myself? Fortunately, Pure Awareness is immortal, and this one detail levels the playing field. The objective nature of the Plane of Man is light. Love gives birth to the Plane of Heaven. All thoughts are manifestations of love. Light gives birth to the Plane of Earth. All physical phenomena are manifestations of light. Each line is made of the Three Planes, and each trigram has three lines, one for each of the Three Planes. Two trigrams interact to form a hexagram. Thus, a hexagram has six positions, each of which can express a quality of yin or yang, hard or soft depending on how we draw and interpret the hexagram.. 3.01. Heaven and Earth set the [range of] positions. Mountain and Lake circulate their energies. Thunder and Wind press on each other. Water and Fire do not shoot at each other. The Eight Trigrams are mutually complementary. In this section the author begins to specifically introduce the eight trigrams. This first introduction presents them in mutually complementary pairs. This shows that they work together to form a coherent structure. This is the “Before Heaven” arrangement attributed to Bao Xi. Sections 7, 8, 9, and 10 of this article also present the trigrams as complementary pairs. The traditional circular arrangement of the Bao Xi system is not obvious from this text. We know from this text that they are paired as complementary opposites. The only other obvious principles other than complementary pairing is that the pair Heaven and Earth comes first, and in each pair the yang trigram is mentioned first. Another interesting feature is that the trigrams are referred to by their standard images rather than their “names”. Where they go depends on the structure of the system we study.

Traditional “Before Heaven” Arrangement Attributed to Bao Xi
The Trigrams in Complementary Pairs also Can Describe a Cube
In the above three-dimensional arrangement we discover that a cube has eight vertices, each of which is the conjunction of three faces of the cube. We can describe the cube’s structure with the set of eight trigrams. The trigrams naturally form complementary pairs, but the arrangement in this case looks quite different from the flat circular arrangement, because it is in three-dimensional space. Thus, the sequence given in the text is simply one possible sequence. In the cube example I assign yin lines to represent visible faces on the cube relative to the viewpoint as we look at the image projected on the page. Yang lines represent invisible faces on the cube from that same viewpoint. The relative height of a vertex as we view the cube determines the position of the yang lines when they are mixed with yin lines. Thus, the sequence from low to high position of trigrams with one yang line is ZHEN, KAN, GEN, and the sequence from low to high position of trigrams with two yang lines is DUI, LI, XUN. Close inspection of the cube reveals that it is almost the same as the
circular “Before Heaven” arrangement of Bao Xi, except that the relative positions of KAN and LI are reversed as well as QIAN and KUN. In the case of the cube we find that the assignment of visible and invisible to yin and yang respectively is an arbitrary decision. Also the assignment of the remaining six pairs is another arbitrary decision. Let us consider another mathematical model that is related to the cube example. We start with the sum of two arbitrary values, (a+b), where a represents yang, and b represents yin. When we square this binomial, we get (aa + ab + ba + bb). If we multiply again by (a+b), we get
(aaa+aab+aba+baa+abb+bab+bba+bbb) This system is equivalent to our model of the cube, and the order of the six internal components is arbitrary. If we carry the operation to 6 powers, the binomial coefficients for the various types of yin and yang mixtures are 1, 6, 15, 20, 15, 6, and 1. This gives the “Diamond” layout for the 64 hexagrams. Can you locate the eight trigrams arranged in complementary pairs?
This next example is another possible model for the traditional “Before Heaven” arrangement. Consider a man sitting, facing to the left.
QIAN DUI XUN LI KAN ZHEN GEN KUN QIAN is the head and brain, DUI is the mouth and digestive system, XUN is the lungs and respiratory system, LI is the heart and circulatory system, KAN is the kidneys and urinary system, ZHEN is the genitals and feet, GEN is the back and buttocks, KUN is the belly and trunk of the body. The relative positions are a bit arbitrary, but the assignments roughly fit the correlations given in the text (for example, see section 9 below). If we consider only the head, then we can also assign the trigrams to their proper complementary positions. Again, we find that this is a three-dimensional model and does not follow the plane transformation that becomes the Before Heaven array. (brain) QIAN GEN (skull) (eye) LI KAN (ear) (face) KUN (nose) XUN (mouth) DUI (tongue, lower jaw) ZHEN We can apply these biological models to different types of animals, and they will correspond with slight variations according to the species and its adaptations. As one final example, consider a generalized plant. The seed (and root) hidden in the ground is QIAN, and the adult visible plant is KUN. The sprouting seedling is ZHEN, and the expanding leaves are XUN. The stem with its flowing sap is KAN, and the radiant flower is LI. The hard protective bark and nutshell is GEN, and the soft, juicy fruit that we eat is DUI. Again, there are many variations in the application of the system, but the basic archetypes remain stable. By comparing the
plant and animal, we discover interesting relationships that teach us something about the comparative biology of plants and animals: the flower relates to the eye, the leaf relates to the lungs, and so on. 3.02. To calculate the past, count forward. To know the future, count backward. Therefore, Change Making is counting backward [to generate the future].
The problem with this passage is that we do not know exactly what we are counting. There is quite a lot of discussion about how to interpret this cryptic statement, and I will add my theory. The relation of the counting to the calculation of time seems opposite to our intuition. For example, we count off the days of the year on our calendar with a sequence of numbers. Thus, we count backward in the sequence to see past days, and count forward in the sequence to see future days. However, because processes go in cycles, the author suggests that we count in a counter-intuitive fashion: count forward to know the past, and count backward to know the future. For example, if it is August now, and you want to know what the weather will be like in 9 months, count backwards by three months and you will find the weather is in the season of spring during May. If you want to know what it was like a hundred years and 9 months ago, count forward by three months, and you will know that it was November weather. For this approach to work, you must know the cycle you are dealing with, where you are in the cycle, and the phases by which you are counting. Then you can count. This is one possible interpretation. However, we can go deeper into the question. In the first part of this section the author presents the trigrams in complementary pairs. The problem with this presentation is that it is not a sequence we can count. The Before Heaven Arrangement is structural in nature and tells us how the components of a system fit together to form a coherent, balanced whole based on complementary opposites, not as a sequence. We do not know from this information how to integrate a counting sequence and a set of complementary opposites. However, the passage about counting forward and backward gives us a clue that unlocks the precise circular sequence of the Before Heaven Arrangement. First we must place the trigrams in numerical order according to their binary number sequence. We start with KUN representing 0. The lines of the trigrams change starting from the top position in the trigram, because that represents the most external aspect of the trigram, and hence the low value digits of the number. The bottom line represents
the highest value digit of the number and hence the slowest digit to change. Here is the sequence we get, written in three different notations. First, we have Chinese binary trigram notation. Second, we have Western binary number notation using 1’s and 0’s. Third, we have decimal Arabic number notation in base ten.
9 o O l 0 p P ; 000 001 010 011 100 101 110 111
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 The next step is to distribute the first four trigrams counter-clockwise around the right side of a circle starting with KUN at the bottom. Then we place QIAN at the top and continue down the left side of the circle distributing the remaining three trigrams in reverse counting order. This imitates the way we draw a Taiji diagram L in a figure eight fashion if we understand that the two teardrop shapes are complementary opposites.
7 ;
9 0
The complementary pairs are always located on opposite sides of the circle and always add up to 7, which is the number of QIAN, the upper limit. Thus, if you work from the viewpoint of the opposing complementary pairs as the text suggests, you are always in the condition of QIAN, which is the pure Creative Will. If your position is in the middle of the cycle, you are in the moment between past and future. This is the crossover point of time. The flow of time is actually more like a reflection in a mirror. The past is a complementary reflection of the future. What you see as the external world is a reflection of all the things you resist experiencing as you. This is your complementary reflection and represents you in the past and you in the future. So watch out for what you think is really just not you. That is a reflection of you in the past and perhaps also a preview of you in the future. Counting up the right side of the circle gives a vision of the past up to the present moment. The numbers follow their natural sequence: 0, 1, 2, 3, just like a calendar. If you continue around the edge of the circle as if you are going through a cycle, counting down the left side gives a vision of the future. This future will be the complementary mirror reflection of the past as the cycle runs its opposite phase. The numbers run in backward order from the upper limit: 7, 6, 5, 4. This explains the
cryptic statement: To calculate the past, count forward. To know the future, count backward. In physics this is the principle of phase conjugation. A phase conjugate mirror reflects in time rather than in space. Anti-particles are particles that travel backward in time. Particles are anti-particles that travel forward in time. Observing the moon is a good way to see complementary phases in time. If we move forward in time, the waxing sequence of phases runs from new moon to full moon. The waning sequence of phases then appears to run backwards from full moon to new moon. However, if you start at new moon and count the phases backward into the past, you see the moon’s image getting larger each day until it reaches full moon. Then it reverses and goes back to its new moon phase. Both sequences can begin with a new moon and culminate with a full moon and then return to a new moon. Go back to the circular Before Heaven Trigram Chart on the previous page and imagine that KUN represents a full moon and QIAN is a new moon. Can you see the phases? Thus, if we want to see the future from a structural point of view, we count backward from whatever direction we count to look at the past. Then look at the complementary number. The directions forward and backward are arbitrary. The point is that the future is a complementary reflection of the past. The counting of past and future must go in opposite directions in order to produce a stable structure in time that we call a cycle. However, time is even subtler than this. We must look closely at processes of change. This takes us to the description of the “After Heaven Arrangement” that is attributed to King Wen. In King Wen’s layout the trigrams also form a cycle, but the relationship is one of flowing around the periphery of a circle from one trigram to the next the way we usually experience processes in time rather than the complementary relationship of opposites arranged so as to balance each other which is how a Wizard views things. The principle of the Before Heaven Arrangement is the fundamental
principle of Yoga: All components of the system must be in a state of mutual balance in order to attain what biologists call homeostasis. In mathematics this principle is called symmetry. Balance, symmetry, and homeostasis produce systems that are stable structurally. However, for them to endure in time, it seems that energy must flow through the system along certain pathways. Although there is a natural resonance between the complementary pairs and the binary counting order, the main flow of energy follows a different cyclical process through the trigrams that is determined according to properties of their images. The sequence for this process is produced by a certain form of resistance that results in the After Heaven Arrangement. The relationship between the “Before” and “After” Heaven Arrangements is of great interest. We will now begin to explore it. 4.01. Thunder is to move it. Wind is to scatter it. Rain is to moisten it. Sun is to warm it. GEN is to stop it. DUI is to enjoy it. QIAN is to rule it. KUN is to store it.

This passage is a transition between the Before Heaven and the After Heaven arrangements. “It” stands for the energy of the Change Maker. The author starts out following the After Heaven sequence and mentions the trigrams by their images taken from nature and their characteristic physical behavior. However, the trigrams are still really in their complementary pairs. Also, the second set of four is called by the trigram names rather than the corresponding images. Nevertheless, the author begins to introduce the function of each trigram as it processes energy in the system. The natural image of ZHEN 0 is thunder and it stands for sudden movement. XUN l also is about movement, but it is the image of flowing wind, and its expansive tendency. Wind scatters leaves and dust over a wide area. Many plants use the wind to scatter their seeds. XUN also represents the image of woody plants growing, and has an upward tendency. The image of KAN O is water that flows. It has a cooling and downward movement. Flowing water begins when clouds of water vapor that have evaporated from the ocean condense and fall from the sky as rain. The water flows until it eventually returns to the ocean. The image of LI p is the sun that radiates warmth and light . The general element is fire, and that means any type of chemical or nuclear combustion that gives off light and heat. (The character “xuan3” has the fire radical. Some texts have a variant with the sun radical: “xuan” .) The movement of LI is outward and upward. The image of GEN o is a mountain, rock, or any inert substance that tends to resist motion and
change. The image of DUI P is a swamp, lake, or ocean. There is an attraction of gravity that draws all things toward earth’s center. When water reaches its low point in a terrain, it pools into a puddle, pond, lake, or ocean. It even seeps into the earth to form swamps and subterranean aquifers. The image stands for the process of experience and assimilation. The subjective psychological aspect of this is beauty and appreciation. The biological aspect is that of eating and swallowing. Organic nature flourishes where there is an abundance of water resources within a moderate temperature range that allows water in liquid form, at least part of the time. The image of QIAN ; is the sky. This represents the abstract sky of the mind. The mind rules the body and all our actions through the function of the creative will. The image of KUN 9 is earth. The earth is opaque and conceals what is hidden beneath its surface. The idea is that what we perceive is a superficial impression of something much more valuable that lies hidden beneath the surface. KUN is particles of matter and can represent a collection of items or a group of people. 5.01. God emerges in ZHEN. He evolves everything equally in XUN. He sees [effects] in LI. He completes his task in KUN. He speaks happy words in DUI. He battles in QIAN. He labors in KAN. He accomplishes his words in GEN.
Here the author clearly lays out the After Heaven cycle according to King Wen. This is basically a picture of the annual cycle of seasons in an agrarian culture. ZHEN is the first clap of thunder in the spring that stirs hibernating animals to waken and causes seeds to germinate. In the agrarian calendar it corresponds to the approximately 45-day period that begins with (Awakening of Hibernators) and continues with (Spring Equinox), and (Clear and Bright). XUN is the period during which the grain grows rapidly throughout the country. It begins with (Grain Rain) and continues through (Establishing Summer), and (Small Fullness). LI is the time when crops become large and start to form tassles and flowers that then transform into fruits or grains in the ear. It begins with (Tassle Types), and continues through (Summer Solstice) and (Small Heat). KUN is the time when the crops ripen during the high heat of summer. It begins with (Great Heat) and continues with (Establishing Autumn) and (Settling of Heat). DUI is the time of harvest and the arrival of the first dews in the early morning. The heat of summer cools and people enjoy the fruits of the harvest. It is a time for celebration and discussion of future plans. It begins with
(White Dew), and continues with (Autumnal Equinox) and (Cold Dew). QIAN is the period of warfare. In ancient times the government officials waited until the harvest was in to settle scores or expand territory. In this way the crops would not be spoiled by troops fighting, and the troops could forage off the land by pillaging what they needed from granaries along the way. It corresponds to the struggle of the yang as it loses out to the ever strengthening yin influence during the waning of the sun’s light toward the end of the year. The people store as much of the harvest as they can for the long winter and spring months until new crops are available. It begins with (Frost Falls), and continues with (Establishing Winter) and (Small Snows). KAN is the period of winter with sleet, ice, and snow. People move indoors and prepare for the dark and cold period of the year. Yet they are often required to turn over part of the harvest as taxes and to continue working out in the cold on repairs or corvée labor projects recruited by the government. This is an abysmal time if the people feel they gain no personal benefit from the labor “contribution” and are heavily taxed on their agricultural returns as well. It begins with (Great Snow) and continues with (Winter Solstice) and (Lesser Cold). GEN is the period of deep winter cold when the land enters a period of deep rest. There is a lag time of about a month between the actual solar period and the time when the weather catches up. So the coldest part of winter comes several weeks after Winter Solstice when the sun is already starting to bring longer daylight, but the earth has cooled off. It begins with (Great Cold) and continues with (Establishing Spring) and (Rain Waters). The “accomplishing of words” during the period of GEN meant that this was the period of the Chinese Lunar New Year. At this point in the year people assessed their achievements to see whether they had fulfilled their stated intentions for the previous year. They also formalized their plans for the next year. 5.02. All things come forth in ZHEN. ZHEN is the Eastern direction. They equally develop during XUN. XUN is the South-East direction. The “equal development” speaks of the [growing period’s] pure equality. LI is brightness. All things are visible. It is the trigram of the southern direction. Sages faced south and listened to the world. When their response was enlightened, there was government. The idea probably came from this. KUN is earth. All things reach their fullest development here. Thus, it says that “He completes his task in KUN.” DUI is mid autumn and is something enjoyed by all things. Thus, it says, “He speaks happy words in DUI”. “He battles in QIAN.” QIAN is the trigram of the north-west and speaks of the struggle
between yin and yang. KAN is water and is the trigram of the cardinal north direction. It is the trigram of labor [and rewards] to which all things return. Thus, it says, “He labors in KAN.” GEN is the trigram of the north-east. This is where all things achieve their end and achieve their beginnings. Thus it says, “He accomplishes his words in GEN.”

This long passage is a commentary on the previous passage at the beginning of section five. It was probably written by a different author to expand and clarify the first part of this section. It is very helpful, because the author of these comments makes clear the relative positions of the trigrams with respect to the points of the compass. This also gives us more information about how the After Heaven Arrangement relates to the annual agrarian calendar as I explained in my comments on the first part of this section. The author makes it clear that the “battling” derives from the waning of the solar light as the earth turns away from the sun and does not necessarily involve human warfare. The dark period of the year overcomes the warmth and light of summer. However, this season was paralleled in society by political and economic struggles that took place commonly at this time after the fields had been cleared. People brought in the harvest during the DUI period, and began to discuss the successes of the year as well as outstanding issues. The celebration of the harvest eventually turned to squabbling over who got what and arguments about what should be done next year. This was the time of politicking. Argument often led to warfare and plundering. People were conscripted by force to serve in the military and help governments settle disagreements. In addition to repairing tools and fixing or expanding the fields, people often had to do community service that sometimes was difficult and dangerous. This included digging canals and flood control projects, building fortifications, or erecting elaborate tombs for rulers and nobles. As the society expanded and became increasingly complex, warfare and conscripted labor did not follow the calendar and often disrupted agriculture and other economic activities. This seriously threatened the welfare of the people. Now that we have the commentator’s presentations of both the Before and After Heaven Arrangements, an important question arises. What is the relationship between the After Heaven Arrangement and the Before Heaven Arrangement?
Man --> Heaven --> Earth The Plane of Heaven corresponds to the Realm of Mind. The Transcendental Plane of Man is “Before” the Mental Plane of Heaven, and the Physical Plane of Earth is “After” the Mental Plane of Heaven. Thus, the Before Heaven Arrangement is an interface between Awareness and Mind, and the After Heaven Arrangement is an interface between Mind and Body, between the Mental World and the Physical World. “After Heaven” thus would seem to refer to the physical Plane of Earth with its physical processes. This section clearly focuses on the practical physical aspect in its description of the Arrangement. The “Before Heaven” Arrangement belongs to the realm of abstract archetypes that produce the potential of phenomena. These are at the subtlest level of the Plane of Heaven where it interfaces with the mass consciousness of the Plane of Man. This is a transcendental realm beyond space and time. In the most abstract sense, we encounter here a coherent set of numbers that suggest the possibility of cyclical wave forms. These are no more than phases of a single faint impulse in the empty field of Transcendental Undefined Awareness. This impulse has no meaning or content until someone decides to attach meaning or content to it. Such meanings and contents are purely the mental imaginings of the decider. The Primal “Before Heaven” condition is perfectly coherent. The “After Heaven” condition is not at all coherent. It is out of balance and therefore tends to keep oscillating until it returns to the Primal Condition of Perfect Balance. Below is a chart that indicates how the Primal Condition loses its balance and seems to become trapped in the Perpetual Cycle of the Physical World.

1. 2. 90 Bao Xi’s Structural Arrangement 90-degree rotation

3. 4. Trigram Interaction King Wen’s Functional Arrangement The first stage of the transformation sequence begins with Bao Xi’s Primal Before Heaven Structural Arrangement. Everything is balanced in that state. This Arrangement enjoys immortality beyond all time and space. The second stage of the transformation sequence involves a 90-degree twisting of the Primal Arrangement. In mathematics and physics a transition from one dimension to another involves a 90-degree change in orientation. This tells us that the shift from Before Heaven to After Heaven is a dimensional shift. This is no surprise, because the Appendices and the Trigram Commentary frequently refer to three separate Planes. The After Heaven Arrangement clearly belongs to the Plane of Earth. Each of the Three Planes defines a dimension, and each dimension is separated by a turn of 90 degrees. The three taken together give us 3-dimensional space. The process of transformational change in this space generates the fourth dimension of time. The Primary Structural Arrangement has QIAN at the top and KUN at the bottom. When the Arrangement turns 90 degrees clockwise, QIAN moves to the right side. LI then moves to the top, and KAN appears at the bottom. At this stage LI and KAN are already in their proper positions for the Secondary After Heaven Functional Arrangement. GEN also is in its correct position. The third stage in the transformation is very interesting and warrants careful study. There is an interaction between the trigrams on the left and the trigrams on the right (from the perspective we view the Arrangement) that forms a figure eight pattern. ZHEN moves down one position on the left side to KUN’s position. KUN crosses over to the position of DUI. DUI moves down one place on the right to take QIAN’s position. QIAN moves down one position on the right side to XUN’s position. XUN crosses over to the spot previously occupied by ZHEN. Thus,
XUN and KUN cross sides and move upward. KUN moves up one position, and XUN moves up two positions. Trigrams that move on the sides all move downward one position. The downward shifts are merely tidying up of the layout. The critical moves at this stage are the crossover exchange made by XUN and KUN. Stage four is the resulting After Heaven Arrangement. Once the trigrams have shifted to their new positions, the energy tends to flow around the periphery of the circle in one direction only. This overshadows the pulsating, vibrating quality of the Before Heaven Arrangement. The flow of the After Heaven Arrangement is the apparent unidirectional flow of time in the “Real World” that most people notice. The perfectly balanced bidirectional “counting” flow of the coherent Primary Arrangement which is a fundamental characteristic of physics at the quantum level) disappears from the Secondary After Heaven viewpoint, and the complementary resonance that completely permeated the Primary Arrangement is greatly reduced. Only the pair KAN and LI retains this feature. The attention tends to move in lock step around and around the circle encountering the trigram energies one at a time instead of resonating with the whole system at once as in the Primary Structural System. I suspect that the key to the transformation at stage three is the two trigrams that cross over from one side of the diagram to the other. This is a fundamental interchange of energy. The relative shifting of the other trigrams is merely to retain the orderly circular format and is not important. Basically XUN and KUN change sides and move up to be on either side of LI at the top of the diagram. They then push the other trigrams down so as to retain a neat circular arrangement. LI represents the sun, the physical source of light, heat, and energy for our physical environment. It also symbolizes knowledge, civilization, the Eye of Wisdom, and the Higher Self. XUN represents the phase of growth and expansion. KUN represents the phase of maturation and fullness. The energy of LI as the sun and the Higher Self Wisdom controls these processes in their physical mode of expression more than any other trigram. LI is the physical embodiment of QIAN in the physical world. In the world of physics the pure creative will of QIAN becomes an empty space and is relegated to become a storage room for assets that may be consumed or reinvested in the future. True creativity is replaced by a mechanical cause-and-effect process. In the “Real World” QIAN becomes a barn or silo. Your brain becomes a barn that just stores a lot of information that you gather from your experiences or that gets indoctrinated into your memory storage area from “out there”.
Thus, we discover that the bridge between the Before Heaven diagram and the After Heaven diagram is two simple shifts. First, the Before Heaven diagram turns 90 degrees so that it orients into a different dimension, the dimension of Earth. The dimensional axis or Plane of Heaven is vertical. The dimensional axis or Plane of Earth is horizontal. When we shift to viewing the universe from the Plane of Earth, its dimensional axis becomes vertical, and the axis for the Plane of Heaven later becomes distorted and obscured by the switches that occur. Second, LI as the image of the sun dominates the Plane of Earth. As a result, the two most evolutionary trigrams with regard to physical manifestation “photo-tropically” move as close to the sun as they can get in the same way a plant grows. They must switch sides because the impulse to begin action after rest is on the left side. Growth and expansion must follow that impulse. KUN is a stage of compaction during which the expansive growth phase contracts into the fruiting stage of KUN. Thus, KUN mirrors the expansive phase of XUN. The fruiting stage of KUN leads to the pleasures of DUI during the Autumn Harvest as an abundance of good food is gathered in. Notice also that the Before Heaven cycle appears anti-clockwise but is really bidirectional, and the After Heaven cycle is clockwise. People who view the world from the Plane of Earth tend not to even be aware of the Plane of Heaven, because the switch of KUN and DUI means that it no longer even resembles an axis or Plane of reality. However, those who study mathematics, physics, and other orderly sciences eventually rediscover the elegant, coherent, and perfectly balanced Plane of Heaven that always underlies the Plane of Earth. This is the simplest path I know from Before Heaven to After Heaven. Each step is required. LI as the sun is the physical representative of the abstract creativity of QIAN. Therefore, there is a natural 90-degree shift for the sun to dominate the sky of summer and precipitation to dominate the fields of winter. We twist the Before Heaven Arrangement 90 degrees in the clockwise direction and then lock it into that new position relative to the cardinal directions. However, after we stop the twist of the frame, the clockwise momentum of the internal energy continues flowing indefinitely in the clockwise direction until someone shifts viewpoint back to the Primary Structural Condition and then stops it there. This is the principle of inertia. The crossover of XUN and KUN is balanced in both directions, so it does not affect the rotational flow that begins with the 90-degree rotation. Here is a rough analogy to help understand this. Place a marble in a round bowl with a flat bottom. Hold the bowl firmly with a slight tilt toward the east (LI), so that the marble rests in that quadrant of the bowl. With a sharp twist of the wrist turn the bowl so that the
marble faces south, and then hold the bowl still and level. The bowl no longer moves, but the marble will continue rolling around in the bowl until friction gradually slows it to a stop. The friction may be due to the Primary Condition gradually reasserting itself. The Primary Condition also may have its own type of innate spin. If it does, there are only two types of simultaneous spin possible for a disc or a sphere, and they must be oriented at 90 degrees relative to each other. For example, spin a top and watch it start to swing around in a secondary wobble as the axis of rotation tips over due to gravity. The tipping over of the top is its secondary rotation. The top pivots on the bottom pole of its primary axis of rotation. The primary rotation movement of the top is parallel to the plane of the earth, and the axis is perpendicular to the plane of earth. The secondary rotation movement is perpendicular to the plane of the earth, and has its axis parallel to the plane of earth. This secondary rotation is caused by the earth’s gravitational attraction, and is really the top’s “earthly” rotation. The Plane of Man has no inherent spin, because it is transcendental. The Plane of Man has two poles that become the poles of Heaven and Earth and support the two observable spins. These arise when Wu-ji, the Undefined Awareness, takes on the characteristic of a viewpoint. This sets up a distinction of the viewpoint and everything else that is possible – two still mostly undefined viewpoints. When these start to oscillate, we get the Plane of Heaven as primary spin. When the Plane of Heaven tilts 90 degrees and starts a secondary spin, we get the Plane of Earth and the whole physical universe appears. Study the primary and secondary spins of a top. The directions clockwise and anti-clockwise are arbitrary and appear due to the observer’s viewpoint as he watches the spin. Spin a top on a glass coffee table. Observe it from above the table, and then observe it from under the table. It spins in one clockwise or anti-clockwise depending only on which viewpoint you choose to observe from and has no innate direction of spin. 6.01. Spirit is what we speak of as the marvelous in all things. In the movements of all things there is nothing faster than lightning. In the mixing of all things there is nothing faster than wind. In the heating of all things there is nothing hotter than fire. In the enjoyment of all things there is nothing better than repast. In the moistening of things nothing moistens better than water. In ending all things and beginning all things there is nothing more complete than rest.

In this section the author expands on the previous section, adding more details to our understanding of the After Heaven Arrangement. In this passage he follows the traditional sequence of that Arrangement, skipping KUN and QIAN, and reminds us not to just see the gross level of the phenomenal world, but to recognize the marvelous spiritual essence that is in all things. With that initial sentence he links the After Heaven physical world not only to the marvels of the Heavenly Realm of Mind, but also to the Transcendental Pure Awareness of the Plane of Man. That is what Lao-zi calls the Gate of All Marvels (). As in the previous section he begins with thunder in the East. I translate “thunder” as “lightning” because that is the fastest component of thunder. The flash is several orders of magnitude faster than the sound of the thunder, although the sound is also very fast. Wind flows in a pattern of circulation that tends to mix temperature, moisture, odors, plant matter, dust, and so on. The character “nao2” (to disturb) in some editions has the variant “nao2” (a bent piece of wood). The latter character is probably a scribal error, although trees that grow where there are prevailing winds tend to grow bent in the direction the wind blows. The trigram LI represents the sun in particular, and heat in general. Hence, it relates specifically to the element of fire. I translate “ze2” here as “repast” based on the secondary meaning of “beneficence” or “kindness”. Certainly lakes can be beautiful, but so can many other things. The characteristic of this Autumnal trigram is the gathering of a successful harvest and the accompanying generous feasts that celebrate the supplying of food for the whole year to come. The harvest celebration has a special quality of enjoyment for the people. DUI also corresponds to the mouth, food, and beverages. The northerly direction corresponds to winter’s cold and wet weather. The sequence ends with rest. Nothing ends a process better than stopping. A good rest is also the best preparation for the next round of action. The After Heaven Arrangement is a cyclical process. This process clearly relates to the seasons. The seasons also relate to the compass directions, depending on which hemisphere you live in and obviously have to be switched if you live in the southern hemisphere. Therefore, the trigrams in the After Heaven Arrangement provide a model for architectural design, interior design, and landscaping. In China this became a complex tradition known as Fengshui (). Much of this tradition eventually became entangled in superstitious beliefs, but the basic system is simply that, by recognizing the embodiments of the trigrams and understanding the flow of their energies in an environment, you can design a living space that optimizes for maximum comfort and utility. This is a practical science with a strong artistic component. Fengshui survives in our modern world and continues to evolve and
adapt to the materials, technologies, and designs we employ in our architecture.. The ideal approach is to design the living conditions for a habitat from the start in accord with the already existing environmental energy flow using materials that suit that environment. The secondary approach, which is what most people face, is to work with an existing building and tweak it in subtle ways (by the deliberate placement of plants, fish tanks, mirrors, decorative art, furniture, as well as choice of colors, flooring material, and so on) so as to improve the comfort and utility of the living space. Eventually mankind will have to return to the primary approach or face the serious degradation of the environment due to unwise choice of designs, materials, and applications. The following is a very general model for a home in the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere. Any actual dwelling must be designed according to the details of the environment, including elevation, weather patterns, rock formations, soil conditions, water resources, vegetation, and so on. An example of a possible environment would be a large property with a house at or near the property’s center. A hill sits behind the house to the northeast to shelter it from winter storms, and a stream, possibly with a waterfall, runs down the hill around the north to a lake or pond on the western side of the property. On the southwest side of the property, along the lake might be a boating dock or a beach with facilities for family picnics and gatherings. To the south is an open plain or possibly flower gardens. The open area permits maximum winter sun to warm the house. To the southeast would be vegetable gardens and further eastward groves of trees. Directly to the east may be a playing field or golf course. The general layout of a house ideally faces south in a northern latitude. The sketch below represents a theoretical house surrounded by a yard.
North
1
5
4
1. A porch or veranda on the east for watching sunrise and doing morning exercises. 2. The entry way can be on the east or southeast part of the porch. A garden with
flowers and vegetables can occupy part of this yard. 3. A yard on the south side that may have some large deciduous trees to south and southwest that give shade in summer and drop their leaves in winter to let more sunlight through. 4. A living room with large windows to let in light and adjustable curtains to cut summer glare. 5. A dining area on the western side that need not be set apart from the living room area by walls. There may be a window looking out on a pond with fish and water birds. 6. A study with a window also looking out over the pond. This can be a room for reading, creative research, and meditation. It has a small library. 7. The water area of the house is generally best located toward the rear. The largest area is the kitchen. There is a doorway connecting the kitchen to the dining area. In a corner of the kitchen or even better, as a separate room, or even in the back yard is the laundry area. Clothes can be hung to dry in an area of the back yard. A master bath and a guest powder room are between the kitchen and the bedroom area. 8. The bedroom area is in the northeast corner of the house. This keeps it cool in the summer. In the winter the rear of the house can be partially heated from the kitchen, and the front of the house gets maximum sunlight. This general design favors the installation of solar energy collectors on the roof, water from an unpolluted stream or a well, and other energy efficient features. My apartment has this general design, except that it is roughly a long rectangle from front to back, is located in a dense urban area, and is turned partway around from the ideal compass directions, so that the water side with bath, kitchen and laundry is on the rear of the west side, and the bedroom is on the front of the west side. This means the bedroom tends to get warm on summer afternoons and has to be cooled down in the evening before bedtime. This lowers the energy efficiency a little bit during the summer. Because of the density of dwellings, the orientation relative to the sun does not matter too much, and there is open space on three sides of the building so that there is good air circulation. Across the eastern side of the front is a porch with plants, and the entrance to the apartment is at the northeast corner. The living room runs from the porch through the center of the apartment, and the dining area is on the southeast side. The study is in the rear on the south east side and overlooks a garden with flowers and shady fruit trees. The kitchen is on the southwest side. People often comment on how cozy and convenient the apartment is. We find it quite comfortable with all our shopping needs within a block or two. A
short walk from the apartment is a river with a sports and exercise area plus hiking, biking paths, birds galore, fruit and flower gardens, lotus ponds, and groves of trees – almost like being in the country. Another aspect of fengshui is the large-scale problem of ecological balance. Human habitation in the post industrial age has led to serious degradation of the environment in many parts of the world. The root cause of this is overpopulation and an economic system that exploits non-renewable resources in ways that pollute the environment. A proper economy understands the cyclical way in which the environment recycles material and works in tune with this. The large-scale burning of fossil fuels and hydrocarbons as energy resources and vehicular fuels is inefficient and pollutes the air. Intelligent use of energy resources focuses on harnessing the natural flows of energy in the environment. Earth’s main energy resource is the sun. The sun sets in motion secondary resources such as wind and water flows, temperature differentials, and so on. The natural portable fuel is water that has been hydrolyzed into hydrogen and oxygen. All raw materials for buildings and products should be animal, vegetable, or mineral resources that are nontoxic and controllably biodegrade or recycle. The product cycle goes from raw materials to products to consumption and ends with complete recycling of the leftover rubbish. It is a disgrace that the planet is becoming cluttered with refuse dumps, many of which are extremely toxic. The major Earth Plane projects for this century are to restructure the energy economy so that the energy we use is totally clean and to restructure the manufacturing economy so that all products we use come from renewable resources and are fully recycled at the end of their usefulness. Only in this way can mankind look forward to a long and prosperous sojourn on this planet. 6.02. Therefore, water and fire catch each other. Thunder and wind do not go against each other. Mountain and lake circulate vapors. When we add the ability to make transformations, we can accomplish everything. In this passage the author again runs through the six trigrams with mixed lines, this time reverting to the Before Heaven Arrangement and taking them in complementary pairs. “Catch each other” means that fire (LI) and water (KAN), heat and cold, alternate as if they are chasing each other. When one catches the other, the two cancel out. Then they switch turns. For half the year heat chases and captures cold. For the other half of the year cold chases and captures heat. Thunder (ZHEN) and wind (XUN) tend to go together during thunder storms. Often when a squall brews, suddenly there is a clap of thunder followed by a strong breeze. Then the storm
bursts forth. The two work together. Another way of viewing these two trigrams is that seed (ZHEN) and tree (XUN) are complementary forms of organic life. Mountains tend to accumulate clouds, and lakes and oceans also form fogs and clouds. The systems tend to set up circulating sea and mountain breeze airflows that establish weather patterns in such environments. The trigrams are very broad archetypes. By combining them at higher resolutions to form larger and larger binary numbers, we can represent all possible creations. This stable structural set of complementary relationships provides insights into creative ways people can build an eco-sensitive economy that coexists in a friendly relationship with the environment. 7.01. QIAN is strength. KUN is smoothness. ZHEN is motion. XUN is entering. KAN is entrapment. LI is beauty. GEN is rest. DUI is happiness.
In Sections 7 through 11 the author of the Trigram Comments provides several sets of additional correlations to the trigrams. This material is very helpful for the analysis of trigrams and their imagery in the study of the hexagram structures. QIAN’s definition also has the connotation of health. KUN’s definition includes mimicking, multiple repetitions of a pattern, and a sense of accord. XUN’s definition also has the idea of entering new spaces. KAN’s definition also includes getting bogged down or stuck in boundaries. LI’s definition has the additional idea of pairing. GEN’s definition means to stop as well as to rest. DUI’s definition also includes speaking. The trigrams follow the complementary pairing and, if taken as pairs, give the clockwise arrangement of the Before Heaven diagram. 8.01. QIAN is a horse, KUN is a cow, ZHEN is a dragon, XUN is a chicken, KAN is a pig, LI is a pheasant, GEN is a dog, and DUI is a goat.
In this section the author correlates animals with the trigrams grouped as complementary pairs. However, the animals associated with the pairs of trigrams do not seem to relate in some cases. There is a discrepancy here between his association of ZHEN with dragons and the image of the dragon that dominates the line texts of the hexagram QIAN. Horses are dynamic animals capable of rapid motion. Cattle generally are heavier and slower. The association of the chicken with XUN is a bit strange. I suspect the author had in mind that the chicken is very productive laying eggs every day. Wilhelm thinks it has to do with cocks crowing
at dawn, which I doubt, because the text says chicken (not rooster) and the trigram is female. The association of pigs with KAN comes from the way pigs like to wallow in mud to keep cool. The pheasant is an example of a brightly plumed bird. LI denotes brightness. Also its association with the sun in the sky connects it to wild birds that can fly. The association of dogs with GEN probably has to do with the use of watchdogs during the night. The dog’s bark signals the presence of an intruder to the sleeping residents. The trigram for GEN o also resembles a doghouse or a gate. The association of DUI with goats and rams comes from the vague resemblance of the trigram P to the character yang (). Some of these associations seem arbitrary, but they are often helpful when analyzing the texts on the lines, because the ancient Chinese who developed these oracles used such associations. 9.01. QIAN is the head, KUN is the belly, ZHEN is the feet, XUN is the limbs, KAN is the ears, LI is the eyes, GEN is the hands, and DUI is the mouth. In this section the author correlates the trigrams to parts of the body, again listing them in the same sequence of complementary pairs. The author seems to switch viewpoints part way through the list.. The head, belly, feet, limbs, and hands relate to the whole body, while the eyes, ears, and mouth relate specifically to the head. Relative to the body, I would relate KAN to the kidneys and urinary system, LI to the heart and circulatory system, and DUI to the mouth and digestive system. The association of XUN with the limbs derives from their ability to extend out from the body. The relationship of the hand to GEN seems to come from the idea of grasping something and holding it still. However, the hand also is used for creative operations that hardly express stillness. I associate XUN with the lungs and respiratory system, and I link GEN to the back and buttocks. The expression “He stills his back” at the hexagram GEN supports this attribution. I also associate the genitals with ZHEN as well as the hands and feet. In terms of the head, QIAN is the brain, KUN is the face, ZHEN is the lower jaw and tongue, XUN is the nose, and GEN is the skull. The author does not intend his lists to be exhaustive. He only provides some examples to get the correlation process going. Every creation contains all eight trigrams and thus is a microcosm of the universe. Every creation also contains all the hexagrams. The universe in this sense is quasi-fractal. It is “quasi” because the correlations are not exact, but only approximate. There are always differences depending on scale, materials, function, interpretation, and so on.
10.01. QIAN is heaven, so it is called the father. KUN is earth, so it is called the mother. ZHEN is the first attempt [at childbirth] that obtains a male, so we call him the eldest son. XUN is the first attempt [at childbirth] that obtains a female, so we call her the eldest daughter. KAN is the second attempt [at childbirth] that obtains a male, so we call him the second son. LI is the second attempt [at childbirth] that obtains a female, so we call her the second daughter. GEN is the third attempt [at childbirth] that obtains a male, so we call him the youngest son. DUI is the third attempt [at childbirth] that obtains a female, so we call her the youngest daughter.

In this section the author correlates the trigrams to the members of a family. The “family portrait” of the trigrams then becomes,
0 9 Mother 1 o Third Son 2 O Second Son 3 l First Daughter 4 0 First Son 5 p Second Daughter 6 P Third Daughter 7 ; Father
11.01. QIAN represents heaven, circular things, sovereigns, fathers, jade, metal, cold, ice, total nakedness, good horses, old horses, lean horses, wild horses, and fruit on trees.
This is a list of qualities associated with QIAN. Horses of various types go with this trigram. Fruit on trees refers to the period of late autumn. The “great nakedness” can refer to empty space, to not wearing clothes, or to a bright red color. 11.02. KUN represents earth, mothers, cloth, axes, cautiousness, balance, a calf with a cow, a great cart, patterns, crowds, and handles. As for earth types it is black [soil].

KUN relates to cattle, especially cows and their calves. It also has to do with tools and vehicles. KUN also relates to cloth and various types of clothing as opposed to nakedness. KUN is earth, and especially the dark, fertile soil that is best for farming. This also associates KUN with the color black. Usually KUN is a bright yellow. 11.03. ZHEN represents thunder, dragons, dark yellow items, announcements, a highway, the eldest son, decisive actions, green and young bamboo, rushes, and reeds. In terms of horses it is those with a good neigh, those with white shanks, sure-footed, and with a blazon on the forehead. In terms of botany it is plants that grow back. Over time it is the strongest, most luxuriant, and freshest.
In the text of the Book of Changes dragons go with QIAN and the color yellow goes with KUN. The general property of these items correlated with ZHEN is that they grow fast, move fast, are strong, vibrant, and full of life energy. The plants that “grow back” may be plants such as the wild tulips that grow each year from bulbs in the steppes of Central Asia. The growth above ground dies off each year, but the bulb stores energy reserves and hibernates during the cold season and then sprouts again in the spring. 11.04. XUN represents trees, wind, eldest daughter, straight ropes, work, white, length, height, progress and retreat, [plants] that have not fruited [yet], and odors. Among people it is those with sparse hair, wide foreheads, eyes with lots of white, and those who triple their investment when they enter the market. In the long term it is an action trigram.
XUN is about extension and growth, so it relates to extended ropes, work, growth in length and height. “Not fruited” means that growth is in progress but a plant is not yet mature to the stage of fruit or final results. The relation to odors derives from the connection to plants and to wind. Plants make wide use of aromatic chemicals. This also tells us indirectly that XUN corresponds to the nose and respiratory system. People with sparse hair who bald easily and have wide foreheads tend to be successful business types who make good profits on investments. They recognize what will grow when they see it.
11.05. KAN represents water and channels, hidden ambushes, straightening and wrapping. In terms of people it is those who have extra worries, those who have psychological illness, and those with earaches. It is the trigram of blood and red. In terms of horses it is those with beautiful backs, excitable, who lower their heads, and have thin hooves, and those that drag. In terms of vehicles it is those with many problems. It is cycles, the moon, and bandits. In terms of trees it is those that are solid with lots of pith.

The word for “wrapping” literally means to make the metal outer rims of wheels. The idea of dragging implies a horse confined to drudgery. Generally KAN is about problems and limitations. KAN is the lunar trigram. It also goes with the ear and sense of hearing. The pith of a plant is where the sap flows. 11.06. LI represents fire, the sun, electricity, the second daughter, armor, helmets, and weapons. In terms of people it is those with large bellies. It is the trigram of dryness, of turtles, crabs, snails, shellfish, and tortoises. In terms of plants it is those that are withered in the upper branches.

In ancient times “dian4” meant lightning. However, in our day the meaning has expanded to represent electricity in general. Thus, it represents electrical appliances and electronic devices, such as computers and especially those that provide lighting or displays, as well as the information that may be processed by such devices. KUN is the belly, but LI refers to the solar plexus. The animals mentioned all have protective shells that serve as armor. Plants that are withering at the top are drying out from too much sun and heat. 11.07. GEN represents mountains, pathways, small stones, and doorways. It is fruits and melons, gates and temples, fingers, dogs, rats, and birds with black bills. In terms of plants it is those that are solid and have lots of segments.
The word for “melons” (luo4) can mean the fruit that grows on plants as opposed to trees. Of course, that includes melons. “Segments” includes knots. The
connection with black-billed birds probably derives from the hardness of the beak and the black color. GEN stands for solid objects, things that do not move, or that represent the end of a process. For example, fruit is the end of the growing process. Especially this refers to the seed that compresses the plant into a dormant state. Tough gnarly plants also belong to the archetype of GEN. 11.08. DUI represents lakes, young women, and shamans. It is the mouth and tongue. It is disintegration and secondary decisions. With regard to earth it is the hard and salty. It is concubines and goats.

Documents

Commentary Describing the Trigrams