Where to Start When Setting Up a Liu Yao Hexagram: How the 64 Hexagrams Divide Into Eight Palaces, From the Pure Hexagram to the Fifth Generation, Wandering Soul and Returning Soul, What Element Each Palace Carries, and How Na Jia Assigns Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches

What pieces is a Lục Hào hexagram assembled from?

A fully assembled Lục Hào hexagram must carry four layers of information: the name of the hexagram and its palace, the generation of the hexagram within its palace, the element of the palace, and the stem and branch assigned to each of the six lines. These four layers are independent of one another. Without any one of them, any further discussion of generation and overcoming, of prosperity and decline, or of the six relations lacks a firm footing.

The matter of generation and the position of the Thế (Self) and Ứng (Other) lines has already been presented separately in the article on Thế and Ứng. This article does not repeat that table of positions, and only recalls the names and the meaning of the classification.

One point should be stated from the outset to avoid misunderstanding: the classical text of the Zhou Yi contains only hexagram statements and line statements. It has no concept of Thế and Ứng, no division into palaces, and no assignment of stems and branches to lines. The entire system of Thế and Ứng, of palace division and of nạp giáp is a convention of Lục Hào, traditionally attributed to Jing Fang of the Han dynasty, and later inherited and systematized by books such as Bốc Phệ Chính Tông (Correct Tradition of Divination) and Tăng San Bốc Dịch (Expanded Divination). Meaning-and-principle schools such as Wang Bi, Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi read the Yijing along philosophical and ethical lines, and do not use Thế and Ứng in this sense. Grasping this is what keeps one from imposing the Lục Hào table onto every way of reading the Yijing.

By what rule do the 64 hexagrams divide into eight palaces?

The eight palaces are eight groups, each of eight hexagrams, together making exactly the 64 hexagrams of the Yijing. Each palace opens with a pure hexagram (the root hexagram, in which the two single trigrams are identical), and the remaining seven hexagrams are generated by successively changing yin and yang at the lines in a fixed order.

According to the presentation common in the book Tăng San Bốc Dịch, the order of change within a palace runs from the pure hexagram, changing line one to become the first generation, then changing line two to become the second generation, then changing line three to become the third generation, then changing line four to become the fourth generation, then changing line five to become the fifth generation, and then on to the wandering soul and finally the returning soul. The returning soul hexagram has the characteristic that its three lower lines return to exactly the yin-yang state of the original pure hexagram, while the wandering soul hexagram has a line structure that is quite different, and does not revert in that way.

One point needs to be made clearly: the naming of the seven changed hexagrams within a palace is not absolutely uniform across books. Some books place the wandering soul and the returning soul at different positions in the table, and some books name the changed hexagrams in their own way. The student should choose one standard edition and cross-check against it, rather than mixing several editions into a single table.

Table of the eight palaces and the element of each palace

The element of a palace is the element of the pure hexagram that opens it, and serves as the basis for determining the six relations for all eight hexagrams in that palace. The element of each individual line, including the Thế line, follows the earthly branch assigned to that line. The book Khổng Minh Thần Toán shows this clearly: the assignment table for the hexagram Càn vi Thiên places the Thế line at line six as Phụ Mẫu (Parent) Tuất Thổ, the hexagram Đoài vi Trạch places the Thế line at line six as Phụ Mẫu (Parent) Mùi Thổ, while the hexagram Trạch Thủy Khốn, which belongs to the Đoài palace, places the Thế line at line three as Thê Tài (Wealth) Dần Mộc. The Càn palace and the Đoài palace are both Metal in element, yet the Thế line carries Earth or Wood depending on the earthly branch assigned to that line, and does not carry the element of the palace.

How do the pure hexagram, the first through fifth generations, the wandering soul and the returning soul differ?

The difference lies in the yin-yang structure of the six lines compared with the pure hexagram of the palace, and in the position of the Thế line. The pure hexagram has its Thế line at line six (the top line), and its Ứng line at line three. The first generation hexagram has its Thế line at line one, and its Ứng line at line four. The second generation hexagram has its Thế line at line two, and its Ứng line at line five. The third generation hexagram has its Thế line at line three, and its Ứng line at line six. The fourth generation hexagram has its Thế line at line four, and its Ứng line at line one. The fifth generation hexagram has its Thế line at line five, and its Ứng line at line two. The wandering soul hexagram has its Thế line at line four, and its Ứng line at line one. The returning soul hexagram has its Thế line at line three, and its Ứng line at line six.

A notable point is that the wandering soul and the fourth generation share the same Thế and Ứng positions, and the returning soul and the third generation share the same Thế and Ứng positions. Therefore, if one looks only at the Thế and Ứng positions, one cannot distinguish the wandering soul from the fourth generation, nor the returning soul from the third generation. To distinguish them, one must examine the line structure of the hexagram against the pure hexagram of the palace.

The interpretive meanings of the wandering soul and the returning soul also differ. The book Tăng San Bốc Dịch groups the wandering soul and the returning soul among the hexagrams that require separate attention when divining, and does not lump them together with the ordinary generation hexagrams. Some materials interpret the wandering soul as leaning toward uncertainty, dispersal and unsettled mood, while the returning soul leans toward return, coming back, and turning back toward something. This interpretation is not mandatory doctrine; different schools may emphasize different aspects, so the student should read the specific hexagram carefully rather than applying one fixed meaning to the whole group.

Table of the eight positions within a palace and the lines that are flipped

The column of flipped lines must be read correctly: this is the number of lines flipped cumulatively counting from the pure hexagram, not one line flipped at each step. The first generation flips line 1. The second generation additionally flips line 2, making two lines flipped relative to the pure hexagram. The third generation additionally flips line 3, making three lines. The fourth generation additionally flips line 4, making four lines. The fifth generation additionally flips line 5, making five lines. If one misunderstands this as flipping only one line at each step, the hexagram comes out wrong starting from the second generation step.

The last two steps follow their own mechanism, no longer counted from the pure hexagram. The wandering soul takes the fifth generation hexagram and flips back line 4, meaning line 4, which differed from the pure hexagram, now returns to match the pure hexagram. The returning soul takes the wandering soul hexagram and flips all three lines of the inner trigram, causing the inner trigram to return to exactly the root trigram of the palace. This is precisely the reason for the name returning soul, meaning to return.

A full example: the eight hexagrams of the Ly palace

To see the mechanism clearly, take the Ly palace as an example. The pure hexagram is Ly Vi Hỏa. From there, lines are flipped in turn to generate the remaining seven hexagrams:

• Bát thuần (pure): Ly Vi Hỏa, Thế at line 6, Ứng at line 3.
• Nhất thế (first generation): Hỏa Sơn Lữ, Thế at line 1, Ứng at line 4.
• Nhị thế (second generation): Hỏa Phong Đỉnh, Thế at line 2, Ứng at line 5.
• Tam thế (third generation): Hỏa Thủy Vị Tế, Thế at line 3, Ứng at line 6.
• Tứ thế (fourth generation): Sơn Thủy Mông, Thế at line 4, Ứng at line 1.
• Ngũ thế (fifth generation): Phong Thủy Hoán, Thế at line 5, Ứng at line 2.
• Du hồn (wandering soul): Thiên Thủy Tụng, Thế at line 4, Ứng at line 1.
• Quy hồn (returning soul): Thiên Hỏa Đồng Nhân, Thế at line 3, Ứng at line 6.

The returning soul rule can be cross-checked with this very example: Thiên Hỏa Đồng Nhân has an inner trigram of Ly, exactly the root trigram of the Ly palace, so the inner trigram has returned, in the true sense of returning soul. Similarly, the Càn palace has as its pure hexagram Càn Vi Thiên, as its wandering soul Hỏa Địa Tấn, and as its returning soul Hỏa Thiên Đại Hữu; that returning soul hexagram has an inner trigram of Càn, returning to exactly the root trigram of the Càn palace.

Another point that is easy to confuse: Địa Thủy Sư is not some arbitrary hexagram that only becomes the returning soul of the Khảm palace in certain cases. Địa Thủy Sư is precisely the returning soul of the Khảm palace according to the correct order of palace division. The Khảm palace consists of: Khảm Vi Thủy (pure), Thủy Trạch Tiết (first generation), Thủy Lôi Truân (second generation), Thủy Hỏa Ký Tế (third generation), Trạch Hỏa Cách (fourth generation), Lôi Hỏa Phong (fifth generation), Địa Hỏa Minh Di (wandering soul), Địa Thủy Sư (returning soul). The inner trigram of Địa Thủy Sư is Khảm, exactly the root trigram of the Khảm palace.

Why are Thế and Ứng always three positions apart?

Thế and Ứng are two lines at the same position within the two single trigrams: line 1 with line 4, line 2 with line 5, line 3 with line 6. Because the two single trigrams are stacked on top of each other, each pair at the same position is exactly three lines apart, so Thế and Ứng are always three positions apart.

This division into layers is also the basis of the mnemonic for finding the Thế line in the Lục Hào system, usually recorded in four lines of classical Chinese: 天同二世天变五，地同四世地变初，本宫六世三世异，人同游魂人变归. The correct explanation is as follows.

Compare the two single trigrams of the hexagram by three pairs of lines at the same position: the earth pair is line 1 with line 4, the human pair is line 2 with line 5, the heaven pair is line 3 with line 6. Examine whether these three pairs are the same or different in yin and yang.

• Only the heaven pair is the same, the other two pairs differ: second generation.
• Only the heaven pair differs, the other two pairs are the same: fifth generation.
• Only the earth pair is the same, the other two pairs differ: fourth generation.
• Only the earth pair differs, the other two pairs are the same: first generation.
• All three pairs are the same: pure hexagram, Thế at line 6.
• All three pairs differ: third generation.
• Only the human pair is the same, the other two pairs differ: wandering soul.
• Only the human pair differs, the other two pairs are the same: returning soul.

A quick check with a few hexagrams. Hỏa Phong Đỉnh has an inner trigram of Ly and an outer trigram of Tốn: the heaven pair (line 3 with line 6) is both yin, the other two pairs differ, giving the second generation. Phong Thủy Hoán has an inner trigram of Khảm and an outer trigram of Tốn: the heaven pair differs, the other two pairs are the same, giving the fifth generation. Thủy Hỏa Ký Tế has an inner trigram of Ly and an outer trigram of Khảm: all three pairs differ, giving the third generation. Thiên Hỏa Đồng Nhân has an inner trigram of Ly and an outer trigram of Càn: only the human pair differs, the other two pairs are the same, giving the returning soul. These four results match the palace division table above.

This mnemonic is a quick lookup tool, allowing the student to look at the upper and lower trigrams and infer the position of the Thế line without having to memorize the whole table. This lookup method matches the table in the section above, and also matches the order of line changes already presented.

How do you know which palace a hexagram belongs to and at which line its Thế sits without consulting a table?

Use the mnemonic for finding the Thế line to compare the three pairs of lines at the same position in the two single trigrams, and from that derive the generation. A returning soul hexagram has as its inner trigram the root trigram of its palace, so once you determine that a hexagram is a returning soul, you immediately know its palace.

The concrete steps. First, split the hexagram into the inner trigram (the three lower lines) and the outer trigram (the three upper lines). Then compare the three pairs of lines at the same position according to the mnemonic for finding the Thế line in the section above: the earth pair is line 1 with line 4, the human pair is line 2 with line 5, the heaven pair is line 3 with line 6. Match the same-or-different result against the eight cases of the mnemonic, and you immediately get the generation and the positions of the Thế and Ứng lines.

If the result is the returning soul, then the palace is simply the palace of the inner trigram, because the returning soul has its inner trigram returned to the root trigram. If the result is not the returning soul, then to know the palace you must try step by step: take the hexagram under examination as the starting point, trace backward along the order of line changes to the pure hexagram, and whichever palace that pure hexagram belongs to is the palace the hexagram under examination belongs to. This method is slower than consulting a table, but it works when you have no table at hand, and it is also a way to self-check when you suspect you have consulted the table wrongly.

What is nạp giáp and why must stems and branches be assigned to the lines?

Nạp giáp is the operation of assigning Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches to each line of the hexagram, turning six abstract yin-yang lines into six units that have an element and a stem-branch, from which generation and overcoming, and prosperity and decline according to month and day, can then be calculated. Without nạp giáp, Lục Hào is nothing but a drawing of six strokes, and nothing can be interpreted.

The origin of the nạp giáp method is usually attributed to Jing Fang of the Han dynasty, according to Kinh Phòng (tương truyền), Kinh Thị Dịch Truyện, volume two. According to the Han Shu (volume 75), Jing Fang (77 to 37 BCE), courtesy name Junming, was a man of Dunqiu county (before 7/2025) in the Dong commandery, who studied the Yi with Jiao Yanshou and was skilled in music and pitch. The historian Ban Gu records him as a man skilled in divining hexagrams according to the Yijing, according to Ban Gu (1st century), Han Shu, volume 75, biography of Jing Fang. A book on Yi divination attributed to him describes the nạp giáp method, that is, the way of attaching the lines of a hexagram to the stems and branches of the Chinese calendar, according to Kinh Phòng (tương truyền), Kinh Thị Dịch Truyện, volume two. This is an important reference point, but it must be said clearly: attributing the entire nạp giáp system to a single individual is a traditional way of tracing origins, and scholars may still debate the actual degree of contribution of each author across the generations.

As for the dates, some sources record them differently. The Han Shu (volume 75) records that Jing Fang died at the age of forty-one, while Tze-Ki Hon in the article Chinese Philosophy of Change (Yijing) in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy gives his birth and death years as 77 to 37 BCE. The student should know which reference point they are following when citing.

Nạp giáp for the three inner and three outer lines of the eight single trigrams

The table below presents the stems and branches assigned to the six lines of the eight single trigrams (the pure hexagrams), according to the convention common in Lục Hào. The column "Inner" is the three lower lines, the column "Outer" is the three upper lines, read from line one up to line six.

This is a lookup table, not an interpretation table. When assembling any hexagram, that hexagram consists of two single trigrams; the inner lines follow the lower single trigram, and the outer lines follow the upper single trigram. For example, the hexagram Thủy Hỏa Ký Tế has an inner trigram of Ly and an outer trigram of Khảm, so its three lower lines are assigned Kỷ Mão, Kỷ Sửu, Kỷ Hợi, and its three upper lines are assigned Mậu Thân, Mậu Tuất, Mậu Tý.

What is special about the nạp giáp of the Càn and Khôn hexagrams?

Càn and Khôn are the two hexagrams whose nạp giáp differs from the other six single trigrams, and they are also the two most likely to cause confusion when consulting the table. Càn assigns Giáp to its three inner lines and Nhâm to its three outer lines, meaning inner and outer use two different Heavenly Stems. Khôn assigns Ất to its three inner lines and Quý to its three outer lines, also using two different Heavenly Stems. The other six single trigrams use only one Heavenly Stem for all six lines: Chấn uses Canh, Tốn uses Tân, Khảm uses Mậu, Ly uses Kỷ, Cấn uses Bính, Đoài uses Đinh.

The separation of Giáp and Nhâm in Càn, and of Ất and Quý in Khôn, is usually explained by yin-yang principle and by inner and outer position, but this is a traditional convention, not a result deduced from a simple geometric formula. The student should remember the convention correctly, and not try to reason it out from scratch each time they assemble a hexagram.

Another point to note: the direction of assignment for the four yin trigrams runs opposite to that of the four yang trigrams. Càn, Chấn, Khảm and Cấn assign in the order Tý, Dần, Thìn, Ngọ, Thân, Tuất, that is, with the branches increasing. Khôn, Tốn, Ly and Đoài assign in decreasing order, and each has its own starting point: Khôn starts at Mùi, Tốn starts at Sửu, Ly starts at Mão, Đoài starts at Tỵ. This is precisely where many people assemble a hexagram wrongly if they merely memorize one direction mechanically.

Where do the schools differ?

The three most commonly encountered differences among books and schools:

• The origin of nạp giáp: most materials attribute it to Jing Fang, but the degree of this attribution is a traditional tracing of origins, not a definitive conclusion of the historical record.
• The nạp giáp of Càn and Khôn: some books present Càn as using Giáp for all six lines, or Khôn as using Ất for all six lines, differing from the convention of separating inner and outer. The student should know which convention the edition they are using follows before consulting the table.
• The position of the wandering soul and the returning soul in the eight-palace table: some books arrange them differently, and some name the changed hexagrams differently. When cross-checking two editions, one must compare the line structure as well, not just the hexagram names.

The practical way to handle this is to choose one standard edition as the basis, note clearly which convention is being used, and when encountering another book's table, compare line by line rather than mixing the two tables together.

A full example of assembling a hexagram

Suppose the hexagram cast is Thủy Hỏa Ký Tế, that is, an inner trigram of Ly and an outer trigram of Khảm. The assembly steps are as follows.

• Step one, look up the palace: Ký Tế belongs to the Khảm palace, and is the third generation hexagram within the Khảm palace. The full Khảm palace consists of: Khảm Vi Thủy (pure), Thủy Trạch Tiết (first generation), Thủy Lôi Truân (second generation), Thủy Hỏa Ký Tế (third generation), Trạch Hỏa Cách (fourth generation), Lôi Hỏa Phong (fifth generation), Địa Hỏa Minh Di (wandering soul), Địa Thủy Sư (returning soul).
• Step two, determine Thế and Ứng by convention: the third generation hexagram has its Thế line at line three, and its Ứng line at line six.
• Step three, assign stems and branches to the six lines: line one Kỷ Mão, line two Kỷ Sửu, line three Kỷ Hợi, line four Mậu Thân, line five Mậu Tuất, line six Mậu Tý.
• Step four, assign the six relations according to the element of the palace compared with the element of each line, and only then move on to the step of interpreting according to month and day.

The Thế line of Ký Tế is at line three, assigned Kỷ Hợi, and since Hợi is Water, the Thế line carries the element Water. This is the element of the earthly branch assigned to the line, not the element of the palace. These two must be distinguished when consulting the table.

This example only illustrates the operation of assembling a hexagram, and is not a prediction of fortune or misfortune. Interpretation depends on the question, on the dụng thần (the spirit relevant to the question), on the month and day, and on many other factors, and lies outside the scope of this article.

Why must assembling the hexagram and interpreting it be kept separate?

Assembling the hexagram is a mechanical step with clearly right or wrong answers: whether the palace lookup is right or wrong, whether the stem-branch assignment is right or wrong, whether the determination of the generation is right or wrong. Interpretation is an interpretive step, depending on the question, on the dụng thần and on the experience of the diviner, so disagreement among schools is entirely normal.

Mixing the two steps together is a common cause of beginners both consulting the table wrongly and divining wrongly without knowing where the error lies. The clean approach is to assemble the hexagram, check each layer again, and only then move on to the interpretive step. Once the assembly step is correct, every remaining difference among schools lies only in the interpretive part, and that is where one should state clearly which school one is following.