What Are the Self Line and the Response Line in Liu Yao?
The Self Line (Thế) represents the querent, and the Response Line (Ứng) represents the other party or the matter being asked about. These two lines are marked separately in every Liu Yao hexagram, distinct from the six ordinary lines of the I Ching, and they form the foundational pair for assigning roles in the whole chart.
A key distinction: classical I Ching has only six lines named Initial, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Top. The Liu Yao system (also called Na Jia or Liu Yao Divination) adds the layers of Self, Response, na jia, six relatives, and six spirits. These are interpretive extensions, not part of the original I Ching text.
Why Must You Identify Self and Response Before Reading?
Because every real question has two sides: the asker and the other side. Without knowing which line is you and which is the other party, you cannot say who is strong or weak, who gains or loses, who is active or passive.
For a transaction, Self is you and Response is the counterparty. For marriage, Self is you and Response is the other person. For a job application, Self is you and Response is the position or the recruiter. The same hexagram, with Self and Response swapped, produces opposite conclusions.
This is why Liu Yao texts place the step of assigning Self and Response before na jia and the six relatives.
Rules for Assigning Self and Response by the Eight Palaces
Liu Yao divides the 64 hexagrams into eight palaces, each with eight hexagrams, headed by the pure hexagrams Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, Dui. Within each palace, the Self Line position is fixed by the order of line changes:
| Position in palace | Name | Self Line | Response Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pure hexagram | Top line (line 6) | Third line (line 3) |
| 2 | First generation | Initial line (line 1) | Fourth line (line 4) |
| 3 | Second generation | Second line (line 2) | Fifth line (line 5) |
| 4 | Third generation | Third line (line 3) | Top line (line 6) |
| 5 | Fourth generation | Fourth line (line 4) | Initial line (line 1) |
| 6 | Fifth generation | Fifth line (line 5) | Second line (line 2) |
| 7 | Wandering soul | Fourth line (line 4) | Initial line (line 1) |
| 8 | Returning soul | Third line (line 3) | Top line (line 6) |
Note: this is the common convention in the Liu Yao Na Jia lineage transmitted in Vietnam and China. Some texts present the Self Line table differently or use different names for the eight positions. Learners should pick one consistent system and follow it, not mix conventions from different books.
The Self and Response lines are always symmetric about the center of the hexagram: if Self is line 1, Response is line 4; if Self is line 2, Response is line 5; if Self is line 3, Response is line 6, and vice versa. The distance between them is always three positions.
What Do Self and Response Represent?
In practice, Self and Response are assigned meanings by context:
- Self Line: the querent, oneself, the household head, one's side, the job seeker, the initiator.
- Response Line: the counterparty, the person asked about, the other side, the agency, the job position, the future spouse, the trading partner.
- In family questions, Self may be husband or wife depending on who asks, and Response is the other.
- In ownerless questions (weather, impersonal events), Self is still the querent and Response is the circumstance or the acting side.
Important: the Self Line is not a fixed "I". If the querent changes role (asking on behalf of another), reassign Self to the person the question truly targets.
Reading Self and Response: Generation, Control, Harmony, Clash
After identifying Self and Response, read their interaction through the five elements of na jia:
- Response generates Self: the other party benefits you, help comes easily, deals go smoothly.
- Self generates Response: you must invest first, tend to be passive.
- Response controls Self: the other party pressures you, be cautious.
- Self controls Response: you hold initiative, can reach the goal if strong enough.
- Self and Response in harmony: smooth relationship, easy meeting.
- Self and Response in clash: tension, disagreement, hard to align.
Also check whether Self or Response is clashed by a moving line or supported by the day or month pillar. A strong Self still meets obstacles if a moving line controls it.
Why Do Their Positions Decide the Whole Reading?
Because the positions of Self and Response define the reference axis of the entire chart. Every other line is read in relation to that axis.
Specifically:
- Defines the subject-object axis: only from this axis do you know which line is "me", which is "the other", which is "the matter".
- Defines the center of judgment: questions of gain, loss, success, failure, advance, retreat all reduce to Self-Response interaction.
- Defines the direction of moving lines: with a moving line, check whether it affects Self or Response, to know whose event it is.
- Defines the useful god: in Liu Yao, the useful god (the line representing the queried object) is usually chosen by its relation to Self. Choosing the wrong useful god ruins the whole reading.
In short, Self and Response are the coordinate system of the chart. Without coordinates, all other data is meaningless.
Where Schools Disagree
To avoid confusion:
- Self Line placement: most books follow the eight-position table above, but some assign Self differently, especially in the Mei Hua Yi Shu lineage, which does not use palace-based Self and Response but instead uses host-guest (ti-yong).
- Role of Response: some schools treat Response as the counterparty, some as circumstance, some as the matter. This article follows the common convention: Response is the side opposite the querent, whether person or matter.
- Useful god assignment: each school has its own six-relatives table and selection rules. Learners should follow one lineage consistently.
Practical Conclusion
When starting a Liu Yao reading, the order should be: define the question, assign Self and Response by palace, apply na jia and six relatives, choose the useful god, then interpret. Skipping the Self-Response step breaks the procedure and leads to skewed conclusions. Beginners should memorize the eight-position table before moving to more complex rules.
