Image: Wellcome Collection (Public Domain)
TL;DR: The Ly trigram (☲) is one of the eight single trigrams. According to the Shuo Gua, it symbolizes fire, the sun, lightning, the middle daughter, the eye, and many other images; its Five Elements phase is Fire, and in the Later Heaven Bagua it is located in the South. Zhu Xi, in the Zhouyi Benyi, recorded the mnemonic "Li zhong xu," meaning the middle of the trigram is empty. Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: the Ly trigram can be used as a symbol for reflecting on clarity and mutual reliance, and should not be taken as a certain recommendation for destiny or finances.
What is the single trigram Li in the Bagua?
The Li trigram (離, ☲) is one of the eight single trigrams of the Bagua (Bát Quái), with the image of Fire and the Five Elements phase of Fire. In the Later Heaven Bagua arrangement, Li corresponds to the South. The trigram consists of three lines: a yang line at the bottom, a yin line in the middle, and a yang line at the top, that is, two solid lines enclosing a broken line in the middle.
What does the Shuogua say about the Li trigram?
The Shuogua (Thuyết Quái) is a chapter in the Ten Wings (Thập Dực), the body of commentary explaining the I Ching that tradition attributes to Confucius; modern scholarship does not regard this as proven. Below are the statements about the Li trigram in this chapter, with the original Chinese text, the Sino-Vietnamese reading, and a close translation.
Chapter 5 (Later Heaven Bagua):
- 相見乎離 (tương kiến hồ Ly): meeting takes place at Li.
- 離也者，明也，萬物皆相見，南方之卦也。聖人南面而聽天下，嚮明而治，蓋取諸此也。
- Ly dã giả, minh dã, vạn vật giai tương kiến, nam phương chi quái dã. Thánh nhân nam diện nhi thính thiên hạ, hướng minh nhi trị, cái thủ chư thử dã.
- Li is brightness, all things see one another, it is the trigram of the South. The sage faces south to hear the affairs of the world, turning toward brightness to govern, and this is likely taken from here.
Chapter 6:
- 燥萬物者，莫熯乎火 (táo vạn vật giả, mạc hãn hồ hỏa): for drying all things, nothing surpasses fire.
Chapter 7:
- 離，麗也 (Ly, lệ dã): Li is clinging, attaching.
Chapter 8:
- 離為雉 (Ly vi trĩ): Li is the pheasant.
Chapter 9:
- 離為目 (Ly vi mục): Li is the eye.
Chapter 10:
- 離再索而得女，故謂之中女 (Ly tái sách nhi đắc nữ, cố vị chi trung nữ): Li is the second daughter, and so is called the middle daughter.
Chapter 11 (the specific images of Li):
- 離為火、為日、為電、為中女、為甲冑、為戈兵 (Ly vi hỏa, vi nhật, vi điện, vi trung nữ, vi giáp trụ, vi qua binh): Li is fire, is the sun, is lightning, is the middle daughter, is armor and helmet, is weapons.
- 其於人也，為大腹、為乾卦、為鱉、為蟹、為蠃、為蚌、為龜 (kỳ ư nhân dã, vi đại phúc, vi can quái, vi miết, vi giải, vi loa, vi bạng, vi quy): as for people, it is the big belly, is the dry trigram, is the soft-shelled turtle, is the crab, is the snail, is the mussel, is the turtle.
- 其於木也，為科上槁 (kỳ ư mộc dã, vi khoa thượng cảo): as for wood, it is a tree dried out at the top.
How does Zhu Xi comment on the image of the Li trigram?
In the Zhouyi Benyi, first volume, in the "Song of the Eight Trigrams' Images," Zhu Xi wrote a mnemonic for remembering the shapes of the eight trigrams:
> 乾三連，坤六斷，震仰盂，艮覆碗，離中虛，坎中滿，兌上缺，巽下斷。
- Kiền tam liên, Khôn lục đoạn, Chấn ngưỡng vu, Cấn phúc uyển, Ly trung hư, Khảm trung mãn, Đoài thượng khuyết, Tốn hạ đoạn.
- Ly trung hư: the Li trigram is empty in the middle, that is, the middle line is a yin line, and the two outer lines are yang lines.
How does Nhật Nguyệt understand the Li trigram?
In Nhật Nguyệt's understanding, the Li trigram evokes fire and light, clinging (lệ), and clarity. The shape of the trigram has a gap in the middle, with yang lines on either side, easily pictured as a flame burning in the heart of the fuel, or as an eye with a pupil at its center. From the context of the Shuogua, Li is also linked to the South, to morning, and to seeing all things clearly. These associations belong to the realm of interpretation, not to anything the I Ching asserts about the fate of a specific person.
What does Nhật Nguyệt suggest when studying the Li trigram?
Nhật Nguyệt suggests: if you use the Li trigram as a symbol for reflection, see it as a reminder to keep clarity in your thinking, while remembering that fire needs fuel to burn, so endurance often comes from knowing how to rely on and nourish one another. At work, you might try examining a problem in the light of concrete facts rather than feelings. In love, clarity in communication often helps both sides understand each other better. As for health and home feng shui, this is only a reference suggestion, not a substitute for professional advice; if you have a specific concern, you should ask someone with expertise.
Quick reference table for the Li trigram
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Trigram name | Li (離) |
| Symbol | ☲ |
| Number of lines | 3 |
| Line structure (from bottom up) | Yang, Yin, Yang |
| Primary image | Fire |
| Five Elements | Fire |
| Later Heaven direction | South |
| Earlier Heaven direction | East |
| Images in the Shuogua | Fire, sun, lightning, middle daughter, armor and helmet, weapons; as for people, the big belly, the dry trigram, soft-shelled turtle, crab, snail, mussel, turtle; as for wood, a tree dried out at the top; the pheasant; the eye |
| Zhu Xi's mnemonic | Ly trung hư (empty in the middle) |
How does the Li trigram differ in Earlier and Later Heaven Bagua?
The two Bagua arrangements differ on the position of Li. In the Later Heaven Bagua, Li is in the South, as Shuogua chapter 5 says: 離也者，明也，萬物皆相見，南方之卦也. In the Earlier Heaven Bagua, Li is in the East. Both systems are traditional, and neither is considered wrong; a student should know which system they are using.
The traditional chain attributing authorship of the I Ching
Tradition commonly attributes the drawing of the eight trigrams to Fuxi, the naming and writing of the trigram statements to King Wen, the writing of the line statements to the Duke of Zhou, and the writing of the Ten Wings to Confucius. Modern scholarship does not regard these attributions as proven; they are a traditional way of telling the story, not confirmed historical facts.
