Is the I Ching a form of divination?

The I Ching originated from divination but is also a profound philosophical system. Today, it is used in both divination and philosophical study, depending on the approach. This is traditional knowledge for reference, not scientifically verified.

How does the I Ching differ from the Bagua?

The Bagua are the eight basic trigrams, while the I Ching is the system of 64 hexagrams formed from the Bagua, accompanied by philosophical texts and detailed commentaries.

Who is the author of the I Ching?

According to legend, Fu Xi created the Bagua, King Wen named the 64 hexagrams, and Confucius wrote the Ten Wings. Modern scholarship does not treat these attributions as proven: the core text is dated to around the late 9th century BCE, in the Western Zhou, and the Ten Wings are a later commentary layer from roughly the 5th to the 2nd century BCE.

Is the I Ching applicable in modern life?

Many still consult the I Ching to understand the laws of change, cultivate virtue, and respond flexibly. However, it should be recognized as traditional knowledge for reference, not scientifically verified.

What is Kinh Dịch? | Nhật Nguyệt

The I Ching (Book of Changes) is an ancient Chinese philosophical and divination system based on 64 hexagrams formed from the eight trigrams (Bagua), interpreting the laws of change in the universe and all things.

What is the I Ching and how did it originate?

The I Ching, also known as the Zhou Yi or Kinh Dịch, is one of the oldest classics of Chinese civilisation, formed across many historical periods. Tradition holds that Fu Xi drew the Eight Trigrams, King Wen named and arranged the 64 hexagrams, and Confucius wrote the Ten Wings to comment on them. Modern scholarship does not treat these attributions as proven: Edward Shaughnessy dates the core Zhouyi text to the late 9th century BCE, in the Western Zhou; early copies such as the Zhouyi bamboo slips held by the Shanghai Museum (about 300 BCE) and the Mawangdui silk manuscript (tomb sealed in 168 BCE) show the text circulating before the Han; and the Ten Wings are later commentary layers from roughly the 5th to the 2nd century BCE (Redmond and Hon, Teaching the I Ching, 2014). The I Ching is not only a divination book but also a philosophical foundation concerning yin and yang, the five elements, and the ceaseless transformation of the universe.

What does the structure of the I Ching consist of?

The I Ching consists of two main parts: the Text and the Commentaries. The Text contains the 64 hexagrams, each with a hexagram statement and line statements. The Commentaries (Ten Wings) comprise ten sections expounding the philosophy. Each hexagram is formed from two single trigrams within the Eight Trigrams (Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, Dui), stacked upon each other to create 64 situations symbolising the states of life and the universe. Articles on the site such as the Water over Heaven Nhu hexagram, Heaven over Water Song, and Wind over Earth Guan all analyse the structure and lessons of each hexagram.

How is the I Ching applied?

The I Ching is used in divination, philosophy, traditional medicine, feng shui, and the art of governance. The ancients used turtle shells, yarrow stalks, or coins to cast hexagrams, from which they inferred fortunes and chose actions. In modern life, many people still consult the I Ching to understand the laws of change, cultivate virtue, and respond flexibly. Concepts such as the Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, Earlier Heaven Eight Trigrams, and Later Heaven Eight Trigrams are all tied to this system.

Distinguishing the I Ching from easily confused terms

The I Ching differs from the Eight Trigrams: the Eight Trigrams are the eight basic single trigrams, while the I Ching is the system of 64 hexagrams and a complete philosophical text. The I Ching also differs from Tử Vi (Vietnamese astrology) or Numerology, which are separate predictive systems based on birth date or numbers. In addition, the I Ching is not identical to feng shui, though feng shui does use the Eight Trigrams and yin-yang five elements. Confusing these terms often leads to misunderstanding the nature and scope of application of each system.

How do the different schools of understanding the I Ching differ?

The image and number school: Focuses on the images and numbers of hexagrams and lines to infer destinies and specific events, treating the I Ching as a precise divination tool.
The meaning and principle school: Emphasises the moral philosophy and lessons of conduct in each hexagram, treating the I Ching as a book of self-cultivation and statecraft rather than divination.
The modern scientific school: Views the I Ching as an ancient binary sign system, connecting it with logic, mathematics, and cybernetics, but acknowledges that there is no empirical scientific proof.

What is the table of the 64 I Ching hexagrams?

No.	Hexagram name	English name	Upper / lower trigram	Image
1	Pure Qian	The Creative	Qian above Qian	Heaven moves with vigour, never resting.
2	Pure Kun	The Receptive	Kun above Kun	Earth is thick and broad, bearing all things.
3	Water over Thunder Zhun	Difficulty at the Beginning	Kan above Zhen	Clouds above, thunder below, all things newly born and still entangled.
4	Mountain over Water Meng	Youthful Folly	Gen above Kan	A spring flows at the foot of the mountain, the water not yet knowing where to go.
5	Water over Heaven Xu	Waiting	Kan above Qian	Clouds gather in the sky, not yet time for rain.
6	Heaven over Water Song	Conflict	Qian above Kan	Heaven moves up, water flows down, the two go opposite ways.
7	Earth over Water Shi	The Army	Kun above Kan	Water gathers within the earth, symbolising a multitude.
8	Water over Earth Bi	Holding Together	Kan above Kun	Water on the surface of the earth, soaking in and joining as one stretch.
9	Wind over Heaven Xiao Xu	The Taming Power of the Small	Xun above Qian	Wind moves across the sky, clouds thick but no rain yet.
10	Heaven over Lake Li	Treading	Qian above Dui	Heaven above, lake below, walking through a place where care is needed.
11	Earth over Heaven Tai	Peace	Kun above Qian	Heaven and earth interact, energy flows freely.
12	Heaven over Earth Pi	Standstill	Qian above Kun	Heaven and earth do not interact, energy is blocked.
13	Heaven over Fire Tong Ren	Fellowship with Others	Qian above Li	Fire shines below heaven, lighting a shared space.
14	Fire over Heaven Da You	Possession in Great Measure	Li above Qian	Fire in the sky, shining across the four directions.
15	Earth over Mountain Qian	Modesty	Kun above Gen	A mountain lies within the earth, high yet not displayed.
16	Thunder over Earth Yu	Enthusiasm	Zhen above Kun	Thunder rouses above the earth, energy stirs and people respond with joy.
17	Lake over Thunder Sui	Following	Dui above Zhen	Thunder hidden in the lake, moving yet still compliant.
18	Mountain over Wind Gu	Work on What Has Been Spoiled	Gen above Xun	Wind stops below the mountain, things left long grow worm-eaten.
19	Earth over Lake Lin	Approach	Kun above Dui	Earth above the lake, the shore close to the water's surface.
20	Wind over Earth Guan	Contemplation	Xun above Kun	Wind moves across the earth, touching everywhere.
21	Fire over Thunder Shi He	Biting Through	Li above Zhen	Thunder and lightning strike together, biting through the obstacle between the jaws.
22	Mountain over Fire Bi	Grace	Gen above Li	Fire shines at the foot of the mountain, the scenery shows its lines clearly.
23	Mountain over Earth Bo	Splitting Apart	Gen above Kun	A mountain clings to the earth, the lower part gradually eroding.
24	Earth over Thunder Fu	Return	Kun above Zhen	Thunder lies within the earth, one yang line has just returned.
25	Heaven over Thunder Wu Wang	Innocence	Qian above Zhen	Thunder moves below heaven, all things follow their natural course.
26	Mountain over Heaven Da Xu	The Taming Power of the Great	Gen above Qian	Heaven lies within the mountain, great strength is stored up.
27	Mountain over Thunder Yi	Nourishment	Gen above Zhen	Thunder below the mountain, the hexagram shape resembles two rows of teeth.
28	Lake over Wind Da Guo	Preponderance of the Great	Dui above Xun	The lake floods the trees, the roof beam bends from overload.
29	Pure Kan	The Abysmal	Kan above Kan	Water piled on water, danger following danger.
30	Pure Li	The Clinging	Li above Li	Fire joined to fire, brightness clings to things and burns.
31	Lake over Mountain Xian	Influence	Dui above Gen	Lake above the mountain, the energies of the two sides resonate.
32	Thunder over Wind Heng	Duration	Zhen above Xun	Thunder and wind move together, enduring without changing direction.
33	Heaven over Mountain Dun	Retreat	Qian above Gen	Heaven above the mountain, withdrawing to a high place to keep oneself.
34	Thunder over Heaven Da Zhuang	The Power of the Great	Zhen above Qian	Thunder resounds in the sky, momentum at its strong point.
35	Fire over Earth Jin	Progress	Li above Kun	The sun rises above the earth, light gradually spreads.
36	Earth over Fire Ming Yi	Darkening of the Light	Kun above Li	The sun sets below the earth, light is obscured.
37	Wind over Fire Jia Ren	The Family	Xun above Li	Wind comes out from fire, warmth spreads through the home.
38	Fire over Lake Kui	Opposition	Li above Dui	Fire rises up, the lake flows down, the two part ways.
39	Water over Mountain Jian	Obstruction	Kan above Gen	Water on the mountain, the path both steep and slippery.
40	Thunder over Water Jie	Deliverance	Zhen above Kan	Thunder and rain arrive together, the stifling energy is released.
41	Mountain over Lake Sun	Decrease	Gen above Dui	The lake below the mountain, taking from the low to fill the high.
42	Wind over Thunder Yi	Increase	Xun above Zhen	Wind and thunder aid each other, strength grows.
43	Lake over Heaven Guai	Breakthrough	Dui above Qian	The lake rises up to heaven, the water is about to overflow.
44	Heaven over Wind Gou	Coming to Meet	Qian above Xun	Wind moves below heaven, meeting without prior arrangement.
45	Lake over Earth Cui	Gathering Together	Dui above Kun	Lake above the earth, water and people gather together.
46	Earth over Wind Sheng	Pushing Upward	Kun above Xun	A tree grows within the earth, rising little by little.
47	Lake over Water Kun	Oppression	Dui above Kan	The lake runs dry, the tree lacks a place to be nourished.
48	Water over Wind Jing	The Well	Kan above Xun	Water within the earth, the well nourishes people without moving from its place.
49	Lake over Fire Ge	Revolution	Dui above Li	Fire within the lake, the two energies cannot tolerate each other so change must come.
50	Fire over Wind Ding	The Cauldron	Li above Xun	Fire above wood, the cauldron cooks food.
51	Pure Zhen	The Arousing	Zhen above Zhen	Thunder joined to thunder, the sound echoes on and on.
52	Pure Gen	Keeping Still	Gen above Gen	Mountain piled on mountain, standing still in place.
53	Wind over Mountain Jian	Gradual Progress	Xun above Gen	A tree grows on the mountain, growing steadily over the years.
54	Thunder over Lake Gui Mei	The Marrying Maiden	Zhen above Dui	Thunder above the lake, entering a new situation from a position of no initiative.
55	Thunder over Fire Feng	Abundance	Zhen above Li	Thunder and lightning arrive together, light at its peak.
56	Fire over Mountain Lu	The Wanderer	Li above Gen	Fire on the mountain, the flame does not stay long in one place.
57	Pure Xun	The Gentle	Xun above Xun	Wind follows wind, seeping into every crevice.
58	Pure Dui	The Joyous	Dui above Dui	Two lakes joined, water flows through and fills together.
59	Wind over Water Huan	Dispersion	Xun above Kan	Wind blows over water, waves scatter in all directions.
60	Water over Lake Jie	Limitation	Kan above Dui	Water within the lake, having a shore so it does not overflow.
61	Wind over Lake Zhong Fu	Inner Truth	Xun above Dui	Wind moves above the lake, sincerity reaches the other side.
62	Thunder over Mountain Xiao Guo	Preponderance of the Small	Zhen above Gen	Thunder on the mountain, a bird flies low yet its call echoes far.
63	Water over Fire Ji Ji	After Completion	Kan above Li	Water above fire, every line is in its correct place.
64	Fire over Water Wei Ji	Before Completion	Li above Kan	Fire above water, the work is still unfinished, not yet across the river.

Hexagram numbers follow the Zhou Yi (King Wen) order. Each double hexagram is two single trigrams stacked, so the name can be read directly from the two component trigrams.

The figures in the table match the results of the lookup tools on Nhật Nguyệt.

What is Kinh Dịch?

What is the I Ching and how did it originate?

What does the structure of the I Ching consist of?

How is the I Ching applied?

Distinguishing the I Ching from easily confused terms

How do the different schools of understanding the I Ching differ?

What is the table of the 64 I Ching hexagrams?

Frequently asked questions

Is the I Ching a form of divination?

How does the I Ching differ from the Bagua?

Who is the author of the I Ching?

Is the I Ching applicable in modern life?

References

Read next

The Pure Yang Hexagram in the 64 Hexagrams of the I Ching: Origins and Meaning

The Pure Kun Hexagram in the 64 Hexagrams of the I Ching: Origins and Meaning

The Water Thunder Hexagram Zhun in the 64 Hexagrams of the I Ching: Origins, Meaning, and Lessons for Overcoming Hardship

Hexagram 36 Di Huo Ming Yi (地火明夷): Light Wounded, Holding to One's Path in Dark Times

Hexagram 24 (Earth over Thunder - Fu/Return) - Meaning and Application in the I Ching

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