What is Quẻ?

What is a hexagram and where does it come from?

A hexagram (quẻ) is the basic unit of the I Ching (Kinh Dịch), formed by six lines (hào) stacked in order from bottom to top. Each line is either a solid line (yang, 陽) or a broken line (yin, 陰). The six lines combine into 64 hexagrams, each with its own name and meaning, reflecting a specific situation in the process of transformation of the universe and of human life.

According to legend, hexagrams took shape in high antiquity, passing through stages from the Eight Trigrams (Bát Quái, eight single trigrams) created by Fu Xi, to their doubling into 64 hexagrams by King Wen, and later their explanation by the Duke of Zhou and Confucius. 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).

What is the structure of a hexagram?

Each hexagram has two parts: a single trigram (three lines) above and a single trigram below, also called the upper trigram and the lower trigram. For example, the hexagram Thủy Thiên Nhu consists of the upper trigram Khảm (Water) and the lower trigram Càn (Heaven). This combination produces the name and meaning of the hexagram. In addition, each hexagram has lines with their own positions and qualities, used for more detailed interpretation.

How are hexagrams used?

In the I Ching, hexagrams are used to describe and analyse situations, from which lessons on how to act are drawn. One may cast a hexagram to select one corresponding to a given moment, or study the meaning of each hexagram to apply it to life, work and career. Articles on the site have examined many hexagrams such as Thủy Thiên Nhu (hexagram 5), Thiên Thủy Tụng (hexagram 6), Sơn Địa Bác (hexagram 23), Sơn Thủy Mông (hexagram 4), Địa Thủy Sư (hexagram 7), Thủy Lôi Truân (hexagram 3), Lôi Địa Dự (hexagram 16), Sơn Thiên Đại Súc, and others. Each hexagram is analysed in terms of its origin, structure and practical lessons.

Distinguishing hexagrams from easily confused concepts

A hexagram differs from a line: a line is the smaller unit, just one yin or yang stroke; a hexagram is a set of six lines. A hexagram also differs from the Eight Trigrams: the Eight Trigrams are eight single trigrams (three lines), while a hexagram in the I Ching usually means one of the 64 doubled hexagrams (six lines). In addition, a hexagram is not the same as an "image" (tượng, 象) or a "text" (từ, 辭) in the I Ching; the image is a symbolic picture, the text is the explanation.

What should be noted about the practical use of hexagrams?

The I Ching and its hexagrams are traditional knowledge of a reference nature, not verified by science. Using hexagrams to predict the future or to make important decisions should be weighed carefully, and they should not be treated as absolute truth.

How do the different schools understand hexagrams?

• The image and number school: Focuses on the figurative structure of the hexagram, the relationships between the lines, and numbers in order to interpret. Practitioners of this school typically analyse the position and qualities of each line and the interaction between yin and yang.
• The meaning and principle school: Emphasises the philosophical and moral meaning of the hexagram, treating it as a lesson in how to act and how to cultivate oneself. They pay less attention to casting hexagrams to predict fate and focus on understanding the message hidden behind each hexagram.
• The divination school: Uses hexagrams as a tool for predicting the future, often combined with casting methods such as mai hoa dich so and luc hao. They believe a hexagram can reveal information about events yet to come.

Related articles

• The Thủy Thiên Nhu Hexagram in the 64 I Ching Hexagrams: Origin, Meaning and Practical Lessons
• The Thiên Thủy Tụng Hexagram in the 64 I Ching Hexagrams: Origin, Structure and Meaning
• The Sơn Địa Bác Hexagram: Meaning and Application in the I Ching
• The Sơn Thủy Mông Hexagram in the 64 I Ching Hexagrams: Origin and the Meaning of Obscurity
• The Thiên Thủy Tụng Hexagram in the 64 I Ching Hexagrams: Origin, Meaning and Lessons on How to Act
• What is the I Ching, origins and the philosophy of Yin-Yang and the Eight Trigrams
• Decoding the Lôi Địa Dự Hexagram in the I Ching: Structure and Lessons
• The Địa Thủy Sư Hexagram in the 64 I Ching Hexagrams: Origin, Meaning and Practical Application
• The Thủy Lôi Truân Hexagram in the 64 I Ching Hexagrams: Origin and Meaning
• Applying the I Ching in a Career: A Guiding Compass for the Modern Junzi
• The Sơn Thiên Đại Súc Hexagram: Meaning and Application in the I Ching

What are the eight single trigrams and how do they build the 64 doubled hexagrams?

A doubled hexagram consists of two single trigrams stacked on each other, so there are 8 × 8 = 64 hexagrams. The name of a doubled hexagram is joined from the "Sino-Vietnamese form" column: the upper trigram Càn (Heaven) stacked on the lower trigram Khôn (Earth) gives Thiên Địa Bĩ.

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