At a glance
- Combinations
- 2⁶ = 64
- Composition
- Three lower plus three upper lines
Definition and terminology
Each hexagram has six positions, from the initial line below to the top line. Two line types across six positions yield sixty-four structures. The bottom three form the lower trigram, the upper three the upper trigram. Reversing their order generally changes the hexagram and its name, so identification requires precision.
Structure and rules
The received sequence begins Qian and Kun and ends Jiji and Weiji, commonly called the King Wen sequence. Other arrangements organize signs structurally. Numbers are indexes rather than rankings of good fortune or an inevitable event sequence. Reversal and complement relationships provide comparison but do not replace the associated text.
Worked reading
Drawing Li below Kan gives Jiji; Kan below Li gives Weiji. Both involve water and fire but differ in structure and text. Comparing them can prompt reflection on whether a research task is provisionally organized or still unfinished. It does not establish that a real project must succeed or fail.
Context and limits
The combination count is mathematically checkable, while names and statements are textual facts. Predictive effectiveness is a separate question. Manuscripts and received editions differ in sequence and wording, and interpretation has changed historically. Specify the version used, and avoid attributing every later numerical technique directly to the original text.
References & further reading
Historical sources document ideas and rules of their time, not empirical proof of predictive accuracy. Source notes identify the nature and scope of each reference.
- 《周易》Primary / tradition source
Public-domain classic; documents hexagrams and textual statements, not predictive effectiveness.
- 《易传·系辞上》Primary / tradition source
Public-domain commentary; traditional accounts of polarity, taiji, images and stalk divination; traditional attribution is not settled authorship.