Six Lines Basics: Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches
The I Ching is a fascinating classic used for divination. To become proficient, you must start with the basics and build a solid foundation. With a strong base, effective study methods, and steady practice, working independently is very achievable. To quickly master Six Lines divination, first understand the fundamental concepts behind the I Ching’s Six Lines.
The I Ching is an extraordinary work centered on divination, with its core built on the Eight Trigrams, which touch every aspect of life. Its essence lies in change, constancy, and simplicity. Divination with the I Ching is typically carried out through the Eight Trigrams. The Eight Trigrams are: Qian (☰), Dui (☱), Li (☲), Zhen (☵), Xun (☴), Kan (☷), Gen (☶), and Kun (☷). Among them, Qian, Kan, Zhen, and Gen are Yang, while Kun, Xun, Li, and Dui are Yin. Their sequence is Qian (1), Dui (2), Li (3), Zhen (4), Xun (5), Kan (6), Gen (7), and Kun (8). This order is important for calculating hexagram numbers. Their directions are divided into Pre-Heaven and Post-Heaven. Pre-Heaven directions: Qian (South), Dui (Southeast), Li (East), Zhen (Northeast), Xun (Southwest), Kan (West), Gen (Northwest), Kun (North). Post-Heaven directions: Li (South), Xun (East), Zhen (Southeast), Gen (Northeast), Kan (North), Qian (Northwest), Dui (West), Kun (Southwest). As for their symbols: Qian has three unbroken lines; Kun has six broken lines; Zhen opens upward; Gen opens downward. Dui opens at the top, Xun is broken at the bottom, Li is open in the middle, and Kan is solid in the middle. You can observe these details closely when generating hexagrams online.
The Five Elements for the Eight Trigrams are: Qian and Dui correspond to Metal, Gen and Kun to Earth, Kan to Water, Li to Fire, and Zhen and Xun to Wood.
1. Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches
1. Heavenly Stems
(1) The Ten Heavenly Stems:
Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui
(2) Five Elements and Yin–Yang correspondences:
- Jia and Yi are Wood; Jia is Yang, Yi is Yin.
- Bing and Ding are Fire; Bing is Yang, Ding is Yin.
- Wu and Ji are Earth; Wu is Yang, Ji is Yin.
- Geng and Xin are Metal; Geng is Yang, Xin is Yin.
- Ren and Gui are Water; Ren is Yang, Gui is Yin.
(3) Attributes of the Ten Heavenly Stems:
- Jia Wood is pure Yang, the great forest wood—tall, strong, and hard, fit for building; therefore it is Yang Wood.
- Yi Wood is pure Yin, the wood of flowers and grasses—beautifying the world, soft and flexible; therefore it is Yin Wood.
- Bing Fire is pure Yang, the great sun fire—bright and powerful; therefore it is Yang Fire.
- Ding Fire is pure Yin, like candlelight—lighting the home, gentle and delicate; therefore it is Yin Fire.
- Wu Earth is pure Yang, the city-wall earth—commanding and firm; therefore it is Yang Earth.
- Ji Earth is pure Yin, the farmland earth—nurturing all things, able to support wood and dissolve water, soft and moist; therefore it is Yin Earth.
- Geng Metal is pure Yang, the sword metal—strong and sharp; therefore it is Yang Metal.
- Xin Metal is pure Yin, decorative metal—refined and enhancing, soft and pure; therefore it is Yin Metal.
- Ren Water is pure Yang, the great rivers and seas—endlessly flowing with the Earth’s rotation; therefore it is Yang Water.
- Gui Water is pure Yin, rain and dew—gentle and nourishing; therefore it is Yin Water. It has form without fixed shape, adapting and always flowing.
(4) The Ten Heavenly Stems with Seasons and Directions:
- Jia and Yi (Wood): Spring, East—Eastern Wood.
- Bing and Ding (Fire): Summer, South—Southern Fire.
- Geng and Xin (Metal): Autumn, West—Western Metal.
- Ren and Gui (Water): Winter, North—Northern Water.
- Wu and Ji (Earth): Center; they also govern the last eighteen days of each season—Central Earth.
(5) The Ten Heavenly Stems and the Human Body:
- Jia (head), Yi (neck), Bing (shoulders), Ding (chest), Wu (abdomen), Ji (navel), Geng (waist), Xin (ribs), Ren (thighs), Gui (limbs).
- Verse: Jia is the head, Yi the neck, Bing the shoulder,
- Ding the chest, Wu the belly, Ji the navel.
- Geng the waist, Xin the ribs,
- Ren the thighs, Gui the limbs.
(6) The Ten Heavenly Stems and the Organs:
- Jia (gallbladder), Yi (liver), Bing (small intestine),
- Ding (heart), Wu (stomach), Ji (spleen).
- Geng (large intestine), Xin (lungs),
- Ren (bladder), Gui (kidneys and heart protector).
(7) Interactions of the Heavenly Stems:
They relate through the Five Elements. For example, Jia Wood can generate Wu and Ji Earth, which in turn can produce Bing and Ding Fire, and so on.
2. Earthly Branches
(1) The Twelve Earthly Branches:
Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai.
(2) Numbers of the Twelve Earthly Branches:
Zi (1), Chou (2), Yin (3), Mao (4), Chen (5), Si (6), Wu (7), Wei (8), Shen (9), You (10), Xu (11), Hai (12).
(3) Yin–Yang of the Twelve Earthly Branches:
- Zi, Yin, Chen, Wu, Shen, and Xu are the six Yang branches.
- Chou, Mao, Si, Wei, You, and Hai are the six Yin branches.
(4) Attributes of the Twelve Earthly Branches:
- Zi is Yang Water; Hai is Yin Water; Yin is Yang Wood; Mao is Yin Wood; Si is Yin Fire;
- Wu is Yang Fire; Shen is Yang Metal; You is Yin Metal; Chen and Xu are Yang Earth; Chou and Wei are Yin Earth.
(5) The Twelve Earthly Branches and Directions:
Yin and Mao are Eastern Wood; Si and Wu are Southern Fire; Shen and You are Western Metal; Hai and Zi are Northern Water; Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei are Central Earth.
(6) The Twelve Earthly Branches and the Four Seasons:
Yin, Mao, and Chen represent Spring; Si, Wu, and Wei represent Summer; Shen, You, and Xu represent Autumn; Hai, Zi, and Chou represent Winter. In addition, Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei mark the last eighteen days of each season, with the final month called the Earth Month.
(7) The Twelve Earthly Branches and Body Parts:
Zi and Chou correspond to the legs and feet; Yin and Hai to the knees; Mao and Xu to the buttocks; Chen and You to the arms; Si and Shen to the shoulders; Wu and Wei to the head and face.
(8) The Twelve Earthly Branches and the Organs:
- Zi corresponds to the bladder and ears; Chou to the navel and spleen/stomach.
- Yin corresponds to the gallbladder, eyes, and the pulses in both hands; Mao corresponds to the liver in the ten fingers.
- Chen corresponds to the spleen, shoulders, chest, and phlegm; Si corresponds to the face, teeth, throat, small intestine, and anus.
- Wu corresponds to the heart and eyes; Wei corresponds to the stomach, spleen, and spine.
- Shen corresponds to the large intestine, meridians, and lungs; You corresponds to the throat and trachea.
- Xu corresponds to the life gate, legs, ankles, and feet; Hai corresponds to the hair, bones, urinary tract, and kidneys.
(9) The Twelve Earthly Branches and the Months:
The ancients said: “One, two, three—yang opens fortune; the Dipper’s handle points to Yin, and all things spring forth.” This means that in the year, month, day, and hour of Yin, the Northern Dipper points to the Yin position. The ancients used the direction of the Dipper’s handle to divide the twelve months. Therefore, each year the handle points to Yin in the first month.
They designated Yin as the first month, Mao the second, Chen the third, Si the fourth, Wu the fifth, Wei the sixth, Shen the seventh, You the eighth, Xu the ninth, Hai the tenth, Zi the eleventh, and Chou the twelfth.
For example, if the first month begins with Yin, then Yin is the Establishment Month. It falls between the solar terms Beginning of Spring and Awakening of Insects, in line with the twelve solar terms; the rest follow the same rule.