On the Nature of Line Positions in the Eight Trigrams
In mantic arts and divination, the nature of line positions in the Eight Trigrams is extremely important, and different trigram lines represent different meanings. They can abstract the essential features of things; by taking the intersection of the line positions of the Eight Trigrams, one can discern subtle points. If one grasps these subtleties, one can immediately grasp the key through yin and yang.
Kan Xun Kun Gen
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Among these four trigrams whose first line is yin—Water, Wind, Earth, Mountain—when the second line is yang, there is added yang activity, so both wind and water have a yielding nature; when the second line becomes yin, the nature becomes more settled and condensed, so both earth and mountain have a condensed, yin and still nature. If we further consider the top line: Kan and Kun both have yin at the top, while Xun and Gen both have yang at the top. Comparing them, water flows on the ground; this difference is reflected in the differing yin/yang of the second line, and the relationship between water and earth is very close—things can be born from earth, and earth can again produce all things. Thus when both the bottom and top lines are yin, they carry the implication that from utmost stillness yang is born. Similarly, for Xun and Gen: the higher the mountain, the greater the wind, and their relationship is likewise close, so they must share commonalities. Their commonality lies in the fact that wind is caused by air currents rising due to various factors such as heating, while mountains are formed by accumulated earth; but wind keeps moving while mountains remain fixed and still, so the second line of Xun is yang while that of Gen is yin.
Qian Dui Li Zhen
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Among these four trigrams whose first line is yang—Heaven, Lake, Fire, Thunder—when the second line is yang they simultaneously possess movement, while when the second line is yin they possess relative stillness. The movement of heaven is the motion of the stars across the sky; the movement of Dui as Lake is intermittent rain; the movement of Li as Fire is the spreading continuation of flame; and the movement of Thunder is also the continuation of lightning. That is to say, if a scattering phenomenon occurs, the second line is yang; if it is continuous, the second line is yin. Because they are all based on the foundation of a yang first line as movement, they have these differences and commonalities of nature. If we further consider a yang third line, we find that Qian and Li pair together—their commonality lies in that if fire scatters and becomes discontinuous, its sparks will be like the stars in the sky, yet this is already included within heaven. Dui and Zhen share the same concept: Dui is rain and Zhen is lightning—in nature, thunder and rain often occur together. When the second line is yang, the motion of rain is continuous movement, while that of thunder is momentary; by comparison, naturally the second line of Dui should be paired with yang.
From this comparison, it is easy to discover that what determines a trigram’s basic nature is its first line—its yin or yang represents the fundamental foundation, while all other lines are evolutions and qualifications of that first line. The Eight Trigrams themselves form a highly self-consistent logical system; every yin/yang pairing of the trigram lines has its rationale and is not arbitrarily assigned.