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CHAPTER 6
the object “you”. he ID number of the hexagram is the combination of the ID numbers of the two component trigrams. For example, if the subject trigram is 3 and the object trigram is 2, the ID number of the hexagram is 3:2, as illustrated below:
Figure 6.1: Formation of hexagram 3:2
he subject trigram must be in the lower position of the hexagram and the object trigram is on top.
he hexagram representing the relationship between Nancy and John from Nancy’s point of view is Hexagram 6:2 ( ). When we read the text associated with the Hexagram 6:2, we must remember that a favorable judgment means that this relationship or situation is favorable only to the subject, Nancy, and may or may not be favorable to the object, John.
When Nancy builds a trigram to describe John’s side of the relationship, she is using the facts apparent to her to evaluate his action, essence, and attitude: when she asked him to a party, he turned her down, and when they happened to be walking in the same direction, he avoided falling into step with her. So she decides that his action line is yin.
She gives him a yang middle line for his essence, because he is a tall, strong man with a good job as manager of a large store. He never boasts about himself and listens patiently and carefully to others, so for his atti-tude line she decides on yin. So the hexagram representing the relation-ship from Nancy’s point of view is based on the facts as she sees them.
his subjective viewpoint is all-important in putting together the hexa-gram. Do you remember the story in Chapter 5 of Cathy, the young ca-reer woman, and George, the older married executive? In that example,
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Cathy wanted to know how to deal with this powerful man at work who was interested in her. In the hexagram Cathy built, she was the subject, and George was the object. Ater evaluating her own action, essence, and attitude, and then evaluating the same aspects for George, Cathy arrived at Hexagram 4:7, as shown below, representing their current relationship from her point of view:
Figure 6.2: Formation of Hexagram 4:7
But what if George were the one building the hexagram because he wanted to know how to deal with this beautiful young female employee?
hen he would be the subject, and Cathy the object. Assuming that his evaluation of their situation is the same that Cathy came up with, his hexagram would be a reversal of hers, Hexagram 7:4, as shown below.
Figure 6.3: Formation of Hexagram 7:4
Actually, since two people rarely view their mutual situation in the same light, it would be very unusual for both individuals to select the same two trigrams. But this example serves to illustrate the importance of position in subject and object trigrams.
he structure and meaning for Hexagram 4:7, Innocence -- Cathy’s situation with George -- are shown below:
Figure 6.4: Hexagram, from Cathy’s view
And here are the structure and meaning for Hexagram 7:4, Reckless, describing George’s situation with Cathy:
Figure 6.5: Hexagram from George’s view
he title of the hexagram provides a quick proile of the current situation and its prospects, and you can see at once from the titles “Innocence” and
“Reckless” that the same situation can be dramatically diferent from each person’s perspective. In Cathy’s case, the word innocence implies mistakes she might make because of her lack of experience. In George’s case, his hexagram’s title warns that he might abuse his power and do something careless that could result in great loss for either or both of them.
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Titles of HexagramsAs soon as you build your hexagram, consider the meaning of its unique title. he table below lists the titles of the sixty-four hexagrams:
ID SIGN TITLE ID SIGN TITLE
Ø:Ø Earth Ø:1 Deprivation
Ø:2 Closeness Ø:3 Watching
Ø:4 Delight Ø:5 Promotion
Ø:6 Gathering Ø:7 Denial
1:Ø Modest 1:1 Stop
1:2 Lame 1:3 Gradual
1:4 Tolerance 1:5 Travel
1:6 Enjoyable 1:7 Flee
2:Ø Army 2:1 Ignorance
2:2 Pitfall 2:3 Flood
2:4 Solution 2:5 Imperfect
2:6 Adversity 2:7 Sue
3:Ø Rising 3:1 Bugs
3:2 Well 3:3 Yield
3:4 Persistence 3:5 Cauldron
3:6 Overburden 3:7 Encounter
ID SIGN TITLE ID SIGN TITLE
4:Ø Return 4:1 Care
4:2 Prospect 4:3 Gain
4:4 Shock 4:5 Bite
4:6 Follow 4:7 Innocence
5:Ø Hurt 5:1 Ornament
5:2 Perfect 5:3 Matriarch
5:4 Totality 5:5 Brightness
5:6 Change 5:7 Coalition
6:Ø Approach 6:1 Loss
6:2 Limitation 6:3 Sincerity
6:4 Marry 6:5 Stare
6:6 Pleasure 6:7 Treading
7:Ø Peace 7:1 Build Up
7:2 Expectation 7:3 Accumulation
7:4 Reckless 7:5 Acquisition
7:6 Menace 7:7 Heaven
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Importance of ID number of HexagramWhy is the positioning of the two trigrams so important in leading to the correct interpretation and decision? Because, just as trigrams are numbers, hexagrams are also numbers, and I Ching is a mathematical
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system for plotting the human condition and laws of nature. You can glimpse a bit of the pattern when you turn Hexagram 6:4 clockwise to its horizontal position, as shown below:
Figure 6.6: Hexagram, binary number and octal number
his I Ching style of ID numbers for hexagrams -- using an octal, or base-eight system -- is used throughout this book. To clearly indicate that a hexagram consists of two trigrams, there is a “:” between the two digits, as in Hexagram 6:4, not hexagram 64.
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Conversion from ID numbers to serial number in Zhou YiNine centuries ago, Shao Yong arranged the sixty-four hexagrams in an array as shown in the following diagram. his hexagram array is attached with ID numbers of subject trigrams in the irst column at right, ID num-bers of object trigrams in the irst row on top, and Zhou Yi (A version of I Ching formatted in the time of King Wen, in the twelth century B.C.) serial numbers in parentheses under the symbols of hexagrams.
Figure 6.7: Conversion from ID number to Zhou Yi serial number
You may use the diagram above to ind the shape of a hexagram and its serial number in Zhou Yi. For example, if you want to know Hexagram 6:4, the ID number of its subject trigram is 6. he ID number of its object trigram is 4. In the row 6, column 4, there is the symbol of Hexagram 6:4, . It is Hexagram 54 (54 is the serial number in Zhou Yi). And for Hexagram 4:6, go to row 4, column 6: Its symbol is . It is Hexagram 17 (Zhou Yi).
If you get a hexagram from other publications, it is very easy to ind its ID number used in this book. For example, Hexagram 64 is the last hexagram in Zhou Yi. Its shape is . he subject trigram is . Its
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ID number is 2. he object trigram is . Its ID number is 5. he two ID numbers together with a colon between become 2:5. So the ID num-ber of Hexagram 64 is 2:5. “2:5” indicates that the hexagram consists of Trigram 2 and Trigram 5, while “64” indicates this hexagram is the last one in the Zhou Yi sequence.
Hexagram Array (of Sixty-four Hexagrams) is also used in Part II.
he translation of the I Ching text of hexagrams is in the order of the Hexagram Array, starting with Hexagram Ø:Ø, Earth, and ending in Hexagram 7:7, Heaven.
Now you know how to make hexagrams to represent your current situations. Remember: