Destiny Trigram

命卦(動在其中)者，昔無此名。青田端木氏《周易指》，據《大傳》“繫辭焉而命之，動在其中矣”而發其例。凡卦六爻，《象》下所繫之辭，言卦名者是也。卦有陰陽，不論其爻之剛柔，爻無卦名。卦陽六爻以陽論，卦陰六爻以陰論。

The term "Minggua" (also called "Dong zai qizhong," meaning "movement is contained within") was not previously established. It was first introduced by Duanguohe, a person from Qintian, Zhejiang, in his work "Zhouyi Zhi." He based this concept on the sentence from the "Xici Zhuan" ("Great Treatise") that says, "Attach a statement to it and name it; movement is contained within it." The method of determining Minggua is as follows: in a hexagram with six lines, any line statement that mentions the name of the primary hexagram is considered a line that "has the hexagram name." The hexagram itself is divided into yin and yang hexagrams. When determining, the nature of the line itself as yang or yin is not considered. Instead, lines that do not mention the hexagram name are determined by the yin or yang nature of the primary hexagram— if the primary hexagram is yang, these lines are considered yang; if the primary hexagram is yin, these lines are considered yin.

如乾陽卦也，惟九三一爻有卦名，則九三為陽。餘以陰論，即命為謙，如坤陰卦也。六爻無卦名，六爻皆以陰論，仍為坤。如屯陽卦也，二五兩爻有卦名。二五為陽，餘皆陰論，即命為坎。蒙陰卦也，初二四五上有卦名，皆為陰。二爻以陽論，則命為謙。

For example, Qian is a yang hexagram. Among its six lines, only the third line's line statement mentions the hexagram name "Qian," so the third line is considered yang. The remaining five lines are treated as yin. Thus, one yang line is at the third position, with the other five lines yin, resulting in the hexagram Dixin. Another example is Kun, a yin hexagram. None of its six lines' line statements mention the hexagram name "Kun," so all six lines are considered yin, resulting in the hexagram Kun. Another example is Tun, a yang hexagram. The second and fifth lines' line statements both mention the character "Tun," so these two lines are considered yang. The remaining four lines are treated as yin. With yang lines at the second and fifth positions and yin lines elsewhere, the resulting hexagram is Kan. Another example is Meng, a yin hexagram. The line statements of the first, second, fourth, fifth, and top lines all mention the character "Meng," so these five lines are considered yin. Only the third line is treated as yang. Thus, the resulting hexagram is also Dixin.

如震六爻皆有卦名，震陽卦，六爻皆陽，命為乾。餘可類推。動在其中者，合陰陽兩卦之中，陰陽交變。如屯命坎，坎離動在其中，為小過中孚是也。

For example, in the Zhen hexagram, the line statements all contain the character "Zhen," and since Zhen is a yang hexagram, all six lines are yang. The hexagram thus becomes Qian. The other hexagrams can be similarly inferred. As for the phrase "movement occurs within," it refers to combining the original hexagram with the one derived, creating a yin and yang interaction between the two. For instance, the Zun hexagram derives the Kan hexagram, and the movement between Kan and Li produces the Xiao Guo and Zhong Fu hexagrams.

聲應卦，亦發例於《周易指》。同聲相應，孔子於六爻《象傳》讚語，皆有韻以分陰陽。平為陽仄為陰，如乾分贊三次，曰：“陽在下也”，“德施普也”，“反復道也”，“進無咎也”，“大人造也”，“盈不可久也”，為六陰聲是坤卦。

The principle of "sound correspondence in hexagrams" was first introduced by Du Mengguo in his work "Zhou Yi Zhi." Taking the meaning of "like sounds respond to each other," it argues that the commentaries in the "Image Commentary" written by Confucius for the six lines of each hexagram all rhyme and can be used to distinguish yin and yang. Reading tones that are level (ping) are considered yang, while those that are oblique (zhe) are considered yin. For example, the commentary for the hexagram Qian consists of three groups. The first group includes "Yang is at the bottom," "His virtue extends universally," "Reversal follows the Way," "Advancing without blame," "The Great Man creates," and "Fullness cannot last." All six lines rhyme with oblique tones, making them six yin lines, which correspond to the hexagram Kun.

又曰：“下也”，“時舍也”，“行事也”，“自試也”，“上治也”，“窮之災也”，五陰一陽是剝卦。又曰：“陽氣潛藏”，“天下文明”，“與時偕行”，“乾道乃革”，“位乎天德”，“與時偕極”，三陰三陽是泰卦也。

The second set of comments are "Lower," "Residence of Time," "Action," "Self-test," "Supreme Governance," and "Disaster of Exhaustion," among which five are level tones and one is oblique tone, with five yin and one yang, resulting in the Hexagram of Splitting. The third set is "Yang energy is concealed," "The world is civilized," "Follow the time," "The Creative initiates change," "Positioned in Heavenly Virtue," and "Reach the extreme of the time," with equal numbers of level and oblique tones, and three yin and three yang alternating, resulting in the Hexagram of Greatness.

坤卦六爻曰：“致堅冰也”，“地道光也”，“知光大也”，“慎不害也”，“文在中也”，“其道窮也”。初二四上，皆陽，三四陰，坤應聲中孚也。

The commentary on the six lines of the Kun hexagram is "It leads to firm ice," "The earth's path shines," "It knows great brightness," "It is cautious and does no harm," "The virtue is in the center," "Its path reaches its limit." According to the division of level and oblique tones, the lines at the beginning, second, fifth, and top belong to the yang tone, while the middle two lines belong to the yin tone. With two yang tones outside and two yin tones in the center, the sound corresponding to the Kun hexagram is that of Zhongfu.

《傳》曰：“物生而後有象，象而後有滋，滋而後有數。”是先有象而後有數。而古聖人之作《易》也，仰以觀象於天，俯以觀法於地。河出圖，洛出書，聖人則之。然則八卦之象，皆法天地之象。萬物之象，並則河圖洛書以定其數者也。

The *Zuo Zhuan* records Han Jian's words: "Things come into being, then there are images; from images, there is growth; from growth, there is number." This shows that images come first, then numbers. Ancient sages composed the *Zhou Yi*, looking up to observe celestial phenomena and looking down to examine terrestrial principles. When the Yellow River produced the *He Tu* and the Luo River produced the * Luo Shu*, the sages took these as their models. Thus, the images of the Eight Trigrams are derived from the images of heaven and earth, and the images of all things are determined by the numbers of the *He Tu* and *Luo Shu*.

八卦之象，始於羲農黃帝，而後代有孳乳。《說卦傳》之象，非孔子所創造，必有所受。問禮於老子，象數在其中，故曰“觀其會通以行其典禮”。列舉之象雖不多，而用無不備。自王弼有“得意忘象”之言，後人未得其意，輒以掃象為擴清蕪穢，易學由此荒矣。

The symbolic representations of the Eight Trigrams originated with Fuxi, Shennong, and the Yellow Emperor, and were continuously developed by later generations. The images described in the "Sayings on the Trigrams" were not created out of nowhere by Confucius, but must have been inherited from previous sources. Confucius once asked Laozi about ritual propriety, and the study of numbers and symbols was included in that. Therefore, the "Great Treatise" states, "Observing their convergence and communication to carry out ceremonial rites." Although the images listed in the "Sayings on the Trigrams" are not numerous, they are comprehensive in their application. Since Wang Bi proposed the idea of "grasping the meaning while forgetting the image," later people failed to understand his original intention, often mistakenly treating the removal of trigram images as clearing away weeds and filth, and since then, the study of the Book of Changes has been neglected.

南宋而後，漸知象之重要，然又未能求諸根本，以邵子大小方圓各圖為易象之標準。而《說卦傳》八卦之象義，反略焉不講，或以不解解之。有明來知德氏，研求象學二十餘年，頗有發明。然未解者，亦尚什之七八也。

After the Southern Song dynasty, people gradually realized the importance of hexagram images, but they could not seek the fundamental principles, instead taking Shao Yong's diagrams of large and small circles and square and round as the standard for the Book of Changes' imagery. Meanwhile, the meanings of the eight trigrams in the "Commentary on the Hexagrams" were overlooked or simply dismissed with the phrase "incomprehensible." Lai Zhide of the Ming dynasty devoted over twenty years to studying the imagery, making some discoveries, yet he still could not fully explain it, only succeeding in about seven or eight tenths of the cases.

前清經師，如黃、毛、朱、王、胡、錢、惠、段、桂、張、焦、端木諸家，各有心得。而是丹非素，不相會通。爰萃眾說，擇善而從。縱未能盡，參諸《學易筆談》所述，亦庶幾矣。

In the Qing dynasty, scholars who interpreted the classics, such as Huang Zongxi, Mao Qiling, Zhu Junsheng, Wang Yinzi, Hu Xu, Qian Daxin, Hui Dong, Duan Yucai, Gui Fu, Zhang Huiyan, Jiao Xun, and Du Mu Guohu, each had their own insights. However, they regarded their own views as correct and others as wrong, and did not communicate with each other. Therefore, I have compiled the views of these scholars and followed the good ones. Although I may not have exhausted all possibilities, if one also refers to what I discussed in my "Xue Yi Bi Tan," it will be almost complete.

乾，天。天不可見，以日月星辰見之。故蔡墨言“乾之六龍”，皆指星象。天行不可測，由地測之。故天無方無體，乾無方無體。坤，地。地為實質，有體可測，有方可紀。承天而時行，天之用皆著於地。而地代天終，時行物主，靜而有常。天地定位，法象備矣。

The image of the Qian trigram is Heaven. Heaven itself is invisible, and it is only through the sun, moon, and stars that it becomes apparent, so the "Six Dragons of Qian" mentioned by Cai Mo in the "Zuo Zhuan" refer to celestial phenomena. The movement of Heaven cannot be directly measured, so it must be observed from the ground. Therefore, Heaven has no fixed direction and no specific form, and Qian also has no fixed direction and no specific form. The image of the Kun trigram is Earth. Earth is a tangible substance with a form that can be measured and a direction that can be recorded. It supports Heaven and follows its timing, making Heaven's actions manifest on Earth. Earth completes Heaven's function by bringing forth all things in accordance with the seasons, remaining still yet maintaining a constant order. Heaven is above, Earth is below, their positions are fixed, and thus the trigrams derived from Heaven and Earth are complete.

艮，山。高於地者為山，地氣乃上通於天而云出也。一陽上覆，萬寶蘊藏，山之用也。兌，澤。下於地者為澤，天氣乃深入於地而龍潛焉。一陰外見，以陰涵陽，澤之用也。山澤通氣，上感下應，人生乃通乎天地。

The Great Image of Gen (Mountain) is mountain. Mountains rise above the earth, and the earth's energy rises to connect with heaven, causing clouds to arise from the mountains. The Gen hexagram has one yang line covering two yin lines, symbolizing the mountain containing all kinds of treasures within it, which is the function of a mountain. The Great Image of Dui (Lake) is lake. Lakes lie below the earth, and the heavenly energy penetrates into the earth, allowing dragons to dwell within. The Dui hexagram has one yin line emerging from two yang lines, symbolizing the nurturing of yang energy through yin flexibility, which is the function of a lake. Mountains and lakes are connected by their energies; above there is a response, and below there is a corresponding reaction. Human life is also connected to heaven and earth through this mutual response.

震，雷。雷伏地中，一陽奮出，萬象昭蘇。見天地之心，為乾之肖子，動萬物莫疾乎雷。巽，風。風行天下，陰陽相遇，品物咸章。風不可見，而無微不入。撓萬物者，莫疾乎風。雷風相薄，出入無疾。陰陽和，地天泰矣。

The image of Zhen (Thunder) is a thunderclap. Thunder lies hidden underground, and when a single yang force emerges forcefully, the appearance of all things revives. This is precisely what the hexagram Fu (Return) says, "Seeing the heart of heaven and earth." Zhen is the eldest son of the hexagram Qian (Heaven) in its initial interaction, and is most like the father, so the "Commentary on the Hexagrams" says, "Nothing moves all things more swiftly than thunder." The image of Xun (Wind) is wind. Wind moves across the world, causing yin and yang to meet each other, and thus all things become evident. Wind has no visible form, yet it penetrates everywhere, so the "Commentary on the Hexagrams" says, "Nothing twists and turns all things more swiftly than wind." Thunder and wind approach and push against each other, one emerging and the other entering without obstruction, and yin and yang harmonize, forming the situation of the hexagram Tai (Heaven over Earth).

坎，水。坎本坤體，故水性就下。陽含陰中，氣化為質，潤萬物者莫潤乎水。天一之精，萬物資生，資此坤中之一元也。離，火。離本乾體，故火性炎上。陰麗於陽，氣盛生光，萬物皆相見。其精為日，水火不相射而相逮，天地之大用備矣。

The trigram Kan represents water. Originally, Kan is formed by placing a single yang line in the center of the trigram Kun, hence water has a downward flowing nature. Yang energy is contained within yin, and when the energy condenses, it takes form. Therefore, the "Commentary on the Trigrams" says, "Nothing is more nourishing to all things than water." "Heaven produces water" (tian yi shui), water is the essence of the primordial yang from heaven. All things depend on it for growth, and this is precisely due to the original yang line in the center of Kun. The trigram Li represents fire. Originally, Li is formed by placing a single yin line in the center of the trigram Qian, hence fire has an upward rising nature. Yin is attached to yang, and when the energy is strong, it emits light, allowing all things to see each other. Its essence in the sky is the sun. Water and fire do not harm each other but can support each other, thus completing the greatest function in heaven and earth.

天地山澤雷風水火，為八卦之大象，《易》之本也。八卦相錯，因而重之為六十四。陰陽相交，變化以生。而象之變易，亦各因時位而異。而要不越此八者之範圍也。

Heaven, Earth, Mountain, Lake, Thunder, Wind, Water, and Fire are the great images of the Eight Trigrams, and they form the foundation of the Zhou Changes. The Eight Trigrams intercross in pairs, thus forming the sixty-four hexagrams. The interaction of yin and yang produces change. The transformation of the hexagrams varies according to the time and position they occupy. However, amidst all changes, they never go beyond the scope of these eight great images.

昔者聖人之作《易》也，觀象畫卦，近取諸身，遠取諸物，以通神明之德，以類萬物之情。而物各有所本，象以象物，亦莫不各有其本。故本象著焉。乾為馬。物性馬最健，得陽剛之精，晝夜不眠。房星為天駟七星之次，七星為馬，於辰為午，故馬為火畜。蠶馬首龍精，故馬蠶同氣。在天為龍，在地為馬，皆乾行也。

In ancient times, the sages composed the Zhou Yi, observing the forms and phenomena of things and drawing out hexagrams. Those close at hand were taken from the human body, while those more distant were taken from the myriad things in heaven and earth. They were used to connect with the virtue of the divine and to resemble the forms and conditions of all things. Since all things have their own origin, and hexagrams are used to symbolize things, each hexagram also has its own original image. Therefore, a section on "original images" was specially established. Qian represents a horse: among all things, the horse is the most vigorous. It receives the essence of yang, and does not sleep day or night. Among the twenty-eight mansions, the Fáng mansion is called "Tian Su," and it is closely followed by the Seven Stars. The Seven Stars in the star system belong to the horse, and are paired with the twelfth heavenly stem, Wu, which is associated with fire. Therefore, the horse is a fire animal. The head of the silkworm resembles the head of a horse, and both share the essence of the dragon, so the horse and the silkworm share the same vital energy. In the sky it is the dragon, on the earth it is the horse, both representing the manifestation of Qian's vigorous movement.

坤為牛。牛性柔順，屬土屬陰，不動即眠，起先後足，與馬相反。牛為大物，故物從牛。坤備萬物，故以牛象之。震為龍。乾變震為長子。龍雷同類，龍馬同種。馬八尺以上曰龍，龍陽物而生於純陰之地，震象也。

The hexagram K'un is symbolized by the ox. The ox is gentle in nature, belongs to the earth element in the Five Phases, and is yin in yin and yang. When it is still, it lies down and sleeps; when it rises, it lifts its hind legs first, which is the opposite of the horse, which lifts its front legs first. The ox is a large creature, so the character 'wu' (物) includes the radical for ox. K'un contains and embraces all things, hence the ox is used to symbolize it. The hexagram Zhen is symbolized by the dragon. The first line of the Qian hexagram combines with K'un to form Zhen, which represents the eldest son. The dragon and thunder belong to the same category, and the dragon and horse belong to the same kind; a horse that is over eight feet tall is called a dragon. The dragon is a yang creature, yet it is born in a purely yin environment of water and earth. One yang arises from two yins, which is exactly the image of Zhen.

巽為雞。雞善伏，《九家》曰“應八風也”。風應節而變，變不失時。雞時至而鳴，與風相應。故有風疾者禁食雞。雞將鳴，必動股振羽，故曰“翰音”。坎為豕。豕水畜。《傳》言星斗散精為彘，斗星坎地。朱氏曰：“亥為豕者直室也，坎之所自生也。”

The trigram Xun represents a chicken: chickens are good at crouching and incubating eggs. The "Nine Families Commentary on the Yi" says it "responds to the eight winds." Winds change with the seasons, changing yet not losing their timing; chickens also crow at the exact time, corresponding with the winds. Therefore, people suffering from wind-related illnesses should avoid eating chicken. Before a chicken crows, it must first stretch its legs and flap its wings, so ancient people called this sound "Hanyin," meaning the sound of high flight. The trigram Kan represents a pig: pigs are water animals. Ancient legends say that the stars of the Big Dipper spread their vital energy and transformed into pigs, and the position of the Big Dipper corresponds to the trigram Kan. Zhu Zhen said: "The earthly branch Hai is why pigs are associated with water, because Hai is located at the position of Shuxu, and Shuxu is where the water of Kan originates."

離為雉。雉文采象離。朱氏曰：“雉方伏時，東西風則復，南北風則去而不復。坎勝離也。”卜楚邱論明夷之謙曰“當鳥”。鳥者朱鳥也，離之次也。艮為狗。《九家》曰：“艮止，主守禦也。”艮數三，七九六十三，三主艮。斗為犬，故犬三月而生。斗運十三時日出，故犬生十三日開目。艮火之精，畏水不飲，而以舌舐，斗則以水解也。

Li represents the wild chicken: the wild chicken's feathers have splendid patterns, which correspond to the image of civilisation represented by the Li hexagram. Zhu Zhen said: "When the wild chicken is brooding eggs, if it meets east wind or west wind, it will return; but if it meets south wind or north wind, it will not return, which is due to the victory of Kan water over Li fire." In the "Zuo Zhuan," the diviner Chu Qi discussed the hexagram Mingyi and said "when the bird comes," referring to the bird as the Southern Alauda, which is the star position associated with Li. Gen represents the dog: the "Jiujia Yi" says, "Gen represents stopping, and is responsible for guarding and defense." The先天 number of Gen is three, and when seven and nine are multiplied, the result is sixty-three, of which the three belongs to Gen. The Big Dipper corresponds to the dog in starry phenomena, so the dog's gestation period is three months. The Big Dipper takes thirteen hours to move, so the puppy opens its eyes on the thirteenth day. Gen is the essence of fire, fears water, and does not drink, only licking with its tongue; as for the Big Dipper, it is water that neutralizes its dryness.

兌為羊。朱氏曰：“兌，說也，羊內狠者。二陽伏於一陰之下也。”項氏曰：“未為羊而主兌者，金生於土也。土旺則金生，故坤伏必於建未之月。”此所謂“遠取諸物”也。漢上朱氏曰：“說八卦本象也。”

The trigram Dui represents a sheep: Zhu Zhen said, "Dui means joy, and the sheep appears gentle on the outside but stubborn within, which exactly matches the shape of the Dui trigram with two yang lines hidden beneath one yin line." Xiang Anshi said, "Among the twelve earthly branches, Wei belongs to the sheep, but it is governed by Dui instead, because metal is born from earth: when earth is strong, metal arises. Therefore, the month of Wei (the sixth lunar month) must be when the hidden earth is present." This is what the Great Treatise says, "far-reaching reference to external things." Han Shang Master Zhu Zhen said, "These are explaining the original forms of the eight trigrams."

乾為首。首為眾陽所宗，乾尊在上故為首。《虞氏易》：“明夷九三得其大首，乾三之上也。”坤為腹。《正義》：“坤能包藏含容，故為腹。坤體中虛，亦象腹。”朱氏曰：“坤又為身為躬。按艮為身，言坤之變艮為背，則坤為腹也。”

Heavenly Stems: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui Earthly Branches: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai Trigrams: Qian (Heaven), Dui (Lake), Li (Fire), Zhen (Thunder), Xun (Wind), Kan (Water), Gen (Mountain), Kun (Earth) Glossary: The Correct Meaning of the Zhou Changes = Zhou Yi Zhenyi Kong Yingda = Kong Yingda Third Line = San Yao Nine in the Third = Ji San The Zhou Changes = Zhou Yi Yu Fan = Yu Fan Heaven is the head: the head is where the entire body's yang energy converges, and since Qian is noble and occupies the upper position, it is taken as the image of the head. Yu Fan's commentary on the Yi says: "The line nine in the third of Mingyi (Darkness) is said to 'gain the great head,' because the third line of Qian moves upward to the upper position." Earth is the abdomen: Kong Yingda's Zhou Yi Zhenyi says: "Kun can contain and embrace, so it is the abdomen; the body of Kun is hollow in the middle, which also resembles the abdomen." Zhu Zhen says: "Kun can also represent the body or the person." According to this, when Kun transforms into Gen, it becomes the back; since the back belongs to Gen, then Kun itself is the abdomen.

震為足。震動於下，故為足。震為乾初，健行，故稱足也。陽起自下，亦足之象。巽為股。《正義》：“股隨於足，巽順故為股也。”按：足動而股不動，隨足而動，故咸曰“執其隨”。巽下偶，亦股之象。

The trigram Zhen represents the foot: Zhen has a single yang line moving at the lower position, so it takes the image of the foot. Zhen is formed by the first line of Qian interacting with Kun, inheriting the quality of firmness and strength, thus being called the foot. The yang energy rising from below corresponds precisely to the image of the foot. The trigram Xun represents the thigh: The "Correct Meaning of the Zhou Changes" says, "The thigh moves with the foot; Xun has the meaning of following, hence it represents the thigh." Note: The foot is active, while the thigh itself is not active, but merely follows the foot's movement, so the line statement of "Xian" nine in the third says "to hold on to what follows." The Xun trigram has a single line at the bottom, which is an even line, and the middle is divided like the shape of two thighs, thus representing the thigh.

坎為耳。《正義》：“北方之卦主聽，故為耳。”按：坎陽涵陰中，故耳聰內。腎開竅於耳，腎水竭則耳聾，皆坎象也。離為目。《正義》：“南方之卦主視，故為目。”按：離陰麗陽中，故目明於外。心開竅於目，仍繫於腎而見於外，皆離象也。

The trigram Kan represents the ear: The Correct Meaning of the Zhou Changes states: "Kan is the trigram of the north, governing hearing, hence it represents the ear." It is explained that Kan consists of one yang line contained within two yin lines, so the sharpness of hearing is inward. The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon states that the kidney opens to the ear, and when the kidney water dries up, a person becomes deaf, which aligns with the image of the Kan trigram. The trigram Li represents the eye: The Correct Meaning of the Zhou Changes states: "Li is the trigram of the south, governing vision, hence it represents the eye." It is explained that Li consists of one yin line attached to two yang lines, so the brightness of the eye is outward. The Inner Canon states that the heart opens to the eye, and the clarity of vision still depends on kidney water, though it is manifested externally, which aligns with the image of the Li trigram.

艮為手。艮動於上，故為手。朱氏曰：“艮止者，動極而止也。震艮相反，行者必止，止者必行。疾走者掉臂，束手者緩行。”項氏曰：“李椿年號逍遙子，作《周易傳》曰：一身之榮衛，還周會於手太陰。一日之陰陽，昏曉會於艮時。在人其象為手。”按：此說最精。證諸《內經》，與震之為足，合觀方見。古聖“近取諸身”一節之玄妙精微，非僅以表面之動靜，合卦畫之陰陽已也。

The trigram Gen represents the hand: the single yang line in Gen moves at the top, so it takes the image of the hand. Zhu Zhen said: "The stopping of Gen is stopping after motion has reached its extreme. Zhen and Gen are exactly opposite: a person who is running must stop, and a person who is stopped must run. A person running quickly moves his arms, while a person with his hands tied moves slowly." Xiang Anshi said: "Li Chun, who took the name Xiao Yaozi, wrote a commentary on the Zhou Changes, stating: the human body's營气 and 卫气 circulate through the body and meet at the hand taiyin lung meridian. In a day, the yin and yang meet at the time of chou and yin, which are the times governed by Gen. In the human body, its image is the hand." According to this, the explanation is most accurate. Using the Huangdi Neijing to verify it, and combining it with the trigram Zhen representing the foot, one can truly understand it. The profound subtlety of the ancient sages' saying "taking near things from the body" is not merely comparing the surface motion and stillness with the yin and yang of the trigram images.

兌為口。鄭氏曰：“上開似口。”《正義》：“兌西方之卦，主言語，故為口。”朱氏曰：“艮為鼻。口鼻通氣，山澤通也。”此所謂“近取諸身”也。餘氏舒芑曰：“八卦之象，近取諸身者，六子以反對。遠取諸物者，六子以序對。四者易而坎離不易也。”

The trigram Dui represents the mouth: Zheng Xuan said, "The top line of the Dui trigram is broken, resembling an open mouth." The Correct Meaning of the Zhou Changes stated, "Dui is the trigram of the west, governing speech, hence it represents the mouth." Zhu Zhen said, "Gen represents the nose. The mouth and nose communicate breath, which is exactly what the Discourse on the Trigrams explains as 'mountain and marsh communicate through air.'" This is what the Great Treatise refers to as "drawing near to the body." Yu Shuqian said, "In the symbolic representations of the Eight Trigrams, the trigrams representing the body are arranged in reverse order: Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, and Dui. The trigrams representing external objects are arranged in order: Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, and Dui. Within these two sequences, the positions of Zhen and Gen, Xun and Dui are exchanged, while Kan and Li remain unchanged."

王氏夫之曰：“因此見人之一身，無非乾坤六子之德業所著。由此而推之血氣營衛箸骸皮肉之絡理，又推之動靜語默周旋進退之威儀，又推之喜怒哀樂愛惡攻取之秩序，無非健順陰陽之所合同。而乘時居位之得失吉凶，應之不爽。君子觀象玩占，而於疾眚之去留，言行動作之善惡，皆可因此以反躬自省而俟天命。”按：六十四卦，上下往來，象之變化無窮，要皆以大象本象為準，所謂萬變不離其宗者也。初學觀象，首宜反覆研求，必得其會通，而後始有變化之可言也。

Wang Fu-zhi said: "From this we can see that every part of a person's body is the manifestation of the virtues and achievements of the trigrams Qian and Kun and the six sons. From here we can extend to the circulation and structure of blood, qi, bones, flesh, and skin, then to the movements and stillness, speech and silence, and the gestures and postures of a person's demeanor, and further to the order of joy, anger, sorrow, and joy, as well as love, hate, choice, and rejection. None of these is not the combination of strength and firmness with gentleness and compliance, yin and yang. The gains and losses, good fortune and misfortune that a person experiences at a certain time and place are in perfect correspondence with these. A gentleman observes the trigrams, contemplates the divination verses, and can thereby examine the coming and going of illness and calamity, and the goodness or evil of speech and action, and thus reflect on himself and wait quietly for the mandate of heaven." Note: The sixty-four trigrams change endlessly as they move up and down, but all ultimately follow the principles discussed earlier in the sections of "Great Image" and "Original Image." This is what is meant by "a thousand changes do not depart from the root." Beginners studying the images should first thoroughly study these two sections. They must fully understand the fundamental images of the eight trigrams: heaven and earth, thunder and wind, water and fire, mountain and marsh, as well as the fundamental images of horse, cattle, dragon, chicken, head, abdomen, legs, and thighs. Only then can they talk about the changes of the trigrams.

《說卦傳》末章，先儒皆以為廣八卦之象，朱子《本義》謂多不可解。且按之於經，亦不盡合，故與《序卦》、《雜卦》皆不加註釋。漢上朱氏曰：“說重卦別象也。六爻變化，其象豈能悉盡，此凡例也。智者觸類而長矣。”

The last chapter of the "Shuo Gua Zhuan" was traditionally regarded by previous Confucian scholars as elaborating on the images of the Eight Trigrams. However, Zhu Xi in his "Zhou Yi Ben Yi" pointed out that most of its content is not clearly understandable. Moreover, when compared with the main text of the Zhou Yi, they do not correspond in all aspects. Therefore, Zhu Xi did not provide commentaries on this chapter along with the "Xu Gua Zhuan" and "Za Gua Zhuan." Zhu Zhen, a scholar from the Han Shang period, said: "This chapter discusses the images that emerged after the creation of the compound hexagrams. With six lines changing in myriad ways, how could the images of the hexagrams be fully listed? Here, it merely provides general examples. A wise person can naturally understand the principles and extend them to other cases."

彭申甫曰：“《說卦》篇，不與《繫辭》、《文言》一例。蓋聖人觀河圖而定八卦之方位，因以臚列八卦之象，其開章即著明卦之所由立，爻之所從生，而歸本於和順道德窮理盡性以至於命。又申明性命之理，不外陰陽剛柔。其在人則為仁義，而理之所以窮，性之所以盡，則不外乎順時而已。

Peng Shenpu said: "The chapter 'Say on the Trigrams' differs in structure from the 'Great Treatise' and the 'Discourse on the Literary Style'. The sage observed the Yellow River Chart to determine the positions of the Eight Trigrams, and then listed the images of each trigram one by one. It begins by stating on what basis the trigrams are established and where the lines come from, and finally returns to 'harmony with morality' and 'exhausting principles, fulfilling nature, and reaching destiny'. It also clarifies that the principles of nature and destiny are no different from the yin and yang of heaven and the firmness and flexibility of earth. When these two aspects are applied to human beings, they become benevolence and righteousness. And the reason why principles can be fully understood and nature can be fully expressed ultimately comes down to following the circumstances."

蓋聖人仰觀俯察，實見乎《易》之為道，無時無地而不在焉，無人無物而不賦焉。於是分別卦位之性情，而先以人道之廣生大生，推而至於窮神而妙萬物，近取諸身吾身則全乎《易》也。遠取諸物，則一物皆有一《易》也。

The sages looked up to observe the heavens and looked down to examine the earth, and thus realized that the principles of the Book of Changes are present everywhere and at all times, and that all beings and things receive them. Therefore, they distinguished the nature and disposition of each trigram's direction, starting from the broad and great generation of human affairs, and proceeding to explore the profound and mysterious workings that sustain and transform all things. By observing human bodies closely, one finds that one's own body is a complete Book of Changes; by looking at external objects more distantly, one finds that each object has its own Book of Changes.

然猶恐人之泥於物而滯於象也，更推而廣之，於一卦各立無方之象以盡其變，俾讀《易》者即象可以見《易》，即物可以求象，不滯於理而能妙乎理。此聖人繼天立極，所以上承羲文之畫之辭。所謂神而明之，不可為典要，唯變所適者也。故聖人假象以明《易》。自後儒執《易》以求象，而《易》反亡矣。”彭氏之言，可謂得觀象玩辭之通，為學者指南之針矣。

But the sages feared that people would be stuck in things and attached to appearances, so they further expanded, establishing various non-fixed symbolic images for each hexagram, to exhaust its transformations, enabling those who study the Book of Changes to see the Book of Changes through appearances and seek appearances through things, not being bound by rigid rules but skillfully applying its principles. This is precisely how the sages inherited the heavenly way and established norms, to carry forward Fuxi's hexagram drawing and King Wen's Great Treatise. It is exactly what the Great Treatise says: "To divine and make it clear," "It cannot be a fixed principle, but must adapt to change." Thus, the sages used images to explain the Book of Changes; since later Confucian scholars reversed this, using the Book of Changes to rigidly pursue a single image, the Book of Changes has thus been lost. Peng's words can be said to have explained the way of observing images and playing with words, serving as a guide for scholars.

乾為天。為圜(朱氏曰：圜者渾淪無端，周而復始也。按：不曰圓而曰圜者、以著渾淪圓轉，不滯不息之意也。鄭東卿曰：圜者數之本。)。為君。為父(君，群之長。父家之。長皆首出之意，人中之元也。)。為玉。為金(純粹以精，象玉。堅剛不屈，象金。物中之元也。)。

Qian represents Heaven. It is described as "huan"—a comment by Zhu Zhen says that huan means being complete and unified, without beginning or end, flowing continuously and returning to the start. Note: It is written as "huan" rather than "yuan" to emphasize the idea of being fully rounded and turning in a circle without stopping or resting. Zheng Dongqing says that huan is the fundamental principle of numbers. Qian represents a ruler and a father—comment: A ruler is the leader of a group, and a father is the head of a family, both taking the meaning of being the first to emerge among all things, the chief among people. Qian represents jade and metal—comment: Pure and refined, like jade; firm and strong without yielding, like metal; they are the chief among things.

為寒，為冰(乾位西北，時為十月，故有寒冰之象。)。為大赤(赤為周之色，故以首出之乾象赤。曰“大赤”者，以別於坎也。闢卦乾四月盛陽，赤亦盛陽之色稱焉。)。為良馬。為老馬。為瘠馬。為駁馬(良馬為乾之本象。來氏曰：“老，時變也。瘠，形變也。駁，色變也。”其說頗當。)。

The trigram Qian represents cold and ice—original note: In the Later Heaven arrangement, Qian is located in the Northwest, and it corresponds to the tenth lunar month, hence the image of cold and ice. Qian also represents a bright red color—original note: Red was the color favored by the Zhou dynasty, so Qian, which is the first to emerge among all things, is used to symbolize red. It is called 'great red' to distinguish it from Kan's 'red.' In the twelve trigrams of the gate, Qian corresponds to the fourth month, when yang energy is at its peak, and red is also the color of the most vigorous yang. Therefore, it is named red. Qian also represents a good horse, an old horse, a thin horse, and a horse with a mottled coat—original note: A good horse is the original image of Qian. Lai Zhide says: 'Old refers to change over time; thin refers to change in form; mottled refers to change in color.' This explanation is quite appropriate.

為木果(木之有果，生生不已。凡果皆圓，故取乾象。程子曰：“《說卦》於乾雖言為無，又言為金玉，以至木果，所謂類萬物之情也。故孔子推明之曰：此卦於天文地理為某，於鳥獸草木某於身體為某，各以例舉不盡言也。學者觸類而求之，思過半矣。”)。

Qian represents fruit on a tree—original note: A tree bearing fruit signifies continuous generation; since all fruits are round, it takes the round shape of Qian. Cheng Yi said: "The 'Say of the Trigrams' explains Qian as heaven, and also as metal and jade, and even as fruit on a tree. This is called 'understanding the nature of all things through their categories.' Therefore, Confucius further explained that this hexagram represents a certain thing in astronomy and geography, a certain thing in birds, beasts, grasses, and trees, and a certain thing in the human body. These are merely examples and cannot be fully listed. Scholars who can infer other cases from these examples will have thought through more than half of it."

坤為地，為母(父之配也)。為布(布有衣被天下之功。布者，播也。陽施陰布，與乾對也。)。為釜(《正義》：“取其化物成熟。”張氏曰：“釜者，化物而不化於物者也。”蔡氏曰：“虛而聚物，故為釜。”)。

Kun represents Earth, and also represents a mother—original note: a mother is the spouse of a father, corresponding to Qian which represents a father. Kun represents a cloth—original note: cloth has the function of covering the whole world and providing clothing for people. 'Cloth' also means to spread or scatter: yang is the one who gives, while yin is the one who spreads, which corresponds to Qian. Kun represents a cooking pot—original note: The Correct Meaning of the Zhou Changes says 'it takes the ability to transform living things and make them mature.' Zhang said: 'A cooking pot is something that can change other things but is not changed by them.' Cai said: 'It is hollow in the middle and can gather and contain things, so it is called a cooking pot.'

為吝嗇(朱氏曰：《易》言“吝”者，十二卦，十三艾，陽爻只居其三。蓋陰性翕而斂藏，故“多吝”。嗇，則吝之甚也。蓋坤之變象也。)。為均(地道均平。崔氏曰：“地生萬物，不擇善惡。”朱氏曰：“乾獨陽也，坤陰均之得平。”項氏曰：“吝，其靜之翕。均，其動之闢也。陶人制物之形者，謂之均。”亦此義。)。

Kun Represents Stinginess—Original Note: Zhu Zhen said that in The Zhou Changes, the concept of "li" (stinginess) appears in twelve hexagrams and thirteen lines, among which only three are yang lines. This is because yin's nature is to be reserved and concealed, hence it tends to be stingy. As for "sè" (meanness), it is the extreme form of stinginess. This is the changing image of Kun. Kun Represents Equilibrium—Original Note: The nature of the earth is to be impartial and unbiased. Cui Xing said, "The earth nurtures all things without distinguishing between good and evil." Zhu Zhen said, "Qian is purely yang, and Kun, with its yin nature, balances it, thus achieving harmony." Xiang Anshi said, "Stinginess is the gathering of Kun when it is still; equilibrium is the expansion of Kun when it is active. The wheel used by potters to shape vessels is called 'jun,' which means equilibrium." This is the same meaning.

為子母牛(坤為牛，重坤則子母牛。朱氏曰：“坤交離也，離‘畜牝牛’，母也。大畜艮坤之初為‘童牛’，子也。”)。為大輿(坤能載物。朱氏曰：“地方而載，輿也。動而直方，大也。故曰大輿。”)。為文(朱氏曰：“一剛一柔相錯成文。有天而後有地，一不獨立二，則為文天。一地二也。”)。

The Hexagram of Earth is associated with the mother and calf cow—original note: Earth is originally symbolic of a cow, and when Earth is superimposed upon itself, it forms a mother cow with a calf. Zhu Zhen said: "This refers to the interaction between Earth and Fire. The Hexagram of Fire states 'raising a female cow,' which refers to the mother cow; the line Six in the Fourth of the Great Accumulation Hexagram comes from the initial position of the Earth under the Mountain, and it states 'the yoke of a young calf,' which refers to the calf." The Hexagram of Earth is associated with the great carriage—original note: The earth can carry all things. Zhu Zhen said: "The earth is square and can carry things, which is like a carriage; when it moves, it is straight and square, hence called the great carriage." The Hexagram of Earth is associated with culture—original note: Zhu Zhen said: "Only when one yang and one yin intermingle can there be the beauty of culture. After heaven comes earth, 'one' cannot exist alone; it must be paired with 'two' to form culture, which means the concept of heaven one and earth two."

為眾(坤育萬物，眾也)。為柄(俞氏炎曰：“乾圓而曲，坤方而直。故有柄象。”崔氏曰：“萬物依之以為本。”)。其於地也為黑(黑，極陰之色，與乾對也。坤為地。又曰“其於地也”者，坤為黑，其於地乃其一耳。)。

Kun represents multitude — original note: Kun nurtures all things, symbolizing multitude. Kun represents a handle — original note: Yu Yanyin said, "Qian is round and turns, while Kun is square and straight, hence the image of a handle." Cui Jing said, "All things rely on it as their foundation." Kun on the earth is black — original note: Black is the color of extreme yin, contrasting with Qian's great red. Kun is originally earth, and here it is said "its manifestation in the earth," because Kun being black is merely one aspect of its expression in the category of earth.

震為雷，為龍(鄭氏曰：“龍讀為尨，取日出時色，雜也。”按：龍，乾象，而用則見之於震。)。為玄黃(玄黃，天地之離也。震為乾坤始交，故備乾坤之文。)。為旉(王肅曰：“旉，華之通名。”虞氏以旉為專，姚信“專，專一也”。《正義》曰：“春氣至，草木皆吐，敷布而生也。”按：旉者，陽敷於陰。)。

Zhen represents thunder and a dragon. The original note says: Zheng Xuan explained that "dragon" should be read as "mang," meaning the confused appearance of the sky at sunrise. According to the note: The dragon is originally the image of Qian, but its function is manifested in Zhen. Zhen represents the color of heaven and earth. The original note says: "Xuan" refers to the color of heaven, and "huang" refers to the color of earth. When heaven and earth mix and separate, they appear as xuanhuang. Since Zhen is the first combination of Qian and Kun, it possesses the colors of both Qian and Kun. Zhen represents fu. The original note says: Wang Su explained that "fu" is a general term for flowers; Yu Fan read "fu" as "zhuan," and Yao Xin interpreted "zhuan" as "exclusive." The Correct Meaning of the Zhou Changes said: "When the spring energy arrives, grass and trees all sprout, spreading out and growing." According to the note: "Fu" refers to the spreading of yang energy into yin.

為大塗(大塗，萬物所出，震卯兌酉，陰陽往來之路也。震為行，大塗充盡，震行之用者也。)。為長子。為決躁(程氏曰：“陰來陽必決，兌陽中，故決而和。震剛動不中，故決而躁。”)。為蒼筤竹(《正義》：“竹初生之時色。蒼筤，取其春生之美也。”)。為萑葦(朱氏曰：“萑葦，震之廢氣也。”張氏曰：“剛為竹，柔為葦。”)。

Zhen represents a great road (big path) — original note: A great road is the path through which all things are born. Zhen is located at the east, at the卯 position, and Dui is located at the west, at the酉 position, which are exactly the channels through which yin and yang pass. Zhen has the meaning of movement, and a great road is unobstructed in all directions, which is the manifestation of Zhen's function of "movement." Zhen represents the eldest son. Zhen represents decisive and impetuous action — original note: Cheng Yi said, "When yin comes, yang must decisively remove it. Dui has yang in the center, so it can decisively act in harmony; Zhen is strong and active but does not reside in the center, so it acts decisively and hastily." Zhen represents young bamboo — original note: The Correct Meaning of the Zhou Changes says that this refers to the color of bamboo when it first grows; using "canglang" is to express the beauty of spring growth. Zhen represents reed grass — original note: Zhu Zhen said, "Reed grass is transformed from the leftover waste of Zhen." Zhang said, "The strong is bamboo, the flexible is reed."

其於馬也為善鳴(朱氏曰：“《易》凡有震聲曰鳴。”程沙隨曰：“震分乾一體，故為馬。得陽之聲，故善鳴。”)。為馵足(京氏荀氏曰：“馵足，陽在下。”《正義》：“馬後足白為馵，取其動而見也。”朱氏曰：“下伏巽，故後足白。”)。為作足(虞氏曰：“馬白後左足為馵。震為左為足為作，初陽白，故為作足。”徐氏曰：“作足，雙舉前足也。”程氏曰：“與薄蹄反。”)。

The trigram Zhen represents a horse, specifically a horse that is good at making sounds. The original note says: Zhu Zhen said, "In the Zhou Changes, any trigram that has the sound of Zhen is called 'ming' (sound)." Cheng Jing said, "Zhen is divided from the essence of Qian, so it represents a horse; it possesses the sound of Yang, hence it is good at making sounds." Zhen represents a horse with white hind hooves. The original note says: Jing Fang and Sun Shuang said, "White hind hooves are the image of Yang lines at the lower position." The Zhou Changes with Correct Meaning says, "White hind hooves of a horse are called 'zhu,' because they become visible as the horse moves." Zhu Zhen said, "Zhen has hidden Xun beneath it, and Xun represents white, hence the white hind hooves." Zhen represents a horse with a hoof that is raised. The original note says: Yu Fan said, "White left hind hooves of a horse are called 'zhu'; Zhen represents the left side, the foot, and the action of raising, and the first line is Yang with a white color, hence it is called a raised hoof." Xu said, "A raised hoof is when both front hooves are lifted at the same time." Cheng said, "This is opposite to Kan's 'bo ti' (thin hooves)."

為的顙(朱氏曰：“乾為首，上發震爻為的顙。《傳》所謂的顱也。”虞氏曰：“的，白額。”)。其於稼也為反生(鄭氏曰：“生而反出也。”宋氏曰：“陰上陽下，故反生。”)。其究為健(究，極也。虞氏曰：“震巽相薄，變而至三，則下象究。其究為健為蕃鮮，與四成乾故。”參看《學易筆談》。)，為藩鮮。

The trigram Zhen represents a white-marked horse on the forehead. The original note says: Zhu Zhen said, "Qian represents the head, and when the Zhen line emerges above, it forms the white mark on the forehead, which is what the 'Transmission' refers to as 'white skull.'" Yu Fan said, "The term 'white' refers to the white mark on the forehead." Zhen, in the category of crops, represents reverse growth. The original note says: Zheng Xuan said, "When seeds sprout, they emerge upward from the top." Song Zhong said, "Yin is above and Yang is below, so it grows in reverse." Zhen "in the end becomes strong." The original note says, "Jiu" means to push to the extreme. Yu Fan said, "Zhen and Xun are close to each other, and when it changes to the third line, the lower trigram's image is exhausted; after exhaustion, it becomes strong and flourishing, because it combines with the fourth line to form Qian." See my "Notes on Studying the Book of Changes." Zhen also represents flourishing and bright growth of plants.

巽為木(朱氏曰：“震巽皆木。獨言於巽者，蕃鮮之時，震剛木，巽柔木。”)。為風(陸績曰：“風，土氣也。巽坤之所生，亦取靜於本而動於末也。”按：震巽陰陽始交，天感地應；震動則巽為風，而風之鳴仍為震。)。為長女。為繩直(翟氏曰：“上二陽，其正一陰，使不得邪僻，如繩之直。”按：索，繩也。陰陽交索，坤初素得巽，坤動而直，故為“繩直”。)。

Xun represents wood — original note: Zhu Zhen said: "Zhen and Xun both belong to wood. Here, the word 'wood' is specifically noted under Xun because it refers to the time when grass and trees flourish; Zhen is the hard wood, while Xun is the flexible and resilient wood." Xun represents wind — original note: Lu Ji said: "Wind is produced by the earth's qi. Xun is the daughter hexagram born from Kun, and it also takes the meaning of quietness at the root and movement at the tip." Note: Zhen and Xun are the first meeting of yin and yang; when heaven feels something, the earth responds. When Zhen moves, Xun becomes wind, and the sound produced by the wind still belongs to Zhen. Xun is the elder daughter. Xun represents a straight rope — original note: Zhai Shi said: "The two upper lines are yang, and the lower line, which is yin, is corrected to prevent it from leaning, just like a straight rope." Note: "Suo" means rope. Yin and yang interact and seek, and when Kun moves to the first line to obtain yang, it becomes Xun. Since Kun is able to become straight when it moves, it is called 'straight rope.'

為工(荀氏曰：“以繩木，故為工。”朱氏日：“天地變化萬物者以巽，而莫見其變化之跡，故巽為工。”木曰曲直。巽，德之制，工也。)。為白(萬物之色盡於七，巽齊萬物，七色和一，故為白。詳《學易筆談初集》)。為長。為高(陰伏於下，陽升於上，故為長為高。震巽初索皆稱長。獨著於巽者，震長而大，巽長而高，互文也。)。

Xun represents a craftsman — original note: Xun Shuang said, "Using a plumb line to straighten the timber, so it is a craftsman." Zhu Zhen said, "The transformation of heaven and earth and the myriad things relies on Xun, yet its transformation is not visible, so Xun is a craftsman." The Book of Documents, Hongfan, mentions "wood is flexible and straight"; the Great Treatise says Xun is "the regulation of virtue," and making and cutting are the duties of a craftsman. Xun represents white — original note: The colors of all things do not exceed the seven colors, and Xun can regulate all things, so when the seven colors are harmonized into one, it becomes white. See Xue Yi Bitan Chu Ji for details. Xun represents length and height — original note: Yin is hidden below, and Yang rises above, so it is both length and height. Both Zhen and Xun are the first things obtained, and can be called "length"; here Xun is specifically noted because Zhen is long and great, while Xun is long and high, with the two complementing each other in meaning.

為進退(荀氏曰：“風行無常，故進退。”按：巽居辰巳、辰五巳六，陰陽之中，進退之間也。)。為不果(或進或退，不果之象。乾為木果，巽變其初，故曰“不果”。)。為臭(虞氏曰：臭，氣也。風至知氣，巽二入艮鼻，故為“臭”)。其於人也為寡髮(鄭作宣髮。虞曰：“為白，故宣髮。”馬君以宣為寡髮，非也。《正義》“寡，少也。”)。

Wind represents movement forward and backward — original note: Xun Shuang said, "Wind has no fixed course, so it represents movement forward and backward." According to this, Wind is located between the trigrams Chen and Si in the Later Heaven arrangement. Chen corresponds to the number five and Si corresponds to the number six, which is exactly in the middle of yin and yang, and thus is in the position between movement forward and movement backward. Wind represents lack of decisiveness — original note: moving forward and then backward again indicates the image of lack of decisiveness. The trigram Qian represents fruit, and Wind is formed by the first line of Qian turning into yin, so it is called "lack of decisiveness." Wind represents smell — original note: Yu Fan said, "smell is the essence of air; wind can quickly discern smells, and the second line of Wind enters the nose, which is represented by the trigram Gen, so it is called smell." Wind represents sparse hair on the human body — original note: Zheng Xuan wrote "sparse hair," but Yu Fan said, "Wind represents white, so it is white hair." Ma Rong interpreted "sparse" as "sparse," which is incorrect. The "Zhou Yi Zhenyi" says, "sparse means few."

為廣顙(《正義》：“額闊為廣顙。二陽在上，故稱廣。”形見於巽而色著於震，亦互文也。)。為多白眼(虞氏曰：“巽白，離目向上，則白眼見，故多白眼。”)。為利市三倍(巽位居離與震之間，火雷噬嗑，“日中為市”。詳《學易筆談》。)。其究為躁卦(朱氏曰：“巽三變成震，震為決躁。”)。

The trigram Xun represents a broad forehead — the original note says: "A broad forehead is called Guangsang; the upper two lines of Xun are yang, hence it is called broad." The shape of the forehead is seen in Xun, while the color of the forehead is seen in Zhen (Zhen represents the forehead), and these two are mutually explanatory. Xun represents many white eyes — the original note says: "Xun has the color white; the trigram Li, which represents the eye, turns upward, revealing the white of the eye, hence many white eyes." Xun represents a threefold benefit in trade — the original note says: "Xun is located between Li and Zhen; Li and Zhen combine to form the hexagram Fire Thunder Shi Ke. The 'Great Treatise' mentions Shen Nong's 'market at noon,' which corresponds to the image of Shi Ke, hence Xun has the image of beneficial trade. See 'Xue Yi Bitan' for details." Xun's ultimate nature is the restless trigram — the original note says: "Zhu Zhen said: 'When the third line of Xun changes, it becomes Zhen, and Zhen represents restlessness.'"

坎為水，為溝瀆(虞氏曰：“以陽闢坤，水性流通，故為溝瀆。”)。為隱伏(虞氏曰：“陽藏陰中。”)。為矯輮(宋氏曰：“曲者更直為矯，直者更曲為輮，水流曲直似之。”)。為弓輪(乾為圓，坎得乾中爻，半規象弓，全規象輪。舊說多破碎，少可取者。)。

Kan represents water, and also represents ditches and channels — the original note says: Yu Fan said, "Using a yang line to split the body of Kun, water flows smoothly, so it is like a ditch." Kan represents concealment — the original note says: Yu Fan said, "Yang is hidden within Yin." Kan represents bending and straightening — the original note says: Song Zhong said, "To straighten a bend is called 'jiao,' to bend a straight line is called 'rou,' water flows with both curves and straight lines, just like these two processes." Kan represents a bow and a wheel — the original note says: Qian represents roundness, and Kan has the middle line of Qian, so half a compass resembles a bow, and the whole compass resembles a wheel. Most previous interpretations are fragmented and unsatisfactory, with very few being acceptable.

其於人也為加憂(《素問》：“金在志為憂，水在志為恐。恐則甚於憂，故曰加憂。”)。為心病。為耳痛(火臟在心，坎水勝之，故為心病。水臟在腎，開竅於耳。而水在志為恐，恐則傷腎，故為耳痛。)。為血卦。為赤(《正義》：“人之血，猶地之水也。赤，血色。”李鼎祚曰：“十一月一陽爻生，在坎陽氣初生於黃泉，其色赤也。”)。

The trigram Kan represents worry in the human body — original note: The Huangdi Neijing · Suwen says: "Metal governs worry in emotions, and water governs fear in emotions." Fear is a deeper form of worry, hence it is called "added worry." Kan represents heart disease and ear pain — original note: The heart is the organ associated with fire, and Kan water overcomes it, hence it represents heart disease; the kidney is the organ associated with water, and the kidney is connected to the ears. Since water governs fear in emotions, and fear harms the kidney, it causes ear pain. Kan represents the blood trigram and the color red — original note: The Zhou Yi Zhenyi says: "Blood in the human body is like water on the earth; red is the color of blood." Li Dingzuo says: "In the eleventh month, the first yang line begins to arise, which is in Kan. Yang energy is just beginning to rise from beneath the earth, and its color is red."

其於馬也為美脊(陽在中央，脊也。)。為亟亟心(荀氏曰：“極，中也。”坎居北子一位，剛動，故亟心。按：亟，古極字。)。為下首。為薄蹄(下首者上無陽，薄蹄者下無陽)。其於輿也，為多眚(眚，病也。虞曰：“敗也。”坤為大輿，坎折坤體故也。)。

The trigram Kan represents a strong back in horses — original note: a yang line in the center corresponds to the image of the backbone. Kan represents an impatient horse — original note: Xun Shuang said, "Extreme is the middle." Since Kan is located in the north, at the position of Zi, the central yang line is active, hence the impatience. Note: "Ji" is an ancient form of "ji." Kan represents a horse that lowers its head and has thin hooves — original note: lowering the head is because there is no yang line above; thin hooves are because there is no yang line below. In the category of carriages, Kan represents many defects — original note: "Sheng" means illness; Yu Fan interprets it as "ruin." K'un originally represents a large carriage, and Kan is formed by breaking K'un in the middle, hence the carriage has many defects.

為通(坤“黃中通理”，通於坎也。)。為月(《正義》：“月，水之精也。”按：乾陽流於坤，形如日之光被於月體，與離日對也。)。為盜(虞與孔疏皆以水潛行象盜。按：盜，寇也。水之蝕土，如盜之侵掠也。或云：盜與竊古訓通。竊淺也。)。，其於木也為堅多心(陽剛在中，故堅多心。)。

The trigram Kan represents communication — original note: The "Yellow Center" in the "Wenyan" section of the Book of Changes refers to "communication," which is precisely the direction of Kan. Kan represents the moon — original note: The "Zhouyi Zhenyi" states, "The moon is the essence of water." According to the commentary: The yang of Qian flows into Kun to form Kan, resembling sunlight shining upon the moon, forming a pair with Li, which represents the sun. Kan represents theft — original note: Both Yu Fan and Kong Yingda's commentaries compare water flowing secretly and invisibly to thieves. According to the commentary: Theft is equivalent to a bandit, and water eroding the earth is like bandits plundering. Some also say that "theft" and "steal" have similar meanings in ancient Chinese, and "steal" has a meaning of being shallow. In the category of wood, Kan represents firmness with many thoughts (heartwood is solid) — original note: Yang is strong and in the center, so the heart of the wood is firm and full.

離為火。為日。為電(在地為火，在天為日，陰陽相薄，則為電。)。為中女。為甲冑(上下皆剛，上為胄，下為甲。)。為戈兵(虞氏曰：“乾金離火煅之，故為戈兵。”《正義》：“取其剛在外以自捍也。”)。其於人也為大腹(乾為大，坤為腹。坤麗乾中，故曰“大腹”。)。為乾卦(詳《學易筆談》)。

Li represents fire, the sun, and lightning. The original commentary says: on the earth it is fire, in the sky it is the sun, and when yin and yang approach and interact, it becomes lightning. Li represents the middle daughter. Li represents armor and armor. The original commentary says: the two lines of Li are both strong lines. The upper line resembles a helmet, and the lower line resembles armor. Li represents spears and weapons. The original commentary says: Yu Fan said, "The乾 (Heaven) belongs to metal, and using the fire of Li to temper it, it becomes weapons." The Correct Meaning of the Zhou Changes says: "It takes the strength on the outside and the ability to defend itself." Li in the human body represents the large abdomen. The original commentary says:乾 represents large, and坤 (Earth) represents the abdomen. The Yin of坤 is attached to the middle of乾, forming Li, so it is called "large abdomen." Li represents the乾 hexagram (the dry hexagram). The original commentary says: see "Learning the I Ching Notes."

為鼈。為蟹。為蠃。為蚌。為龜(鄭氏曰：“皆剛在外。”虞氏曰：“取外剛內柔也。”朱氏曰：“鼈離交巽，巽巳為蛇，蛇或化鼈。為蟹者，巽交離也。蟹連兩目，重離也。為螺者，兌交離也。螺生於月，旋也。為蚌者，離交坎也。雀為蛤，雉為蜃，其類也。為龜者，坎交離也。龜遊山澤，出入水火，含神負智，得坎離之正。頤損益三卦皆然。)。其於木也為科上槁(宋氏曰：“陰在內則空中，木空中則上科槁也。”《正義》：“科，空也。”)。

The trigram Li represents turtles, crabs, snails, clams, and tortoises. The original commentary states: Zheng Xuan said, "These are all creatures with hard shells on the outside." Yu Fan said, "This refers to the meaning of being hard on the outside and soft inside." Zhu Zhen said, "Turtles are formed by the interaction of Li and Xun; Xun is at the position of the earthly branch Si, which is associated with snakes, and snakes sometimes transform into turtles. Crabs are formed by the interaction of Xun and Li; crabs have two eyes connected, which resembles two Li trigrams overlapping. Snails are formed by the interaction of Dui and Li; snails grow according to the waxing and waning of the moon, and their shells spiral. Clams are formed by the interaction of Li and Kan; ancient people said that sparrows entering water transform into clams and chickens entering water transform into mussels, which belong to this category. Tortoises are formed by the interaction of Kan and Li; tortoises move between mountains and marshes, entering and exiting between water and fire, containing divine wisdom and carrying knowledge on their backs, thus embodying the correct balance of Kan and Li. The trigrams Yi, Shen, and Yi all mention tortoises, and this is the same principle. Li, when associated with wood, represents a branch that is hollow and withered at the top. The original commentary states: Song Zhong said, "Yin is inside, so the tree heart becomes hollow; once the tree heart is hollow, the top becomes withered." The Correct Meaning of the Zhou Changes says, "Kuo means hollow."

艮為山，為徑路(徑路，小路也。卦有大小，震大艮小。震為大塗，艮反震，故為徑路。)。為小石(水雷屯“磐桓”。磐，大石也。震象艮反震，故為小石。張氏曰：“徑，小也。路，大也。萬物自此而入，故小自此而出。故大石之小者，有可轉之理，乃能動能靜者乎？”按：震陽長至艮而極，已寓必反之理，故艮象皆以反動為言。)。

Gen as mountain, as narrow path — original note: narrow path means a small path. Hexagrams have distinctions of big and small; Zhen represents big, Gen represents small. Zhen takes the image of a big road, while Gen is Zhen reversed, hence taking the image of a small path. Gen as small stone — original note: the first line of the Zhun hexagram, "Panhuan," refers to a large stone; that is the image of Zhen. Gen, being the reverse of Zhen, thus represents a small stone. Zhang said: "Jing means small, Lu means big. All things enter through this, hence it is called small; they exit through this, hence it is called big. Among big stones, the smaller ones have the nature of rolling, which is something that can both move and be still." Note: The yang energy of Zhen reaches its extreme in Gen, and within it there is already the principle of inevitable reversal, so all the images of Gen are established from the perspective of "reverse movement."

為門闕(虞氏曰：“乾為門。艮陽在門外。故為門闕。”按：先天艮處西北，闕之地也。)，為果蓏(張寞曰：“有核曰果，無核曰蓏。”宋氏曰：“木實為果，草實為蓏。”郭氏曰：“乾為木果。艮，乾之餘氣也。”)。為閽寺(俞氏曰：“艮以剛止外，衛內之柔。閽人止物之不應入者，寺人止物之不得出者。”按：因上門闕而類及也。)。為指(指者止也。項氏曰：“與堅多節同義。”)。

Geng represents a gate and pavilion - the original note says: Yu Fan said, "Qian represents a gate, and the single Yang line of Geng is placed outside the gate, hence it represents a gate and pavilion." According to the note: In the Earlier Heaven arrangement, Geng is located in the Northwest, which is exactly where palaces and pavilions are situated. Geng represents fruit and gourd - the original note says: Zhang said, "Those with seeds are called fruit, and those without seeds are called gourd." Song Zhong said, "Fruits that grow on trees are called fruit, and fruits that grow on grass are called gourd." Guo said, "Qian represents wooden fruit, and Geng is formed from the remaining energy of Qian." Geng represents gatekeepers and attendants - the original note says: Yu Yan said, "Geng stops the incoming path with its outer strong line, protecting the inner soft line. The gatekeeper stops those who should not enter, and the attendant stops those who should not leave." According to the note: This is a continuation from the previous image of "gate and pavilion." Geng represents a finger - the original note says: "Finger" means to stop. Xiang Anshi said, "This is the same meaning as the following 'firm with many joints.'"

為狗(虞作拘。注曰：“指屈伸制物為拘。舊作狗。”朱氏曰：“此言為狗者，熊虎之子。《爾雅》曰：熊虎丑其子狗，初生未有文，猶狗也。”馬融虞翻郭璞以兌艮為虎，艮居寅位，艮究成兌，故艮為虎子。)。

Geng represents a dog — original note: Yu Fan wrote 'ju', other annotations say: 'when the fingers bend and stretch, they can control external things, which is called ju; the old text wrote it as dog.' Zhu Zhen said: 'the dog here refers to the young of bears and tigers. The Er Ya says that the young of bears and tigers are called 'dog', as they are born without patterns, resembling dogs.' Ma Rong, Yu Fan, and Guo Pu all took Dui and Geng as tigers; Geng is at the position of Yin in the twelve branches (Yin belongs to the tiger), and when Geng reaches its extreme it becomes Dui, so Geng takes the image of the tiger's cub.

為鼠(虞氏曰：“似狗而小，在坎穴中，故為鼠。晉九四是也。”郭雍曰：“坎隱伏。在君子為隱，在小人為盜。艮之止，利則為狗，害則為鼠，皆一象而二義者也。”)。為黔喙之屬(馬氏曰：“肉食之獸，謂豺狼之屬。黔黑也，玄在前也。”程迥曰：“黔東北方之色，青黑雜也。”按：飛鳥之摯者，喙亦黔，不專指獸也。)。其於木也為堅多節(陽在外故堅多節)。

The trigram Gen represents a rat. The original commentary says: Yu Fan explained, "Its shape resembles a dog but is smaller, hiding in the cave symbolized by Kan, hence it is called a rat. The line 'Advancing like a shi mouse' in the hexagram Jin (Progress) is this symbolic meaning." Cheng Jiong said, "Kan governs concealment; for a gentleman, it signifies retirement, but for a petty person, it signifies theft. Gen governs stillness; when viewed positively, it is a watchdog, but when viewed negatively, it is a thief rat. These are the same symbolic meaning with two different interpretations." Gen represents black-beaked animals. The original commentary says: Ma Rong explained, "It refers to carnivorous wild beasts, such as jackals and wolves. 'Qian' means black, as black is prominent on the beak." Cheng Jiong said, "Qian is the color of the northeast, a mixture of blue and black." Note: The beaks of fierce birds are also black, so it is not exclusively referring to beasts. Gen, among the category of wood, represents something hard with many knots. The original commentary says: Because the yang line is on the outside, the wood is hard and has many knots.

兌為澤(虞氏曰：“坎水半見。”)。為少女。為巫。為口舌(古巫皆少女以口舌通神者也。故類及之。)。為毀折。為附決(二象之舊說繁而鮮當，實皆對象。毀折對艮而言，艮為成終成始，艮兌陰陽相反，故兌為毀折附決。對震而言，震為決躁。巽之究為躁，巽覆為兌，故兌為附決。)。

Dui represents a marsh—original commentary: Yu Fan said that Dui is a body of Kan water that only shows half of its surface. Dui represents a young woman, a shaman, and speech—original commentary: ancient shamans were usually young women who communicated with spirits through speech, so from the shaman one can associate it with speech. Dui represents destruction and breaking—original commentary: these two images, old interpretations have been complicated and rarely appropriate. In fact, they are both derived from the opposite trigram. "Destruction and breaking" refers to Gen: Gen signifies completion and beginning, and Gen and Dui are exactly opposite in yin and yang, so Dui takes the meaning of destruction and breaking. "Appendage and decision" refers to Zhen: Zhen represents decisiveness and restlessness, while Xun reaches its extreme and becomes Zhen, and Xun reversed becomes Dui, so Dui represents appendage and decision.

其於地也為剛滷(澤涸為地必為剛滷。今日內外蒙古之間沙漠延長萬餘里，西連新疆之戈壁，號稱萬里長沙，其左右地皆斥鹵，蓋為上古以前之大澤久涸成地，不知紀年，而滷質猶在。此確合兌為剛滷之象，甚易見也。曰剛滷者，更含有物質變化作用。以今日化學之分劑準其陰陽正負而研索，尤饒興味，當別論之。)。

The trigram Dui (Lake) is associated with the category of land, specifically as hard saline soil. The original commentary explains that when a lake or marsh dries up and becomes land, it necessarily turns into saline soil. Today, the desert stretching between Inner Mongolia and Outer Mongolia extends over ten thousand li, connecting westward to the Gobi of Xinjiang, known as the 'Ten Thousand Li Changsha'. The land on both sides of this area is entirely saline, which is likely due to ancient large lakes that dried up over a long period, the exact time being unknown. The nature of the saline soil remains. This perfectly matches the image of Dui representing hard saline soil, which is easy to recognize. The term 'hard saline' also implies a transformation of substances. If we apply the principles of element ratios in modern chemistry to compare its yin and yang positive and negative aspects for study, it would be very interesting and deserves a separate discussion.

為妾(《正義》：“少女從姑姊為媵也。”)。為羊(虞作羔，訓為女使。鄭作陽，謂養無家女行賃炊事，今時有之，賤於妾也。說另詳《學易筆談》。)。

The trigram Dui represents a concubine — the original commentary says: "A young maiden follows her aunt and older sister to marry as a bride's companion." Dui also represents a sheep — the commentary by Yu Fan says "lamb," referring to a servant girl; the commentary by Zheng Xuan says "Yang," meaning to take in homeless women and employ them for cooking, and such people still exist today, their status being lower than that of a concubine. For more detailed explanations, see "Learning the I Ching Notes."

右八卦為象，共百十有四。所謂舉例發凡，非物象之盡於此也。其例有互文者，有對取者，有類及者，有從變者。詳《學易筆談》。

The images represented by the eight trigrams total 114. This is merely an example to illustrate the method, not implying that all things in the world have only these images. The way of taking images has four types: some are mutual explanations between two places, some are taken from the opposite trigrams, some are extended from one image to related ones, and some arise from changes in the lines. See "Xue Yi Bitan" for details.