Hexagram (I Ching)


The I Ching book consists of 64 hexagrams.
A hexagram in this context is a figure composed of six stacked horizontal lines, where each line is either Yang, or Yin. The hexagram lines are traditionally counted from the bottom up, so the lowest line is considered line one while the top line is line six. Hexagrams are formed by combining the original eight trigrams in different combinations. Each hexagram is accompanied with a description, often cryptic, akin to parables. Each line in every hexagram is also given a similar description.
The Chinese word for a hexagram is "guà", although that also means trigram.

Types

Classic and modern I Ching commentaries mention a number of different hexagram types:
The most commonly known sequence is the King Wen sequence. A totally different sequence was found in the Mawangdui Silk Texts. The hexagrams are also found in the Binary sequence, also known as Fu Xi sequence or Shao Yong sequence.

Lookup table

Upper →
Lower ↓		乾 Qián

Heaven		坤 Kūn

Earth		震 Zhèn

Thunder		坎 Kǎn

Water		艮 Gèn

Mountain		巽 Xùn

Wind		離 Lí

Flame		兌 Duì

Lake
乾 Qián

Heaven		01


Force		11


Pervading		34


Great Invigorating		05


Attending
26


Great
Accumulating
09


Small
Harvest
14


Great
Possessing		43


Displacement
坤 Kūn

Earth		12


Obstruction		02


Field
16


Providing-For		08


Grouping		23


Stripping		20


Viewing		35


Prospering		45


Clustering
震 Zhèn

Thunder		25


Innocence		24


Returning		51


Shake		03


Sprouting		27


Swallowing		42


Augmenting		21


Gnawing Bite		17


Following
坎 Kǎn

Water		06


Arguing		07


Leading		40


Deliverance		29


Gorge		04


Enveloping		59


Dispersing		64


Before Completion		47


Confining
艮 Gèn

Mountain		33


Retiring		15


Humbling		62


Small Exceeding		39


Limping		52


Bound		53


Infiltrating		56


Sojourning		31


Conjoining
巽 Xùn

Wind		44


Coupling		46


Ascending		32


Persevering		48


Welling		18


Correcting		57


Ground		50


Holding		28


Great Exceeding
離 Lí

Flame		13


Concording
People		36


Intelligence
Hidden		55


Abounding		63


Already
Fording		22


Adorning		37


Dwelling
People		30


Radiance		49


Skinning
兌 Duì

Lake		10


Treading		19


Nearing		54


Converting the Maiden		60


Articulating		41


Diminishing		61


Inner Truth		38


Polarising		58


Open