CHOUO KOUA / DISCUSSION ABOUT TRIGRAMS
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Sequence of Earlier Heaven or Primal Arragement
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Sequence of Earlier Heaven or Primal Arragement
All living things come forth in the sign of the Arousing. The Arousing stands in the east.
They come to completion in the sign of the Gentle. The Gentle stands in the southeast. Completion means that all creatures become pure and perfect.
The Clinging is the brightness in which all creatures perceive one another. It is the trigram of the south. That the holy sages turned their faces to the south while they gave ear to the meaning of the universe means that in ruling they turned toward what is light. This they evidently took from this trigram.
The Receptive means the earth. It takes care that all creatures are nourished. Therefore it is said: "He causes them to serve one another in the sign of the Receptive. "
The Joyous is midautumn, which rejoices all creatures. Therefore it is said: "He gives them joy in the sign of the Joyous."
"He battles in the sign of the Creative." The Creative is the trigram of the northwest. It means that here the dark and the light arouse each other.
The Abysmal means water. It is the trigram of due north, the trigram of toil, to which all creatures are subject. Therefore it is said: "He toils in the sign of the Abysmal."
Keeping Still is the trigram of the northeast, where beginning and end of all creatures are completed. Therefore it is said: "He brings them to perfection in the sign of Keeping Still."
(Click a trigram to learn more)
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The Creative is heaven, therefore it is called the father.
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The Receptive is the earth, therefore it is called the mother.
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In the trigram of the Arousing she seeks for the first time the power of the male and receives a son. Therefore the Arousing is called the eldest son.
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In the trigram of the Gentle the male seeks for the first time the power of the female and receives a daughter. Therefore the Gentle is called the eldest daughter.
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In the Abysmal she seeks for a second time and receives a son. Therefore it is called the middle son.
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In the Clinging he seeks for a second time and receives a daughter. Therefore it is called the middle daughter.
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In Keeping Still she seeks for a third time and receives a son. Therefore it is called the youngest son.
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In the Joyous he seeks for a third time and receives a daughter. Therefore it is called the third daughter.
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NOTE: This always the lowest line which determines the sex.
In the sons, according to this derivation, the substance comes from the mother-hence the two female lines-while the dominant or determining line comes from the father.
The opposite holds in the case of the daughters.
The child is opposite in sex to the parent who "seeks" it.
The light trigrams are the three sons.
The dark trigrams are the three daughters.
1. The light trigrams have more dark lines, the dark trigrams have more light lines..
2. What is the reason for this? The light trigrams are uneven, the dark trigrams are even.
The light trigrams are made up of the lines 7+8+8, or 7+6+8,
Or 7+6+6, or 9+8+8, or 9+6+6, or 9+6+8.1
Using the relevant numbers, the numerical values of the lines in the dark trigrams can be found in the same way. Hence the sum of the values of the lines in light trigrams is always an uneven number, and the line representing the uneven number [an undivided line] is therefore the determinant of the light trigram.
In the case of dark trigrams, the reverse is true.
3. What is their nature and how do they act? The light trigrams have one ruler and two subjects. They show the way of the superior man. The dark trigrams have two rulers and one subject. This is the way of the inferior man.
Where one alone rules, unity is present, whereas when one person must serve two masters, nothing good can come of it.
This truth is here more or less accidentally linked with the structure of the trigrams.