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Gao Heng Method of Reading Changing Lines

AnitaS

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Noting the confusion over interpreting multiple changing lines, I thought I would share what I came across today regarding the Gao Heng method. He was a Chinese scholar who was known for his work on the modern interpretation of the Book of Changes.

1. All 6 lines change - consult the judgement of the changed hexagram
2. 5 lines change - read judgement of original hexagram.
3. More changed lines than lines not changed - see the text of the lines of the changed hexagram.
4. Less changing lines than unchanging lines - read the text of the changing lines of original hexagram.
5. If changing lines and unchanging are equal (3 each) - read judgements of both hexagrams
6.No changing lines - see judgement
7.1 line changes - see text of this line.
8.If no lines move/change - see judgement.
 

pocossin

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gao_Heng_(scholar)
-- with his picture

Gao Heng (Chinese: 高亨; pinyin: Gāo Hēng, July 29, 1900 - February 2, 1986) was a Chinese scholar who was known for his work on the modern interpretation of the Book of Changes.
Gao Heng was born in Shuangyang County, Jilin Province. In 1953, Gao joined the faculty of Shandong University as a professor. From 1957 onwards, he was also a part-time fellow of the Institute of Philosophy in the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 1967, he transferred to Beijing and specialized in ancient and classical literature research.
 

Tim K

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What's the point of rule #8?

Am I missing something or is it the same as rule #6.
 

pocossin

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What's the point of rule #8?

Am I missing something or is it the same as rule #6.

You are correct, Ash. Following the pattern, rule 6 should describe "When two lines change. . . ." Circe may have miscopied.

@ Circe. Where did you find these rules? The rules as posted are confusing.
 

bradford

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This is how Bent Nielsen describes it in his A Companion to Yi Jing Numerology and Cosmology

Gao Heng (1900-1986) also followed the traditional interpretation of the divination formula in his reconstruction of the divination method. Gao‘s point of departure is XI CI 1.8 from which he gets the number of Heaven and earth (see TIAN DI ZHI SHU), 55. In The Changes the moving yang lines are designated 9 and the moving yin lines are designated 6 which means that a hexagram exclusively made up of moving yang lines (like QIAN [1] ) may be assigned a numerical value of 54, i.e. 6 x 9. At the other extreme the hexagram KUN [2] has six moving yin lines which gives the value 36, i.e. 6 x 6, and between these two lie the numerical values of the remaining 62 hexagrams (static yang lines are designated 7 and static yin lines 8). By counting off the divination sticks as described in Xi ci 1.8, an ‗original hexagram‘ (本卦) is constructed, and the numerical value of this hexagram is subtracted from 55, the number of Heaven and earth (see TIAN DI ZHI SHU). The lowest outcome of this subtraction will be ‗1‘ (55 - 54 = 1) and the highest ‗19‘ (55 - 36 = 19); the result for the remaining 62 hexagrams will be between 1 and 19. Gao uses the result of this subtraction to locate the moving line—and thus the ‗derivative hexagram‘—by counting through the lines of the hexagram starting from below. When he reaches the top line on 6, he proceeds downwards again counting the top twice and reaching the bottom line on 12 after which he again reverses direction counting the bottom line twice and reaching the top line on 18. Next, Gao outlines the directions for how to interpret the twelve possible outcomes: The original hexagram may have from zero to six changing lines, and the counting through the hexagram lines with the result of the hexagram‘s assigned numerical value subtracted from 55 may either arrive at a changing line or a static line, thus:
 Ø changing lines: Consult the The Deciding Remarks.
 1 changing line:
A. Arriving at the changing line: Consult The Line Remarks of the changing line of the original hexagram.
B. Arriving at a static line: Consult the The Deciding Remarks of the original hexagram.
 2 changing lines:
A. Arriving at a changing line: Consult The Line Remarks of the changing line arrived at of the original hexagram.
B. Arriving at a static line: Consult the The Deciding Remarks of the original hexagram.
 3 changing lines:
A. Arriving at a changing line: Consult The Line Remarks of the changing line arrived at of the original hexagram.
B. Arriving at a static line: Consult the The Deciding Remarks of both the original hexagram and the derivative hexagram.
 4 changing lines:
A. Arriving at a changing line: Consult The Line Remarks of the changing line arrived at of the original hexagram.
B. Arriving at a static line: Consult the The Deciding Remarks of the derivative hexagram.
 5 changing lines:
A. Arriving at a changing line: Consult The Line Remarks of the changing line arrived at of the original hexagram.
B. Arriving at a static line: Consult the The Deciding Remarks of the derivative hexagram.
 6 changing lines: In the cases of QIAN [1] and KUN [2], consult the 7th Line Remarks of the original hexagram. As to the remaining 62 hexagrams, consult the The Deciding Remarks of the derivative hexagram.
There is textual evidence for only two of the twelve possibilities outlined above [Gao Heng 1963, 118].
 

AnitaS

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You are correct, Ash. Following the pattern, rule 6 should describe "When two lines change. . . ." Circe may have miscopied.

@ Circe. Where did you find these rules? The rules as posted are confusing.

Whoops. Right. That's just typed again by mistake. I found this info in a book called The Book of Changes and the Unchanging Truth by Hua-Ching Ni - fascinating stuff. Thanks Bradford for the added info.
 

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