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Skuo Kua / Discussion of the Trigrams

rosada

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I'm going to post the rest of what Wilhelm says about the family in the primary trigrams but please feel free to continue your discussion.
rosada
---

Here we note a difference between the Inner-World Arrangement and the Primal Arrangement with respect to the sex of the derived trigrams.

In the Primal Arrangement the lowest line is always the sex determinant and the sons are:
(1) Chen, the Arousing;
(2) Li, the Clinging, (the sun);
(3) Tui, the Joyous.
{These trigrams all have a solid line in the first position.}
In the arrangement shown in the diagram [fig.1 pg.266] they stand in the eastern half.

The daughters are:
(1) Sun, the Gentle;
(2) K'an, the Abysmal;
(3) Ken, Keeping Still.
{These trigrams all have a broken line in the first position.}
In the Inner-World Arrangement, therefore, only Chen and Sun have not changed in sex.
The diagram (figure 2 pg.269) shows the three sons to the left of Chien, the Creative, while K'un has the two elder daughters at the right and the youngest daughter at the left between itself and Ch'ien.
Wilhelm
 

rosada

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11. ADDITIONAL SYMBOLS

The Creative is heaven. It is round, it is the prince, the father, jade, metal, cold, ice; it is deep red, a good horse, an old horse, a lean horse, a wild horse, tree fruit.

Most of these symbols explain themselves. Jade is the symbol of spotless purity and of firmness; so likewise is metal. cold and ice are accounted for by the position of the trigram in the northwest. Deep red is the intensified color of the light principle ( in the text itself, midnight blue is the color of the Creative, according with the color o sky).
The various horses denote power, endurance, firmness, strength ( the "wild" horse is a mythical saw-toothed animal, able to tear even a tiger to pieces). Fruit is a symbol of duration in change.
Later commentaries add the following: it is straight, it is the dragon, the upper garment, the word.
-Wilhelm
 

rosada

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The Receptive is the earth, the mother. It is cloth, a kettle, frugality, it is level, it is a cow with a calf, a large wagon, form, the multitude, a shaft. Among the various kinds of soil, it is the black.

The first of these symbols are intelligible at a glance. Cloth is something spread out; the earth is covered with life as with a garment. In the kettle, things are cooked until they are done, similarly, the earth is the great melting pot of life. Frugality is a fundamental characteristic of nature. "It is level" means that the earth knows no partiality. A cow with a calf is a symbol of fertility, The large wagon symbolizes the fact that the earth carries all living things. Form and ornament are the opposite of content, which finds expression in the Creative. The multitude, plurality, is the opposite of the oneness of the Creative. The shaft is the body of the tree, from which the branches spring, as all life sprouts forth from the earth. Black is intensified darkness.
-Wilhelm
 

rosada

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The Arousing is thunder, the dragon.
It is dark yellow, it is a spreading out, a great road, the eldest son.
It is decisive and vehement; it is bamboo that is green and young, it is reed and rush.

Among horses it signifies those which can neigh well, those with white hind legs, those which gallop, those with a star on the forehead.

Among useful plants it is the pod-bearing ones.
Finally it is the strong, that which grows luxuriantly.
-Wilhelm
 

pocossin

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The Arousing is thunder, the dragon.
It is dark yellow, it is a spreading out, a great road, the eldest son.
It is decisive and vehement; it is bamboo that is green and young, it is reed and rush.
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The Arousing manifests as dark yellow in the lightning flash, as green in the bamboo sprout.

Among horses it signifies those which can neigh well, those with white hind legs, those which gallop, those with a star on the forehead.

They flash white, and the neigh is like thunder.

Among useful plants it is the pod-bearing ones.
Finally it is the strong, that which grows luxuriantly.
-Wilhelm

Some pod-bearing plants eject their seed explosively.
 

rosada

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Dark yellow is a mixture of the dark heavens and the yellow earth.

A "spreading out" (perhaps to be read "blossoms") suggests the luxuriant growth of spring, which covers the earth with a garment of plants.

A great road suggests the universal way to life in the spring.

Bamboo, reed, and rush are especially fast growing plants.

The neighing of horses denotes their relationship to thunder. White hind legs gleam from afar as the horses run. The gallop is the liveliest gait.

The seedlings of pod-bearing plants retain the pods.
- Wilhelm
 

rosada

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The Gentle is wood, wind, the eldest daughter, the guideline, work; it is the white, the long, the high.
It is advance and retreat, the undecided, odor.

Among men it means the gray-haired; it means those with broad foreheads; it means those with much white in their eyes; it means those close to gain, so that in the market they get threefold value.
Finally it is a sign of vehemence.
-Wilhelm
 

rosada

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I'm going to repost this paragraph with Wilhelm's comments along side as i think it makes it a little easier to absorb.
Pocossin, I hope you will add your insights!
-Rosada
 

rosada

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The Gentle is wood, wind, the eldest daughter,
{The first of these meanings need no further explanation.}

the guideline, work;
{The guideline belongs to this trigram in that it refers to a windlike dissemination of commands.}

it is the white,
{White is the color of the yin principle. Here yin is in the lowest place at the beginning.}

the long
{Wood grows long;}

the high;
{the wind goes up to great heights.}

It is advance and retreat
{Advance and retreat refer to the changeableness of the wind;}

the undecided, odor.
{indecision and the odor wafted by the wind belong in this same context.}

Among men it means the grey-haired; It means those with broad foreheads;
{Grey haired, scanty-haired people have a great deal of white in their hair.}

it means those with much white in their eyes;
{People with much white in their eyes are arrogant and vehement;}

it means those close to gain, so that in the market they get three-fold value.
{those who are eager for gain are likewise vehement,}

Finally it is the sign of vehemence.
{so that finally the trigram turns to it's opposite and represents vehemence, Chen.}

-Wilhelm
 

pocossin

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The seedlings of pod-bearing plants retain the pods.
- Wilhelm

This is unclear to me, but it may mean that the seedlings of pod-bearing plants -- as in the case of beans -- retain their seed coats. It can be a struggle for them to cast it off. Mature bean plants retain their pods, and as the plants mature and die, the seed dry and rattle in the pods. This noise making may be the basis of the association with the Arousing.
 

tuckchang

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This is unclear to me, but it may mean that the seedlings of pod-bearing plants -- as in the case of beans -- retain their seed coats. It can be a struggle for them to cast it off. Mature bean plants retain their pods, and as the plants mature and die, the seed dry and rattle in the pods. This noise making may be the basis of the association with the Arousing.

Zhen, among the useful plant (the corp) it is the pod-bearing ones: 反生 (fan3 sheng) in Chinese literally means to grow reversely, i.e. the sprout breaks through the shell but grows downward (into the earth), like the peanut ?

Regards
Tuck :bows:
 

Sparhawk

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Zhen, among the useful plant (the corp) it is the pod-bearing ones: 反生 (fan3 sheng) in Chinese literally means to grow reversely, i.e. the sprout breaks through the shell but grows downward (into the earth), like the peanut ?

Genius! I love the distinction you are making here. :bows:
 

pocossin

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Zhen, among the useful plant (the corp) it is the pod-bearing ones: 反生 (fan3 sheng) in Chinese literally means to grow reversely, i.e. the sprout breaks through the shell but grows downward (into the earth), like the peanut ?

Tuck, 反生 can't refer to the peanut because ancient China had no peanuts:

The peanut was introduced to China by Portuguese traders in the 1600s and another variety by American missionaries in the 1800s. They became popular and are featured in many Chinese dishes, often being boiled.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut

And even with the peanut, the green sprout from the seed grows upward. The peanuts, as I remember, develop at the tips of rootlets from the lower branches.
 

pocossin

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The Gentle is wood, wind, the eldest daughter,
{The first of these meanings need no further explanation.}

I could use further explanation. I can see why in the southeast -- the place of late spring and early summer, I suppose -- would represent wood because at that time plants make rapid growth and dominate the landscape, but the visual item is a puzzle. The bottom line could represent roots, and the top two lines branches.
 

tuckchang

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Tuck, 反生 can't refer to the peanut because ancient China had no peanuts:

The peanut was introduced to China by Portuguese traders in the 1600s and another variety by American missionaries in the 1800s. They became popular and are featured in many Chinese dishes, often being boiled.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut

And even with the peanut, the green sprout from the seed grows upward. The peanuts, as I remember, develop at the tips of rootlets from the lower branches.

Hi Pocossin,

I just gave an example of so called ‘reverse growth’ like the masculine line moving downward because two feminine lines stand still above it. Maybe the peanut is not a good example but the fact is that it differs from the other crops; the wombs (?) of its pregnant flowers penetrate the earth and grow the peanuts under the ground. To my knowledge, the peanut is planted by its root instead of its seed.

Regards
Tuck :bows:
 

pocossin

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Maybe the peanut is not a good example but the fact is that it differs from the other crops; the wombs (?) of its pregnant flowers penetrate the earth and grow the peanuts under the ground. To my knowledge, the peanut is planted by its root instead of its seed.

Yes, it is different. I grown a few in the garden but have never examined them closely. In plants the wombs are called ovaries, I think. I grow peanuts by shelling the pods and planting the seed.
 

Sparhawk

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Tuck,

Even if the peanut was anachronistic as an ancient Chinese example for a metaphor of what you tried to say, I understood the example. It also reminds me of bulb flowers, like Tulips or Amaryllis, where the roots stay in the soil, dormant for the winter and blooming in the summer.
 

tuckchang

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Hi Luis,

I thank you very much for the comment, and I always regard your comment as the one short but meaningful, as well as very encouraging.

Best regards
Tuck :bows:
 

rosada

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The Abysmal is water, ditches, ambush, bending and straightening out, bow and wheel.

Among men it means..

the melancholy,

those with sick hearts,

those with earache.

It is the blood sign;

it is red.

Among horses it means those with beautiful backs,

those with wild courage,

those which let their heads hang,

those with thin hoofs,

those which stumble.

Among chariots it means those with many defects.

It is penetration,

the moon.

It means thieves.

Among varieties of wood it means those which are firm and have much pith.
-Wilhelm
 

pocossin

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I like Legge's translation:

Khan suggests the idea of water; of channels and ditches (for draining and irrigation); of being hidden and lying concealed; of being now straight, and now crooked; of a bow, and of a wheel. As referred to man, it suggests the idea of an increase of anxiety; of distress of mind; of pain in the ears;--it is the trigram of the blood; it suggests the idea of what is red. As referred to horses, it suggests the idea of the horse with an elegant spine; of one with a high spirit; of one with a drooping head; of one with a thin hoof; and of one with a shambling step. As referred to carriages, it suggests one that encounters many risks. It suggests what goes right through; the moon; a thief. Referred to trees, it suggests that which is strong, and firm-hearted.
 

rosada

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The Abysmal is water, ditches, ambush
{The first of these attributes are again self-explanatory.}

bending and straightening out, bow and wheel.
{Bending and straightening out are implied by the winding course of water; this leads to the thought of something bent, of bow and wheel.}

Among men it means the melancholy, those with sick hearts, those with earache.
{Melancholy is expressed by the fact that one strong line is hemmed in between two weak lines, thus also sickness of the heart. The trigram signifies toil and also the ear. Pains in the ear come from laborious listening.}

It is the blood sign; it is red.
{Blood is the fluid of the body, therefore the symbolic color of K'an is red, though a somewhat brighter red than that of Ch'ien, the Creative.}

Among chariots it means those with many defects.
{ Because of its penetrating quality K'an, when applied to a carriage, is made to symbolize a broken down vehicle that serves as a wagon.}

It is penetration,
{Penetration is suggested by the penetrating line in the middle wedged in between the two weak lines.}

the moon,
{As a water element, K'an means the moon, which therefore appears masculine.}

It means thieves.
{Persons who secretly penetrate a place and sneak away are thieves.}

Among varieties of wood it means those which are firm and have much pith.
{The pithiness of wood is also connected with the attributes of penetration.}

-Wilhelm

Hmmm..I note he makes no further comment on why The Abysmal would represent horses "with beautiful backs, those with wild courage, those which let their heads hang, those with thin hoofs, those which stumble." Anyone know?
-Rosada
 

pocossin

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Hmmm..I note he makes no further comment on why The Abysmal would represent horses "with beautiful backs, those with wild courage, those which let their heads hang, those with thin hoofs, those which stumble." Anyone know?
-Rosada

Maybe the horse's back bends and straightens out as the horse runs. Also, the spine "goes right through" the back. A horse lowers its head when pulling hard and maybe when fighting. Horses with thick hooves are draft animals rather than racers. Those that stumble are dangerous because they may throw their riders.
 

rosada

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The Clinging is fire, the sun, lightning,the middle daughter.

It means coats of mail and helmets; it means lances and weapons. Among men it means the big bellied.

It is the sign of dryness. It means the tortoise, the crab, the snail, the mussel, the hawkbill tortoise.

Among trees it means those which dry out in the upper part of the trunk.

Where the various symbols are not self-explanatory, they are suggested by the meaning of fire, of heat and dryness, and further by the character of the trigram, which is firm without and hollow, or yielding within. This aspect accounts for the weapons, the fat belly, the shell-bearing creatures, and the hollow trees beginning to wither at the top.
-Wilhelm
 

pocossin

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. . . the character of the trigram, which is firm without and hollow, or yielding within. This aspect accounts for the weapons, the fat belly, the shell-bearing creatures, and the hollow trees beginning to wither at the top.

14.2 "A big wagon for loading." I suspect this expression derives from the two primary trigrams, representing a capacious wagon.

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rosada

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Keeping Still is the mountain;
it is a bypath; it means little stones,
doors and openings,
fruits and seeds,
eunuchs and watchmen,
the fingers;
it is the dog,
the rat,
and the various kinds of black-billed birds.
Among trees it signifies the firm and the gnarled.

A bypath is suggested by the mountain path and so are stones.
A gate is suggested by the form of the trigram.
Fruits and seeds are the link between the end and the beginning of plants.
Eunuchs are doorkeepers, and watchmen guard the streets; both protect and watch.
The fingers serve to hold fast,
the dog keeps guard,
the rat gnaws,
birds with black beaks grip things easily;
likewise, gnarled tree trunks possess the greatest power of resistance.
-Wilhelm
 

pocossin

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Many of the correlatives of are covered by the idea of 'stoppage'. For fruits and seeds, vitality is stopped and stored in the seed during the winter. In the same way, eunuchs are males whose maleness has been stopped. This idea occurs in 26.5 in "the tusk of a gelded boar."

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rosada

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The Joyous is the lake, the youngest daughter; it is a sorceress; it is mouth and tongue.
{The sorceress is a woman who speaks.
The trigram is open above, hence it denotes mouth and tongue.}

It means smashing and breaking apart;
the dropping off and bursting open of ripe fruits.
{It stands in the west and is therefore connected with the idea of autumn, destruction, hence the smashing and breaking apart, the dropping off and bursting open of ripe fruits.}

Among the kinds of soil it is the hard and salty.
{Where the lake has dried up, the ground is hard and salty.}

It is the concubine.
{The concubine derives from the idea of the youngest daughter.}

It is the sheep.
{The sheep, outwardly weak and inwardly stubborn, is suggested by the form of the trigram, as already mentioned. (It should be noted that in China sheep and goats are regarded as practically the same animal and have the same name.)}
-Wilhelm
 

pocossin

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The Joyous is the lake, the youngest daughter; it is a sorceress; it is mouth and tongue.
{The sorceress is a woman who speaks.
The trigram is open above, hence it denotes mouth and tongue.}

Wilhelm goes on to say:

It means smashing and breaking apart;
the dropping off and bursting open of ripe fruits.
{It stands in the west and is therefore connected with the idea of autumn, destruction, hence the smashing and breaking apart, the dropping off and bursting open of ripe fruits.}

I think relates to sorcery not just because of mouth and tongue but because of its connection to death. The sorceress possesses the ability to connect to the spirits of the dead, and they speak through her.
 

rosada

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Thanks for that insight about the connection between the sorceress and death, Tom!

Well that's Wilhelm's chapter on the trigrams. There is tons more on the subject in the Reading Circle archives for those who wish to pursue this further.

-Rosada
 
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rosada

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Learn

The "Learn" tab will also take a person to a veritable library of information about trigrams.
-rosada
 

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