he bagua (Chinese: ; literally: "eight symbols") are eight trigrams used in daoist

cosmology to represent the fundamental principles of reality, seen as a range of eight

interrelated concepts. Each consists of three lines, each line either "broken" or
"unbroken," representing yin or yang, respectively. Due to their tripartite structure, they
are often referred to as "trigrams" in English.
The trigrams are related to taiji philosophy, taijiquan and the wu xing, or "five elements".
[1] The relationships between the trigrams are represented in two arrangements, the
Primordial (), "Earlier Heaven"[2] or "Fu Xi" bagua (), and the
Manifested (), "Later Heaven,"[2] or "King Wen" bagua. The trigrams have
correspondences in astronomy, astrology, geography, geomancy, anatomy, the family,
and elsewhere.[3][4]
The ancient Chinese classic, I Ching (Pinyin: Yi Jing), consists of the 64 pairwise
permutations of trigrams, referred to as "hexagrams", along with commentary on each
one.

Contents

1 Trigrams
2 Relation to other Principles
o

3 Fu Xi "Earlier Heaven"
4 King Wen "Later Heaven"
5 Bagua used in Feng Shui
o
o
o
o

2.1 Hexagram lookup table

5.1 Xiantian Bagua

5.2 Houtian Bagua
5.3 Bagua of the eight aspirations
5.4 Bagua map

6 In popular culture
7 See also
8 References
9 External links

Trigrams
BguThe eight trigrams
Qin
Du
L Zhn Xn Kn Gn Kn

Heaven/Sky Lake/Marsh Fire

Thunder Wind
Water
Mountain Earth
Tin
() Z
Hu Li
() Shu Shn D

Fng

Relation to other Principles

Derivation of the bagua
There are two possible sources
of bagua. The first is from
traditional Yin and Yang
philosophy. This is explained by
Fuxi in the following way:

;
:

Translation:
The Limitless (; wuji) produces the delimited (; youji),
and this demarcation is equivalent to the Absolute (; taiji).
The Taiji produces two forms, named yin and yang (; yinyang);
These two forms produce four phenomena: named lesser yin (,
shaoyin), greater yin (; taiyin, which also refers to the
Moon), lesser yang (, shaoyang), and greater yang (;
taiyang, which also refers to the Sun).
The four phenomena (; sxing) act on the eight trigrams (;
bagua).
Eight 'eights' results in sixty-four hexagrams.
Another possible source of bagua is the following, attributed to King Wen of Zhou
Dynasty: "When the world began, there was heaven and earth. Heaven mated with the
earth and gave birth to everything in the world. Heaven is Qian-gua, and the Earth is
Kun-gua. The remaining six gua are their sons and daughters".
The trigrams are related to the five elements of wu xing, used by feng shui practitioners
and in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Those five elements are wood, fire, earth, metal,
and water. The Water (Kan) and Fire (Li) trigrams correspond directly with the Water and
Fire elements. The element of Earth corresponds with both the trigrams of Earth (Kun)
and Mountain (Gen). The element of Wood corresponds with the trigrams of Wind (Xun)
(as a gentle but inexorable force that can erode and penetrate stone) and Thunder (Zhen).
The element of Metal corresponds with the trigrams of Heaven (Qian) and Lake (Dui).
There are eight possible combinations to render the various trigrams ( bgu):

possi
Trigr ble
am Bina Na
Figur ry
me
e
Valu
e

111

qi
n

Imag
Bod
Transla e in Direc Family
Attribu Stage/ Anim
y
tion: Natur tion Relatio
te
State
al
Part
Wilhel
e
(p. 26 nship
(p. 273 (pp.l- (p. 2
(p. 2
m[5] (pp.l9)
(p. 274)
)
li)
73)
74)
li)
the
Creativ
e,
Force

heave
n,
north
sky
west

head strong

creativ
e
horse

west

third
mou
daughte
th
r

tranqu
il

pleasur (comp
sheep
e
lete
, goat
devoti
on)

south

second
daughte eye
r

clingi
light
ng,
giving,
clarity, pheas
depend
adapta ant
ence
ble

first son foot

incitin

g
initiati
drago
movem ve
n
ent

first
thig
daughte
h
r

gentle
penetra
entran
ting
ce

water
north

second
son

ear

danger
ous

moun
north
tain
east

third
son

resting,
compl
hand standetion
still

mother

devote
d,
recepti
belly
yieldin ve
cow
g

du

the
lake
Joyous,

Open

101

the
Clingin
fire
g,

Radian
ce

100

zh
n

the
Arousi
ng,
Shake

011

the

wind
Gentle,

xn
Ground

010

the
Abysm
kn al,
Gorge

001

Keepin

g Still,
gn
Bound

000

the
Recepti earth

kn ve,
Field

110

father

thund
er
east

south
east

south
west

inmotio
n

fowl

pig

wolf,
dog

Hexagram lookup table

Upper
Qin
Lower Heaven

Qin 01
Heaven

Zhn 25
Thunder

Kn
06
Water

Gn
33
Mountain

Kn
12
Earth

Xn
44
Wind

L
13
Flame

Du
10
Lake

Zhn Kn Gn
Kn Xn L
Thunder Water
Mountain Earth
Wind
Flame

Du
Lake

34

05

26

11

09

14

43

51

03

27

24

42

21

17

40

29

04

07

59

64

47

62

39

52

15

53

56

31

16

08

23

02

20

35

45

32

48

18

46

57

50

28

55

63

22

36

37

30

49

54

60

41

19

61

38

58

Fu Xi "Earlier Heaven"
Fuxi "Earlier Heaven" bagua
arrangement

Name Nature Season Personality

Family
Creative
Father
Qin

Sky
Summer
(Heaven)

Xn Wind

Summer Gentle

Direction

Meaning
Expansive
energy, the sky.
South For further
information,
see tin.
EldestDaughter
Gentle
Southwest penetration,

Kn Water Autumn Abysmal

Gn

Autumn Still
Mountain

Kn Earth Winter Receptive

MiddleSon

West

YoungestSon

Northwest

Mother

North

Zhn

Winter Arousing
Thunder

EldestSon

Northeast

Fire

Spring Clinging

Middle
Daughter

East

Spring Joyous

Youngest
Daughter

Southeast

Du Lake

flexibility.
Danger, rapid
rivers, the
abyss, the
moon.
Stillness,
immovability.
Receptive
energy, that
which yields.
For further
information,
see d.
Excitation,
revolution,
division.
Rapid
movement,
radiance, the
sun.
Joy,
satisfaction,
stagnation.

King Wen "Later Heaven"

King Wen "Later Heaven" bagua
arrangement

Name Nature Season Personality

Family
Clinging
Middle
Daughter
Li Fire Summer

Kun Earth Summer Receptive

Mother

Dui Lake

Youngest
Daughter

Autumn Joyous

Autumn Creative
Heaven
Kan Water Winter Abysmal
Qian

Father
MiddleSon

Direction

Meaning
Rapid
movement,
South
radiance, the
sun.
Receptive

energy, that
Southwest
which yields.
Joy,
West satisfaction,
stagnation.

Expansive
Northwest energy, the sky.
North Danger, rapid
rivers, the

Gen

Winter Still
Mountain

Zhen

Spring Arousing
Thunder

Xun Wind Spring Gentle

abyss, the
moon.

Stillness,
YoungestSon
Northeast immovability.
Excitation,
EldestSon
East
revolution,
division.
Gentle

EldestDaughter
penetration,
Southeast
flexibility.

Bagua used in Feng Shui

The Bagua is an essential tool in the majority of Feng Shui schools. The Bagua used in
Feng shui can appear in two different versions: the Earlier Heaven Bagua, used for burial
sites and the Later Heaven Bagua, used for the residences.

Xiantian Bagua
In Xiantian Bagua, also known as Fu Xi Bagua or Earlier Heaven Bagua, the Heaven is in
the higher part and the Earth is in the lower part. The trigram Qian (Heaven) is at the top,
the trigram Kun (Earth) is at the bottom (in the past, the South was located at the top in
Chinese maps). The trigram Li (Fire) is located on the left and opposite to it is the trigram
Kan (Water). Zhen (Thunder) and Xun (Wind) form another pair, while being one
opposite the other, the first on the bottom left next to Li while the second is next to Qian
on the top right of the Bagua. Gen (Mountain) and Dui (Lake) form the last pair, one
opposite the other, both in balance and harmony. The adjustment of the trigrams is
symmetrical by forming exact contrary pairs. They symbolize the opposite forces of Yin
and Yang and represent an ideal state, when everything is in balance.

Houtian Bagua
The sequence of the trigrams in Houtian Bagua, also known as the Bagua of King Wen or
Later Heaven Bagua, describes the patterns of the environmental changes. Kan is placed
downwards and Li at the top, Zhen in the East and Dui in the West. Contrary to the
Earlier Heaven Bagua, this one is a dynamic Bagua where energies and the aspects of
each trigram flow towards the following. It is the sequence used by the Luo Pan compass
which is used in Feng Shui to analyze the movement of the Qi that affects us.

Bagua of the eight aspirations

Feng shui was made very popular in the Occident thanks to the Bagua of the eight
aspirations. Each trigram corresponds to an aspect of life which, in its turn, corresponds
to one of the cardinal directions. Applying feng shui using the Bagua of the eight
aspirations made it possible to simplify feng shui and to bring it within the reach of

everyone. The Masters of traditional feng shui call it Neo Feng Shui, for its simplicity,
because it does not take into account the forms of the landscape or the temporal influence
or the annual cycles. The Bagua of the eight aspirations is divided into two branches: the
first, which uses the compass and cardinal directions, and the second, which uses the
Bagua by using the main door. It is clear that, not taking into account the cardinal
directions, the second is even more simplified.

Bagua map
A bagua map is a tool used in modern forms of feng shui to map a room or location and
see how the different sections correspond to different aspects in one's life. These sections
are believed to relate to every area or aspect of life and are divided into such categories
as: fame, relationships/marriage, children/creativity, helpful people/travel, career, inner
knowledge, family/ancestors/health, and wealth/blessings.
In this system, the map is intended to be used over the land, one's home, office or desk to
find areas lacking good chi, and to show where there are negative or missing spaces that
may need rectifying or enhancing in life or the environment.
For example, if the bagua grid is placed over the entire house plan and it shows the toilet,
bathroom, laundry, or kitchen in the wealth/blessings area it would be considered that the
money coming into that particular environment would disappear very fast, as if to be
'going down the drain.'

In popular culture
A Tibetan "Mystic Tablet"
containing the Eight Trigrams on
top of a large tortoise
(presumably, alluding to the
animal that presented them to
Fu Xi), along with the 12 signs
of Chinese zodiac, and a
smaller tortoise carrying the Lo
Shu Square on its shell
Film
The Filipino horror film Feng Shui is about a cursed Bagua mirror that involves a
person getting killed in a way that relates to their Chinese zodiac if they stare at
the Bagua mirror.
In the film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Snake-Eyes has the Bagua symbols for
water and fire printed on the arm of his uniform, since the original comics had the
same symbols as the arm tattoo used by members of the Arashikage clan (SnakeEyes and Storm Shadow's clan).
In the 2010 remake of The Karate Kid, the matches in the final contest sequence
take place on large circular Bagua arrangements that delimit the combat area.

In the John Woo historical movie, Red Cliff, Dong Wu Princess Sun Shang Xiang
baited a Cao general and his entire cavalry unit into a Bagua formation, which
was set up by Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu as a counter-attack to Cao Cao's intended
ambush on Red Cliff Fortress.

Television
In Jackie Chan Adventures, the trigrams are each written on a face of the Pan'ku
Box and each of the trigrams represent their own demon sorcerer with
corresponding nature.
The television series Lost incorporated the Bagua into the logos for the DHARMA
Initiative.
Cartoons, manga and anime
In the cartoon series Avatar: The Last Airbender, Airbending is based on Bagua.
The Bagua appears again on Air Temple Island in Avatar's sequel series The
Legend of Korra.
In the manga and anime Naruto, the Hyuga clan's main attack is the Eight
Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
In the anime Cowboy Bebop episode "Boogie Woogie Feng Shui", the device that
Maefa uses with the sunstone contains trigrams from the Bagua.
Games

In Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb, there is a level where the player is
tasked with solving a puzzle based on the Earlier Heaven Bagua.
Ling Xiaoyu, a character from the Tekken series, uses various forms of Chinese
martial arts, Bagua being one of those styles.
In Touhou Project, a bullet hell series, the character Marisa Kirisame uses a "miniHakkero" with one of the Bagua diagrams on it.
In Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires, the main menu uses the "Earlier Heaven" Bagua
arrangement as the "floor" for the selections.
In Elsword, the character Ara Haan receives a skill called "Eight Trigram Palm"
(or "Double Collision") upon advancing to a "Little Hsien".
In Battlefield 4, many trigrams are found on the four maps of the "Dragon's Teeth"
expansion pack. Some players believe the trigrams could be used to decrypt the
password that will unlock the "Phantom Initiate" assignment.
In Blade & Soul, Bagua are used as accessories to increase players' stats. They are
found throughout the game in tiles and a complete Bagua is made by combining
eight tiles.

Music

The 8 Diagrams, an album released by The Wu-Tang Clan in 2007, features an

adaptation of the Bagua map on its cover.
Marilyn Manson's 8th studio album, "Born Villain", makes extensive visual use of
the trigrams.[citation needed]
Blur's 8th album, 2015's The Magic Whip, features the FuXi arrangement on its
rear sleeve.

Hexagram 50 is featured in the cover of Future Days by Can.[6]

Other

The Unicode character set has characters for each of the eight trigrams at
codepoints U+2630 to U+2637:[7] ( ).

See also

Flag of South Korea: the Taegeuk flag.

Singapore dollar: the one dollar coin is shaped like a bagua.
Flag of South Vietnam: a trigram representing "south".
Baguazhang: a martial art based on principles derived from bagua.
Taijiquan: the Taoist martial art that uses bagua principles.
Tian gan and Di zhi: the archaic calendar system of East Asia.
Tekes County, a planned community with a shape of a bagua.

References
1.
CHEN, Xin (tr. Alex Golstein). The Illustrated Canon of Chen Family Taijiquan,
INBI Matrix Pty Ltd, 2007. page 11. (accessed on Scribd.com, December 14, 2009.)
Wilhelm, Richard (1950). The I Ching or Book of Changes. translated by Cary F.
Baynes, forward by C. G. Jung, preface to 3rd ed. by Hellmut Wilhelm (1967). Princeton,
NJ: Princeton University Press. pp. 266, 269. ISBN 069109750X.
TSUEI, Wei. Roots of Chinese culture and medicine Chinese Culture Books Co.,
1989.
ZONG, Xiao-Fan and Liscum, Gary. Chinese Medical Palmistry: Your Health in
Your Hand, Blue Poppy Press, 1999.
Wilhelm, R. & Baynes, C., (1967): "The I Ching or Book of Changes", With
foreword by Carl Jung, Introduction, Bollingen Series XIX, Princeton University Press,
(1st ed. 1950)
http://www.discogs.com/Can-Future-Days/master/11765 (see the picture)
1. http://unicode.org/charts/PDF/U2600.pdf

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ba Gua .

Malaysia Iching Net

The Spiritual Feng Shui
Kheper.net on the trigrams
Bagua
The oirigin of Bazhai Feng Shui based on the Bagua

Categories:
Chinese words and phrases
Esoteric cosmology
I Ching
Symbolism
Taoist cosmology

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