Detailed Explanation of Five Elements in Liuyao Hexagrams

Introduction

The core of Liuyao divination lies in understanding the Five Elements attributes of hexagram palaces. In the Liuyao system, each hexagram belongs to one of eight palaces, and this palace determines the Five Elements attribute used when calculating the Six Relatives (Liuqin).

It's important to note that the Five Elements attribute of the hexagram palace is a different concept from the hexagram lines themselves. For example, "Fire over Earth Jin" hexagram has Fire above and Earth below in its lines, but it belongs to the Qian Palace and is treated as Metal in the Six Relatives arrangement.

This article will provide a detailed introduction to the hexagram palace Five Elements system in Liuyao divination, including the Five Elements attributes of the Eight Palaces, their underlying principles, and methods of determination. This is essential knowledge for learning Liuyao divination.

Basic Knowledge of Five Elements

Five Elements Mutual Generation

The Five Elements mutual generation refers to the mutually promoting relationships among the Five Elements:

Wood generates Fire: Wood can burn to create fire
Fire generates Earth: Fire burns and becomes ash, returning to earth
Earth generates Metal: Earth contains metal ores
Metal generates Water: Metal melts to become liquid
Water generates Wood: Water nourishes tree growth

Five Elements Mutual Restraint

The Five Elements mutual restraint refers to the mutually controlling relationships among the Five Elements:

Wood restrains Earth: Tree roots can penetrate soil
Earth restrains Water: Earth can block water flow
Water restrains Fire: Water can extinguish flames
Fire restrains Metal: Fire can melt metal
Metal restrains Wood: Metal tools can fell trees

Five Elements Attribution of the Eight Palaces and Sixty-Four Hexagrams

The sixty-four hexagrams are classified into eight palaces, with each palace containing eight hexagrams. This is the "Eight Palaces Sixty-Four Hexagrams" system. Each palace has its fixed Five Elements attribute:

Eight Palaces Five Elements Attribution Table

Qian Palace: Metal
Kun Palace: Earth
Zhen Palace: Wood
Xun Palace: Wood
Kan Palace: Water
Li Palace: Fire
Gen Palace: Earth
Dui Palace: Metal

Qian Palace Eight Hexagrams (Metal Attribute)

The Qian Palace takes Qian hexagram as its root hexagram, and its Five Elements attribute is Metal. It contains the following eight hexagrams:

Qian for Heaven (☰☰) - Metal
Heaven and Wind Gou (☰☴) - Metal
Heaven and Mountain Dun (☰☶) - Metal
Heaven and Earth Pi (☰☷) - Metal
Wind and Earth Guan (☴☷) - Metal
Mountain and Earth Bo (☶☷) - Metal
Fire and Earth Jin (☲☷) - Metal
Fire and Heaven Da You (☲☰) - Metal

Kun Palace Eight Hexagrams (Earth Attribute)

The Kun Palace takes Kun hexagram as its root hexagram, and its Five Elements attribute is Earth. It contains the following eight hexagrams:

Kun for Earth (☷☷) - Earth
Earth and Thunder Fu (☷☳) - Earth
Earth and Lake Lin (☷☱) - Earth
Earth and Heaven Tai (☷☰) - Earth
Thunder and Heaven Da Zhuang (☳☰) - Earth
Lake and Heaven Guai (☱☰) - Earth
Water and Heaven Xu (☵☰) - Earth
Water and Earth Bi (☵☷) - Earth

Zhen Palace Eight Hexagrams (Wood Attribute)

The Zhen Palace takes Zhen hexagram as its root hexagram, and its Five Elements attribute is Wood. It contains the following eight hexagrams:

Zhen for Thunder (☳☳) - Wood
Thunder and Earth Yu (☳☷) - Wood
Thunder and Water Jie (☳☵) - Wood
Thunder and Wind Heng (☳☴) - Wood
Earth and Wind Sheng (☷☴) - Wood
Water and Wind Jing (☵☴) - Wood
Lake and Wind Da Guo (☱☴) - Wood
Lake and Thunder Sui (☱☳) - Wood

Xun Palace Eight Hexagrams (Wood Attribute)

The Xun Palace takes Xun hexagram as its root hexagram, and its Five Elements attribute is Wood. It contains the following eight hexagrams:

Xun for Wind (☴☴) - Wood
Wind and Heaven Xiao Xu (☴☰) - Wood
Wind and Fire Jia Ren (☴☲) - Wood
Wind and Thunder Yi (☴☳) - Wood
Heaven and Thunder Wu Wang (☰☳) - Wood
Fire and Thunder Shi He (☲☳) - Wood
Mountain and Thunder Yi (☶☳) - Wood
Mountain and Wind Gu (☶☴) - Wood

Kan Palace Eight Hexagrams (Water Attribute)

The Kan Palace takes Kan hexagram as its root hexagram, and its Five Elements attribute is Water. It contains the following eight hexagrams:

Kan for Water (☵☵) - Water
Water and Lake Jie (☵☱) - Water
Water and Thunder Zhun (☵☳) - Water
Water and Fire Ji Ji (☵☲) - Water
Lake and Fire Ge (☱☲) - Water
Thunder and Fire Feng (☳☲) - Water
Earth and Fire Ming Yi (☷☲) - Water
Earth and Water Shi (☷☵) - Water

Li Palace Eight Hexagrams (Fire Attribute)

The Li Palace takes Li hexagram as its root hexagram, and its Five Elements attribute is Fire. It contains the following eight hexagrams:

Li for Fire (☲☲) - Fire
Fire and Mountain Lü (☲☶) - Fire
Fire and Wind Ding (☲☴) - Fire
Fire and Water Wei Ji (☲☵) - Fire
Mountain and Water Meng (☶☵) - Fire
Wind and Water Huan (☴☵) - Fire
Heaven and Water Song (☰☵) - Fire
Heaven and Fire Tong Ren (☰☲) - Fire

Gen Palace Eight Hexagrams (Earth Attribute)

The Gen Palace takes Gen hexagram as its root hexagram, and its Five Elements attribute is Earth. It contains the following eight hexagrams:

Gen for Mountain (☶☶) - Earth
Mountain and Fire Bi (☶☲) - Earth
Mountain and Heaven Da Xu (☶☰) - Earth
Mountain and Lake Sun (☶☱) - Earth
Fire and Lake Kui (☲☱) - Earth
Heaven and Lake Lü (☰☱) - Earth
Wind and Lake Zhong Fu (☴☱) - Earth
Wind and Mountain Jian (☴☶) - Earth

Dui Palace Eight Hexagrams (Metal Attribute)

The Dui Palace takes Dui hexagram as its root hexagram, and its Five Elements attribute is Metal. It contains the following eight hexagrams:

Dui for Lake (☱☱) - Metal
Lake and Water Kun (☱☵) - Metal
Lake and Earth Cui (☱☷) - Metal
Lake and Mountain Xian (☱☶) - Metal
Water and Mountain Jian (☵☶) - Metal
Earth and Mountain Qian (☷☶) - Metal
Thunder and Mountain Xiao Guo (☳☶) - Metal
Thunder and Lake Gui Mei (☳☱) - Metal

Principles of Eight Trigrams Five Elements Attribution

Primordial Eight Trigrams and Five Elements

The Five Elements attribution of the eight trigrams originates from the theory of primordial eight trigrams and traditional象数学说 (numerology). Each trigram has its natural attributes, which correspond to the Five Elements:

Qian Trigram Belongs to Metal

Qian represents Heaven, firmness, and hardness, symbolizing the solid characteristics of metal. The "Shuo Gua Zhuan" states: "Qian means firmness," and metal has the nature of firmness, so Qian Najia belongs to Metal.

Kun Trigram Belongs to Earth

Kun represents Earth, bearing, and encompassing; the earth bears all things. The "Shuo Gua Zhuan" states: "Kun means compliance," and earth has the function of bearing and nourishing, so Kun Najia belongs to Earth.

Zhen Trigram Belongs to Wood

Zhen represents Thunder, movement, and sprouting; spring thunder moves and all things grow. Zhen trigram is located in the East, the East corresponds to Wood (Jia-Yi Wood), so Zhen Najia belongs to Wood.

Xun Trigram Belongs to Wood

Xun represents Wind and entering; wind assists wood growth, wood moves with wind. Xun trigram is also located in the Southeast, representing the image of wood, so Xun Najia belongs to Wood.

Kan Trigram Belongs to Water

Kan represents Water, danger, and coldness; it is the fundamental image of water. The "Shuo Gua Zhuan" states: "Kan means falling," Kan trigram is located in the North, the North corresponds to Water (Ren-Gui Water), so Kan Najia belongs to Water.

Li Trigram Belongs to Fire

Li represents Fire, brightness, and the sun; it is the fundamental image of fire. The "Shuo Gua Zhuan" states: "Li means adhering," Li trigram is located in the South, the South corresponds to Fire (Bing-Ding Fire), so Li Najia belongs to Fire.

Gen Trigram Belongs to Earth

Gen represents Mountain, stopping, and stillness; mountains are heavy like earth. Gen is located in the Northeast, earth resides in the center and lodges in the four corners, so Gen Najia belongs to Earth.

Dui Trigram Belongs to Metal

Dui represents Lake, joy, and autumn harvest; in autumn all things wither and converge. Dui trigram is located in the West, the West corresponds to Metal (Geng-Xin Metal), so Dui Najia belongs to Metal.

Patterns of Five Elements Trigram Attribution

By observing the Five Elements configuration of the eight trigrams, we can discover certain patterns:

Directional Correspondence: Zhen and Xun belong to Wood (East), Li belongs to Fire (South), Kun and Gen belong to Earth (Center and four corners), Qian and Dui belong to Metal (West), Kan belongs to Water (North)
Yin-Yang Pairing: Qian and Dui both belong to Metal (Qian is Yang Metal, Dui is Yin Metal), Zhen and Xun both belong to Wood (Zhen is Yang Wood, Xun is Yin Wood), Kun and Gen both belong to Earth (Kun is Yin Earth, Gen is Yang Earth)
Natural Symbolism: The Five Elements attribute of each trigram corresponds with its natural symbolism, such as water trigram for water, fire trigram for fire, heaven trigram for metal, earth trigram for earth

Application of the Hexagram Palace System

Root Hexagram Determines Five Elements

In the Eight Palaces Sixty-Four Hexagrams system, all eight hexagrams in each palace use the Five Elements attribute of the root hexagram when calculating Six Relatives. For example:

All eight hexagrams in Qian Palace are treated as Metal in Six Relatives arrangement because Qian Palace belongs to Metal
All eight hexagrams in Zhen Palace are treated as Wood in Six Relatives arrangement because Zhen Palace belongs to Wood
All eight hexagrams in Kan Palace are treated as Water in Six Relatives arrangement because Kan Palace belongs to Water

This rule is very important: Regardless of how the hexagram lines are combined, once the hexagram palace attribution is determined, the Five Elements used in the Six Relatives system is already fixed.

Judgment Method

To determine the Five Elements a hexagram uses in Six Relatives arrangement, only two steps are needed:

Determine which palace the hexagram belongs to (judged through Eight Palaces sequence or World-Response positions)
Check the Five Elements attribute of that palace (the Five Elements of the root hexagram is the hexagram's Five Elements in the Six Relatives system)

For example: The Fire and Earth Jin hexagram has Fire above and Earth below in its lines, but it belongs to Qian Palace, so it is treated as Metal in Six Relatives arrangement, not Fire or Earth.

Important Notes

Distinguish Hexagram Lines from Hexagram Palace: Hexagram lines are the yin-yang line combinations of the hexagram itself, while hexagram palace is the attribution of that hexagram within the Eight Palaces system. Six Relatives arrangement uses hexagram palace Five Elements, not hexagram line Five Elements.
Hexagram Palace Five Elements is Fixed: The Five Elements each hexagram uses in Six Relatives arrangement is determined by its palace attribution and does not change. Even when a changing hexagram occurs, the changing hexagram's palace Five Elements is still determined according to the Eight Palaces system.
Don't Be Misled by Hexagram Names: Although hexagram names may contain Five Elements characters (such as "Fire-Earth Jin," "Water-Fire Ji Ji"), the Five Elements used in Six Relatives arrangement must be based on the hexagram palace, not judged by the hexagram name.
Eight Palaces Attribution is Key: To accurately determine the Five Elements a hexagram uses in the Six Relatives system, you must first determine which palace it belongs to. The Eight Palaces system is the foundational framework of Liuyao divination.
Root Hexagram is Most Typical: The first hexagram in each palace (root hexagram) best embodies that palace's Five Elements characteristics, such as Qian for Heaven (Metal), Kun for Earth (Earth), Zhen for Thunder (Wood), etc.

Summary

The hexagram palace Five Elements system in Liuyao divination is built on the foundation of primordial eight trigrams and directional theory:

The eight basic trigrams each have their Five Elements attribution (Qian-Metal, Kun-Earth, Zhen-Wood, Xun-Wood, Kan-Water, Li-Fire, Gen-Earth, Dui-Metal)
The sixty-four hexagrams are classified into eight palaces, with eight hexagrams per palace, totaling sixty-four hexagrams
All hexagrams in each palace use the root hexagram's Five Elements attribute when calculating Six Relatives
To determine a hexagram's Five Elements in the Six Relatives system, simply determine its hexagram palace attribution

It must be especially emphasized: Hexagram palace Five Elements is the foundation of Six Relatives arrangement and is a different matter from the Five Elements combination of the hexagram lines themselves. For example, "Water-Fire Ji Ji" has water and fire in its lines, but it belongs to Kan Palace and is treated as water in Six Relatives arrangement.

Mastering this hexagram palace Five Elements system is fundamental to learning Liuyao divination. Only by understanding the origin of the Eight Trigrams Five Elements and the principles of Eight Palaces attribution can you accurately apply the Six Relatives system and analyze fortune and misfortune.

If you want to experience AI-assisted Liuyao analysis, please visit: FateMaster.AI Liuyao Divination