Zengshan Buyi Volume 1: Fundamentals
增刪卜易卷之一
Zengshan Buyi Volume 1: Fundamentals
增刪卜易卷之一
The Eight Trigrams
八卦章
乾爲父、震爲長男、坎爲中男、艮爲少男。坤爲母、巽爲長女、離爲中女、兌爲少女。
Qian represents the father. Zhen represents the eldest son. Kan represents the middle son. Gen represents the youngest son. Kun represents the mother. Xun represents the eldest daughter. Li represents the middle daughter. Dui represents the youngest daughter.
The family-member assignments of the eight trigrams derive from the Commentary on the Trigrams (說卦傳) in the Yijing's Ten Wings. Qian (Heaven/Creative) and Kun (Earth/Receptive) are the parents; the six remaining trigrams represent three sons and three daughters, ordered by which line (bottom, middle, top) is the 'different' one in each trigram. This system is foundational for Six-Line divination, where the 'six relatives' (六親) relationships between lines are determined by these family roles.
Trigram Image Mnemonics
卦象圖
乾三連，☰，連得三爻俱是單，爲乾卦。坤六斷，☷，連得三爻俱是拆，爲坤卦。震仰孟，☳，初爻單，二爻、三爻俱是拆，爲震卦。艮覆碗，☶，初爻、二爻俱是拆，三爻單，爲艮卦。離中虛，☲，初爻單、二爻拆、三爻單，爲離卦。坎中滿，☵，初爻拆、二爻單、三爻拆，爲坎卦。兌上缺，☱，初爻、二爻俱是單，三爻拆，爲兌卦。巽下斷，☴，初爻拆，二爻、三爻俱是單，爲巽卦。
Qian: three connected lines ☰ -- three lines all solid, making Qian. Kun: six broken lines ☷ -- three lines all broken, making Kun. Zhen: an upturned bowl ☳ -- first line solid, second and third lines broken, making Zhen. Gen: an overturned bowl ☶ -- first and second lines broken, third line solid, making Gen. Li: empty in the middle ☲ -- first line solid, second broken, third solid, making Li. Kan: full in the middle ☵ -- first line broken, second solid, third broken, making Kan. Dui: open at the top ☱ -- first and second lines solid, third broken, making Dui. Xun: broken at the bottom ☴ -- first line broken, second and third solid, making Xun.
These mnemonic verses (乾三連, 坤六斷, etc.) are among the most widely memorized formulas in Chinese divination practice. 單 (dan, 'single/odd') refers to a yang line (⚊), while 拆 (chai, 'split/even') refers to a yin line (⚋). The visual metaphors (Zhen like an upturned bowl, Gen like an overturned bowl) help practitioners quickly identify trigrams from their line patterns.
The Eight Palace Diagram
八宮圖
八卦各宮全圖。初學點卦，不會裝卦者，須裝照此全圖裝拼世應五行。當年有一朋友宦遊之時，野鶴老人以此全圖相送，友說：我不知五行焉能斷卦？答曰：先學點卦，點出卦象看是何卦，卽出全圖內尋出此卦，照樣裝排世應五行六親，不用念卦書，不知五行生剋之理，亦能決斷四宗大事。
The complete diagram of the eight palaces with all their hexagrams. Beginners learning to cast hexagrams who do not yet know how to set up a hexagram should set it up according to this complete diagram, arranging the ruling line, response line, five phases, and six relatives. In earlier years, when a friend was about to travel on official business, the Old Man of the Wild Crane gave him this complete diagram as a parting gift. The friend said: 'I don't understand the five phases -- how can I interpret hexagrams?' The reply: 'First learn to cast hexagrams. Once you have cast the hexagram, look up which hexagram it is, then find it in the complete diagram and copy the arrangement of ruling line, response line, five phases, and six relatives. Without reading hexagram books, without understanding the principles of five-phase generation and conquest, you can still decide the four great matters.'
The 'four great matters' (四宗大事) are the most common questions brought to divination: (1) worries and disasters (防憂患), (2) official advancement (功名), (3) seeking wealth (求財), and (4) illness (疾病). The Old Man of the Wild Crane's pragmatic approach -- providing a look-up chart that bypasses theoretical understanding -- reflects the text's orientation toward practical divination rather than philosophical commentary.
野鶴老人 (Yehe Laoren): The Old Man of the Wild Crane (野鶴老人) is the attributed author of the Zengshan Buyi. His real name and dates are uncertain, though the text is traditionally placed in the late Ming or early Qing period (17th century). The work was later expanded by Li Wenhui (李文輝) and supplemented by Li Woping (李我平), as reflected in its full title: 增刪卜易 (Zengshan Buyi, 'Added and Deleted from Divination by the Changes').
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