The Bagua

The Eight Trigrams

The eight trigrams form the building blocks of all 64 hexagrams. Each represents a fundamental force of nature and carries rich symbolic associations from the Shuogua (Discussion of the Trigrams).

乾

Heaven

Strong

Horse · Head

Father · Northwest

坤

Earth

Yielding

Ox · Belly

Mother · Southwest

震

Thunder

Movement

Dragon · Foot

Eldest Son · East

巽

Wind

Penetrating

Rooster · Thigh

Eldest Daughter · Southeast

坎

Water

Danger

Pig · Ear

Middle Son · North

離

Fire

Clinging

Pheasant · Eye

Middle Daughter · South

艮

Mountain

Stillness

Dog · Hand

Youngest Son · Northeast

兌

Lake

Joyful

Sheep · Mouth

Youngest Daughter · West