I Ching - Trigrams

The three-line symbols talked about in the yin and yang section are known as trigrams. There are eight trigrams in total and each is associated with one of the eight natural forces of nature: Heaven, Earth, Thunder, Wind, Water, Fire, Mountain, and Lake.

Chinese philosophy holds that everything is interrelated and therefore each trigram also represents various aspects of life. The position of any line in a trigram also represents an aspect of our nature. The top line corresponds to Heaven and represents our spiritual energy and/or mental condition. The middle line represents our emotional and psychological aspects as well as humanity, culture and politics. And the bottom line corresponds with Earth and represents personal issues such as finances and health.

The main yang trigram (Heaven) is often referred to as "Father" and the main yin trigram as "Mother". All the other trigrams are first, second, or third, sons or daughters.

Each of the eight trigrams are paired with another trigram to form the sixty-four hexagrams that go to make up the I Ching.

Heaven
Qian
Yang
Father
Creative energy
Charity
Dignity
Health
Higher self
Originality
Perseverance
Power
Prosperity
Protection
Virtue

Earth
Kun
Yin
Mother
Receptive energy
Dependability
Devotion
Fertility
Gentility
Kindness
Maturity
Passivity
Security
Vulnerability

Thunder
Chen
Yang
First Son
High energy
Agitation
Confrontation
Imminent revolution
Impetus
Renewal

Wind
Xun
Yin
First Daughter
Penetrating energy
Affection
Courtesy
Fleetingness
Growth
Lieing
Pervasiveness
Romance
Transformation

Water
Kan
Yang
Second Son
Adaptive energy
Adventure
Concealment
Cruelty
Dormancy
Fluidity
Hard work
Peril
Uncertainty
Vitality

Fire
Li
Yin
Second Daughter
Illuminative energy
Awareness
Celebrations
Charisma
Dependency
Discrimination
Extremes
Immortals
Insight
Talent
Uniqueness
Volatility

Mountain
Ken
Yang
Third Son
Revolutionary energy
Accomplishment
Deep thinking
Fidelity
Philosophy
Stagnation
Stubbornness
Thrift

Lake
Dui
Yin
Third Daughter
Joyous energy
Gaiety
Grace
Narcissism
Sensuality
Serenity
Talkativeness
Tranquility