At a glance
- Whole sign
- Hexagram statement
- Positions
- Initial, second, third, fourth, fifth, top
Definition and terminology
A hexagram statement follows the name, while line statements follow position labels. Yang lines are labeled nine and yin lines six; positions run initial through top. Thus Nine in the Second is a yang line in position two. Six and nine are conventional line-type designations, not counts of lines.
Structure and rules
Statements combine judgment terms with images of action, ritual, animals and travel. Ancient vocabulary needs contextual reading rather than simple modern word substitution. The Tuan commentary addresses the whole sign; the Xiang draws lessons from images. Many editions interleave text and commentary, so readers should actively identify their boundaries.
Worked reading
For Qian’s initial yang line, first identify the position, then consider the concealed-dragon image and compare interpretations of timing. Applied reflectively to learning to write, it may suggest gathering material before acting. That is an analogy. Removing positional context or treating a commentator’s words as the original statement distorts the reading.
Context and limits
Traditional authorship assigns statements to King Wen and the Duke of Zhou, but those attributions are not settled historical conclusions. Divinatory rules differ over which statements to consult when several lines change. An entry should separate wording, vocabulary and interpretive choices rather than present one procedure or attribution as universally established.
References & further reading
Historical sources document ideas and rules of their time, not empirical proof of predictive accuracy. Source notes identify the nature and scope of each reference.
- 《周易》Primary / tradition source
Public-domain classic; documents hexagrams and textual statements, not predictive effectiveness.
- 《易传·系辞上》Primary / tradition source
Public-domain commentary; traditional accounts of polarity, taiji, images and stalk divination; traditional attribution is not settled authorship.