Yin and Yang Arrangement by King Wan – circa 1150 BC

King Wan’s arrangement of trigrams is not based on where they are in the cycle, but in the numerological value of each trigram. Odd trigrams are male or Yang, and even trigrams are female or Yin. This is King Wan’s special insight. He grouped the trigrams by family relationships. The Yin trigrams are the mother and the three daughters. The Yang trigrams are the father and the three sons.

If one counts each broken line as a 2 and each solid line as a 3, and then totals the trigram lines, one will end up with an odd or even number. Odd numbered trigrams are male and even numbered trigrams are female.

The first daughter has one broken line at the bottom, the second daughter has one broken line in the middle and the third daughter has one broken line at the top.

The first son has one solid line at the bottom, the second son has one solid line in the middle and the third son has one solid line at the top.

His interpretations are based on the relationship of family members to each other.

This is valid, but when it comes to references about calendars, cycles or time King Wan’s advice is unsound. Unfortunately these ideas have all been mixed up in the I Ching and need to be critically re-assessed as one uses it.