The Eight Trigrams, also known as “Bagua,” is a fundamental concept in ancient Chinese culture and philosophy. It consists of three sets of paired Yin and Yang lines arranged in different combinations, to create the eight trigrams. The Bagua is widely used to understand nature and human experiences and is closely linked to Feng Shui.
Each of the eight symbols represents a particular aspect of nature or human experiences: Qian (乾) represents heaven, Kun (坤) represents earth, Xun (巽) represents wind, Zhen (震) represents thunder, Kan (坎) represents water, Li (离) represents fire, Gen (艮) represents mountain, and Dui (兑) represents lake. Paired with each other, the eight symbols form 64 unique combinations known as the “64 Hexagrams”. The Bagua is used in various practices, such as Feng Shui, martial arts, and traditional Chinese medicine, with principles based on the interplay between Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, and the cyclical nature of the universe.