Ba Gua-Eight Trigrams
Ba Gua literally means ‘Eight Trigrams’. It comes from the ancient Chinese classic I Ching (Yijing, or the Book of Changes) — one of the world’s oldest texts on cosmology,philosophy and divination.
From Taiji comes Two Forces (Yin and Yang),
From Two Forces come Si Xiang(Four Symbols),
From Si Xiang come Ba Gua(Eight Trigrams).
Each gua (trigram) is made up of three lines:
Yang (—) = solid line, representing strength, light, activity, male, heaven.
Yin (– –) = broken line, representing softness, darkness, passivity, female, earth.
Different combinations of these lines create eight fundamental symbols that describe the patterns of nature and the universe.
Trigram Symbol Pinyin Represents
☰ 乾 Qián Heaven, father, strength, creativity
☷ 坤 Kūn Earth, mother, receptivity, nurturing
☵ 坎 Kǎn Water, danger, depth, wisdom
☲ 離 Lí Fire, brightness, passion, clarity
☳ 震 Zhèn Thunder, movement, initiative, eldest son
☴ 巽 Xùn Wind/Wood, flexibility, penetration, eldest daughter
☶ 艮 Gèn Mountain, stillness, stability, youngest son
☱ 兌 Duì Lake/Marsh, joy, openness, youngest daughter
Together, these eight forces represent the basic elements and changes of nature.
Bagua in Feng Shui
In feng shui, the Ba Gua is a map of energy (qi) used to analyze and harmonize spaces.Each trigram corresponds to a direction and a life aspect, for example:
Trigram Life Aspect
Qián Career / helpful people
Kūn Family / stability
Lí Fame / reputation
Kǎn Wisdom / life path
Zhèn Growth / motivation
Xùn Wealth / abundance
Gèn Health / inner peace
Duì Relationships / joy
Practitioners overlay this Ba Gua map on a house or room to guide design and energy balance.
Ba Gua in Martial Arts
Ba Gua Zhang literally ‘Eight Trigrams Palm’ — is a famous internal martial art of China.
It features circular walking, constant turning, and continuous change, reflecting Bagua philosophy.
It emphasizes adaptability, fluid movement, and using softness to overcome hardness.
It’s one of the three great internal martial arts, along with Taijiquan (Tai Chi) and Xingyiquan (Form-Intent Boxing).