A System, Not Just a Text

Most Western encounters with the I-Ching are literary. You cast a hexagram, read the Judgment and Image texts, perhaps study the line statements, and contemplate. This is valuable and has a long tradition. But it is not the only way Chinese scholars have engaged with the hexagrams.

Liu Yao (六爻) means "six lines." It refers to a formalized analytical system established by Jing Fang (京房, 77-37 BCE) during the Western Han Dynasty. Building on earlier traditions including the Qian Zuo Du (乾鑿度), Jing Fang took the 64 hexagrams and mapped a complete structural framework onto each line. This framework transforms the hexagram from a poetic text into a working diagram with defined relationships, element interactions, and positional logic.

Where literary interpretation asks "What does this image suggest?", Liu Yao asks "What are the structural dynamics between these positions?" Both approaches have merit. Liu Yao offers precision. Literary reading offers depth of meaning. They are complementary, not competing.

Najia: Mapping the Branches

The first layer of Liu Yao is najia (纳甲), literally "attaching the stems." Each line of a hexagram is assigned a Heavenly Stem (天干) and an Earthly Branch (地支). The Heavenly Stems cycle through ten characters. The Earthly Branches cycle through twelve, the same twelve that form the Chinese zodiac.

The assignment follows specific rules based on which trigram occupies the upper and lower positions, and whether the hexagram belongs to a particular palace (宫). Each of the eight trigrams governs a palace of eight hexagrams. The palace determines which stems and branches attach to which lines.

This is not arbitrary decoration. The branches carry elemental associations (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and temporal markers. Once branches are mapped, the hexagram becomes a system of interacting elements with defined relationships. You can see which lines support each other, which lines conflict, and which lines are active or dormant on a given day.

The Six Relatives

The Six Relatives (六亲) are the relational categories that define how each line relates to the hexagram's palace element (宮位五行). There are five:

• Parent (父母) — the element that generates the subject. Represents documents, shelter, elders, protection.
• Sibling (兄弟) — the same element as the subject. Represents peers, competition, obstacles to wealth.
• Offspring (子孫) — the element generated by the subject. Represents children, freedom, joy, but also suppression of authority.
• Wealth (妻財) — the element conquered by the subject. Represents money, spouse, material gain.
• Authority (官鬼) — the element that conquers the subject. Represents officials, pressure, illness, but also career and status.

Two additional positional markers anchor every reading: the Subject line (世) and the Object line (應). These are not relatives but structural positions that identify the querent and the matter being asked about. Their placement within the hexagram determines the reading's orientation.

When you ask about a career matter, you look at the Authority line. When you ask about finances, you look at the Wealth line. The Six Relatives give each line a functional role relative to your question. This is what makes Liu Yao practical for specific inquiries.

Five Element Dynamics

The Five Elements (五行) interact through generating and controlling cycles. Wood generates Fire. Fire generates Earth. Earth generates Metal. Metal generates Water. Water generates Wood. In the controlling cycle: Wood controls Earth. Earth controls Water. Water controls Fire. Fire controls Metal. Metal controls Wood.

In a Liu Yao reading, these dynamics play out between lines. A Wealth line that is generated by its neighbors is strong. An Authority line that is controlled by the Day Branch is weakened. The day and month of the reading act as external forces, strengthening or weakening specific branches.

This is where Liu Yao becomes genuinely analytical. You are not interpreting imagery. You are reading a diagram of forces and assessing their relative strength. The method has rules, precedents, and a body of case literature spanning nearly two thousand years.

Structural vs. Poetic

The literary tradition of the I-Ching is beautiful. The image of "thunder over the lake" or "wind following fire" speaks to something in human experience that transcends technical analysis. The Judgment and Image texts are works of contemplative literature.

Liu Yao does not replace this. It adds a parallel framework. In practice, many serious practitioners use both. They read the classical texts for wisdom and counsel. They run the Liu Yao analysis for structural clarity. The two often illuminate each other. A hexagram whose literary meaning seems gentle may reveal structural tension through its branch interactions. A hexagram that appears severe in its Judgment may show favorable dynamics in the Six Relatives.

Professional diviners in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong overwhelmingly use Liu Yao or related structural methods. The literary approach is more common in Western practice, partly because the structural system was less accessible in translation until recently.

Liu Yao in Six Lines

Six Lines implements the complete Liu Yao framework digitally. Each hexagram includes najia branch mapping, Six Relatives assignment, and Five Element analysis. The Gua guide integrates structural analysis with classical commentary, presenting both perspectives in a single reading.

You can explore the structural side of any hexagram in the hexagram reference. Start with ䷀ Hexagram 1: 乾 Qián to see how the pure yang structure maps in the najia system, or ䷾ Hexagram 63: 既濟 Jì Jì (After Completion) to see a hexagram where every line sits in its "correct" position and the structural balance is visible at a glance.