I. Twelve Stages of Life

1.2.2 The Meanings of Birth, Peak, Tomb, and Extinction

Birth: Birth symbolizes a person who has just been born. This is an auspicious sign. In I Ching Divination, it represents something that is about to grow and become stronger, and its meaning is very close to what will later be discussed as advancing god.

For example, when divining the weather, the parents line represents rain. If it coincides with Birth and is not damaged, it indicates that rain may continue for several days. It will keep raining for quite a long time. Birth, after all, means a beginning, something newly born, with many days still ahead. That is the idea it conveys.

Peak: Peak symbolizes a person in the prime of life, around seventeen, successful in career, flourishing, and full of confidence. Its meaning follows the same principle as prosperity under the monthly branch, though there are differences in degree, so they should not be treated as exactly the same.

This will also be explained in detail in our video course, and the notes will later be organized and added here as well.

Tomb: Tomb means that after a person dies, they are buried in a grave. In practical divination, Tomb generally represents concealment, stagnation, and hardship. When someone is sick and hospitalized, or when someone has broken the law and is imprisoned, this sign often appears. Freedom has been restricted, and one is trapped within a narrow space. That is the meaning of Tomb.

Extinction: Extinction symbolizes the state after death, when both physical form and spirit are gone. Extinction is an unfavorable factor in a hexagram. However, its force is not as strong as generation and overcoming. Therefore, in prediction, it is only an auxiliary factor and cannot by itself be used to determine auspiciousness or inauspiciousness.