I Ching Divination Basics III. Part 3.2.2: Installing the Hexagram Name through the Eight Palaces

👤 By Fiona
📅 July 2, 2026
⏱️ 7 min read
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All personal information in this case study has been anonymized or omitted. This case study is provided for learning and reference only. It is not intended as medical, veterinary, legal, financial, investment, or other professional advice.

III. Arranging the Six Lines Chart

Part 3.2. Installing the Hexagram Components

Part 3.2.2. Installing the Hexagram Name through the Eight Palaces

After installing the Stems and Branches, the next step is to identify the hexagram name and its palace.

In Six Lines divination, a hexagram is not treated as an isolated symbol. It belongs to one of the Eight Palaces. Each palace is governed by one of the Eight Pure Hexagrams and contains eight hexagrams in total.

These eight positions are arranged in a fixed order:

Eight Pure Hexagram → 1st Generation Hexagram → 2nd Generation Hexagram → 3rd Generation Hexagram → 4th Generation Hexagram → 5th Generation Hexagram → Wandering Soul Hexagram → Returning Soul Hexagram

This structure is traditionally associated with Jing Fang’s Eight Palaces system.

The Eight Pure Hexagrams are the root hexagrams of the Eight Palaces.

In practice, the Eight Palaces are best learned through a chart. The chart below shows each palace from left to right: the Eight Pure Hexagram, the 1st Generation Hexagram, the 2nd Generation Hexagram, the 3rd Generation Hexagram, the 4th Generation Hexagram, the 5th Generation Hexagram, the Wandering Soul Hexagram, and the Returning Soul Hexagram.

Each cell gives the actual six-line form of the hexagram, followed by its King Wen number, pinyin name, and English meaning. This allows the reader to see not only the name of the hexagram, but also its actual structure and its position within the Eight Palaces system.

Figure: Jing Fang’s Eight Palaces Hexagram Table

The Eight Palaces are as follows:

Qian Palace belongs to Metal.

Kan Palace belongs to Water.

Gen Palace belongs to Earth.

Zhen Palace belongs to Wood.

Xun Palace belongs to Wood.

Li Palace belongs to Fire.

Kun Palace belongs to Earth.

Dui Palace belongs to Metal.

The first hexagram in each palace is the Eight Pure Hexagram, also called the home-palace hexagram. For example, Qian is the home-palace hexagram of the Qian Palace, Kan is the home-palace hexagram of the Kan Palace, and Dui is the home-palace hexagram of the Dui Palace.

The next five hexagrams are the 1st Generation, 2nd Generation, 3rd Generation, 4th Generation, and 5th Generation Hexagrams. The seventh position is the Wandering Soul Hexagram, and the eighth position is the Returning Soul Hexagram.

The complete Eight Palaces sequence is as follows.

Qian Palace: Metal

The Qian Palace belongs to Metal.

Its eight hexagrams are:

  1. 1. Qian (The Creative) — Heaven over Heaven — the Eight Pure Hexagram / home-palace hexagram
  2. 44. Gou (Coming to Meet) — Heaven over Wind — the 1st Generation Hexagram
  3. 33. Dun (Retreat) — Heaven over Mountain — the 2nd Generation Hexagram
  4. 12. Pi (Standstill / Stagnation) — Heaven over Earth — the 3rd Generation Hexagram
  5. 20. Guan (Contemplation / View) — Wind over Earth — the 4th Generation Hexagram
  6. 23. Bo (Splitting Apart) — Mountain over Earth — the 5th Generation Hexagram
  7. 35. Jin (Progress) — Fire over Earth — the Wandering Soul Hexagram
  8. 14. Da You (Possession in Great Measure) — Fire over Heaven — the Returning Soul Hexagram

Kan Palace: Water

The Kan Palace belongs to Water.

Its eight hexagrams are:

  1. 29. Kan (The Abysmal / Water) — Water over Water — the Eight Pure Hexagram / home-palace hexagram
  2. 60. Jie (Limitation) — Water over Lake — the 1st Generation Hexagram
  3. 3. Zhun (Difficulty at the Beginning) — Water over Thunder — the 2nd Generation Hexagram
  4. 63. Ji Ji (After Completion) — Water over Fire — the 3rd Generation Hexagram
  5. 49. Ge (Revolution / Molting) — Lake over Fire — the 4th Generation Hexagram
  6. 55. Feng (Abundance / Fullness) — Thunder over Fire — the 5th Generation Hexagram
  7. 36. Ming Yi (Darkening of the Light) — Earth over Fire — the Wandering Soul Hexagram
  8. 7. Shi (The Army) — Earth over Water — the Returning Soul Hexagram

Gen Palace: Earth

The Gen Palace belongs to Earth.

Its eight hexagrams are:

  1. 52. Gen (Keeping Still, Mountain) — Mountain over Mountain — the Eight Pure Hexagram / home-palace hexagram
  2. 22. Bi (Grace) — Mountain over Fire — the 1st Generation Hexagram
  3. 26. Da Xu (The Taming Power of the Great) — Mountain over Heaven — the 2nd Generation Hexagram
  4. 41. Sun (Decrease) — Mountain over Lake — the 3rd Generation Hexagram
  5. 38. Kui (Opposition) — Fire over Lake — the 4th Generation Hexagram
  6. 10. Lv (Treading / Conduct) — Heaven over Lake — the 5th Generation Hexagram
  7. 61. Zhong Fu (Inner Truth) — Wind over Lake — the Wandering Soul Hexagram
  8. 53. Jian (Development / Gradual Progress) — Wind over Mountain — the Returning Soul Hexagram

Zhen Palace: Wood

The Zhen Palace belongs to Wood.

Its eight hexagrams are:

  1. 51. Zhen (The Arousing / Shock, Thunder) — Thunder over Thunder — the Eight Pure Hexagram / home-palace hexagram
  2. 16. Yu (Enthusiasm) — Thunder over Earth — the 1st Generation Hexagram
  3. 40. Jie (Deliverance) — Thunder over Water — the 2nd Generation Hexagram
  4. 32. Heng (Duration) — Thunder over Wind — the 3rd Generation Hexagram
  5. 46. Sheng (Pushing Upward) — Earth over Wind — the 4th Generation Hexagram
  6. 48. Jing (The Well) — Water over Wind — the 5th Generation Hexagram
  7. 28. Da Guo (Preponderance of the Great) — Lake over Wind — the Wandering Soul Hexagram
  8. 17. Sui (Following) — Lake over Thunder — the Returning Soul Hexagram

Xun Palace: Wood

The Xun Palace belongs to Wood.

Its eight hexagrams are:

  1. 57. Xun (The Gentle / The Penetrating, Wind) — Wind over Wind — the Eight Pure Hexagram / home-palace hexagram
  2. 9. Xiao Xu (The Taming Power of the Small) — Wind over Heaven — the 1st Generation Hexagram
  3. 37. Jia Ren (The Family / The Clan) — Wind over Fire — the 2nd Generation Hexagram
  4. 42. Yi (Increase) — Wind over Thunder — the 3rd Generation Hexagram
  5. 25. Wu Wang (Innocence / The Unexpected) — Heaven over Thunder — the 4th Generation Hexagram
  6. 21. Shi He (Biting Through) — Fire over Thunder — the 5th Generation Hexagram
  7. 27. Yi (The Corners of the Mouth / Providing Nourishment) — Mountain over Thunder — the Wandering Soul Hexagram
  8. 18. Gu (Work on What Has Been Spoiled / Decay) — Mountain over Wind — the Returning Soul Hexagram

Li Palace: Fire

The Li Palace belongs to Fire.

Its eight hexagrams are:

  1. 30. Li (The Clinging, Fire) — Fire over Fire — the Eight Pure Hexagram / home-palace hexagram
  2. 56. Lv (The Wanderer) — Fire over Mountain — the 1st Generation Hexagram
  3. 50. Ding (The Caldron) — Fire over Wind — the 2nd Generation Hexagram
  4. 64. Wei Ji (Before Completion) — Fire over Water — the 3rd Generation Hexagram
  5. 4. Meng (Youthful Folly) — Mountain over Water — the 4th Generation Hexagram
  6. 59. Huan (Dispersion / Dissolution) — Wind over Water — the 5th Generation Hexagram
  7. 6. Song (Conflict) — Heaven over Water — the Wandering Soul Hexagram
  8. 13. Tong Ren (Fellowship with Men) — Heaven over Fire — the Returning Soul Hexagram

Kun Palace: Earth

The Kun Palace belongs to Earth.

Its eight hexagrams are:

  1. 2. Kun (The Receptive) — Earth over Earth — the Eight Pure Hexagram / home-palace hexagram
  2. 24. Fu (Return / The Turning Point) — Earth over Thunder — the 1st Generation Hexagram
  3. 19. Lin (Approach) — Earth over Lake — the 2nd Generation Hexagram
  4. 11. Tai (Peace) — Earth over Heaven — the 3rd Generation Hexagram
  5. 34. Da Zhuang (The Power of the Great) — Thunder over Heaven — the 4th Generation Hexagram
  6. 43. Guai (Break) — Lake over Heaven — the 5th Generation Hexagram
  7. 5. Xu (Waiting / Nourishment) — Water over Heaven — the Wandering Soul Hexagram
  8. 8. Bi (Holding Together / Union) — Water over Earth — the Returning Soul Hexagram

Dui Palace: Metal

The Dui Palace belongs to Metal.

Its eight hexagrams are:

  1. 58. Dui (The Joyous, Lake) — Lake over Lake — the Eight Pure Hexagram / home-palace hexagram
  2. 47. Kun (Oppression / Exhaustion) — Lake over Water — the 1st Generation Hexagram
  3. 45. Cui (Gathering Together / Massing) — Lake over Earth — the 2nd Generation Hexagram
  4. 31. Xian (Influence / Wooing) — Lake over Mountain — the 3rd Generation Hexagram
  5. 39. Jian (Obstruction) — Water over Mountain — the 4th Generation Hexagram
  6. 15. Qian (Modesty) — Earth over Mountain — the 5th Generation Hexagram
  7. 62. Xiao Guo (Preponderance of the Small) — Thunder over Mountain — the Wandering Soul Hexagram
  8. 54. Gui Mei (The Marrying Maiden) — Thunder over Lake — the Returning Soul Hexagram

Installing the hexagram name is not merely a naming step. It tells us which palace the hexagram belongs to, which Five Element governs that palace, and where the hexagram stands within the Eight Palaces sequence.

Without identifying the correct palace, one cannot correctly determine which line is parents, siblings, descendants, wife and wealth, or officials and ghosts.

The hexagram name tells us what the hexagram is. The palace tells us where it belongs. The palace element tells us how the Six Relationships are assigned.

Together, they form the structural foundation of the Six Lines chart.