# The Eight Trigrams

Canonical page: https://thefreeiching.com/trigrams
Last updated: 2026-10-07

Every hexagram is built from two of eight trigrams. Lines are listed from the bottom up, 1 for a solid (yang) line and 0 for a broken (yin) line.

| Trigram | Image | Quality | Family role | Lines |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Kun 坤 ☷](https://thefreeiching.com/trigrams/kun) | Earth | the receptive, yielding | Mother | 000 |
| [Zhen 震 ☳](https://thefreeiching.com/trigrams/zhen) | Thunder | the arousing, movement | Eldest son | 100 |
| [Kan 坎 ☵](https://thefreeiching.com/trigrams/kan) | Water | the abysmal, danger | Middle son | 010 |
| [Dui 兌 ☱](https://thefreeiching.com/trigrams/dui) | Lake | the joyous, open | Youngest daughter | 110 |
| [Gen 艮 ☶](https://thefreeiching.com/trigrams/gen) | Mountain | keeping still | Youngest son | 001 |
| [Li 離 ☲](https://thefreeiching.com/trigrams/li) | Fire | the clinging, clarity | Middle daughter | 101 |
| [Xun 巽 ☴](https://thefreeiching.com/trigrams/xun) | Wind | the gentle, penetrating | Eldest daughter | 011 |
| [Qian 乾 ☰](https://thefreeiching.com/trigrams/qian) | Heaven | the creative, strong | Father | 111 |

Sixty-four hexagrams come from eight lower trigrams times eight upper trigrams. [Browse them in the library](https://thefreeiching.com/library).

## Cite this page

The Free I Ching. "The Eight Trigrams." https://thefreeiching.com/trigrams (updated 2026-10-07).

*The I Ching is a tool for reflection, not a prediction. Nothing here forecasts events or replaces professional advice. Short quotations with a link back are welcome. Please do not republish a page in full. The open data files at [/data](https://thefreeiching.com/data) are licensed CC BY 4.0.*

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Source: The Free I Ching (https://thefreeiching.com/trigrams). The I Ching is a tool for reflection, not a prediction. Nothing here forecasts events or replaces professional advice.