# Qian 乾: Heaven

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

- **Symbol:** ☰ 乾
- **Natural image:** Heaven
- **Quality:** the creative, strong
- **Family role:** Father
- **Lines, bottom to top:** 111 (1 = solid yang, 0 = broken yin)

A trigram is a stack of three lines. Each hexagram is two trigrams: one below (the lower, inner or earlier situation) and one above (the upper, outer or later situation). Qian appears in sixteen of the sixty-four hexagrams, eight times as the upper trigram and eight as the lower.

## Qian as the upper trigram

- [1 The Creative](https://thefreeiching.com/library/1)
- [6 Conflict](https://thefreeiching.com/library/6)
- [10 Treading](https://thefreeiching.com/library/10)
- [12 Standstill](https://thefreeiching.com/library/12)
- [13 Fellowship](https://thefreeiching.com/library/13)
- [25 Innocence](https://thefreeiching.com/library/25)
- [33 Retreat](https://thefreeiching.com/library/33)
- [44 Coming to Meet](https://thefreeiching.com/library/44)

## Qian as the lower trigram

- [1 The Creative](https://thefreeiching.com/library/1)
- [5 Waiting](https://thefreeiching.com/library/5)
- [9 Small Taming](https://thefreeiching.com/library/9)
- [11 Peace](https://thefreeiching.com/library/11)
- [14 Great Possession](https://thefreeiching.com/library/14)
- [26 Great Taming](https://thefreeiching.com/library/26)
- [34 Great Power](https://thefreeiching.com/library/34)
- [43 Breakthrough](https://thefreeiching.com/library/43)

See also the [eight trigrams](https://thefreeiching.com/trigrams).

## Cite this page

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