I Ching and Energies

The energy of a hexagram.


Hexagramme gender.

The Yin The Yin   The Yang The Yang
A lower line Yang indicates the period of the ascending celestial yang, from the winter solstice to the summer solstice. A lower line Yin indicates the period of increasing yin terrestrial, from summer solstice to winter solstice.

The energy of the 3 fields and 3 Sections.

The lesser (young or little) yang Shao yang  The Greater yang   The lesser (or little) yin   The greater (Complet or Old) yin   
A hexagram comprise 3 superimposed bigrams. There are 4 possible bigrams: Shao yang , Tai yang, Shao yin, Taï yin,
These 3 superimposed bigrams represent the state of energy in the 3 energy fields of the human environment: the Terrestrial, Human and Celestial Fields.
These 3 Fields are the ground (surface and subsoil) for the Terrestrial Field, the middle space for the Human Field, and the Near Sky (the one above our heads, which also includes the sun, moon and planets but not the stars) for the Celestial Field.
In the human organism these 3 Fields have their correspondences in the 3 Sections of the body. These sections are in resonance with energy of the 3 Fields. The lower part of the body, or Terrestrial Section, from the pelvis to the feet, is in resonance with the Terrestrial Field; the middle part, or Human Section, from waist to the top of the trunk, is in resonance with the Human Field; the upper part, or Celestial Section, from the top of the trunk to the top of the skull, resonates with the Celestial Field.

Energy of Heaven (yang) and Earth (yin).

Zhen The Thunder      Li The Fire     Dui The Lake   Qian The Sky  
Xun   The Wind   Kan The Water   Gen The Mountain    Kun The Earth

A hexagram is also composed of 2 superimposed trigrams. The lower trigram represents the Earth energy, the upper one the Celestial energy. In the human body the Earth energy is the physical, the Celestial energy is the dynamic energy.
There are 8 trigrams, also called the 8 energizers or 8 Winds in the Su Wen, which are related to the 8 directions, paired with the 5 elements and the meridians.

Table of relations between trigrams, 5 elements, meridians and pathologies according to Fu Xi's Anterior Heaven logical order.

Trigramme Name Nomber Orient Element Organ/Channel Pathologies
Kan
Water
1 N Water Kidneys urinary bladder Kidneys Ears
Sang
Kun
Earth
2 S W Earth Ren Mai Spleen Abdomen
Digestion
Zhen
Thunder
3 E Wood Master of the heart
Three Heaters
Feet Lungs
Gorge
Xun
Wind
4 S E Wood Liver
Gall Blader
Diaper Thighs
    5 Center Earth   Spleen Stomach
Fascias
Dui
Lake
7 W Metal Lungs
Large intestine
Breath
Headache
Qian
Sky
6 N W Metal Du Mai Head Lunngs
Mouth
Gen
Mountain
8 N E Earth Spleen
Stomach
Hands Fingers
Back
Li
Fire
9 S Fier Heart Small intestine Heart Eyes


There is also in the Chinese medical tradition a relationship between the trigrams and the 8 meridians wonderful. The trigrams are arranged according to King Wen Posterior Heaven manifested order

Trigramme Name Orient Channel
Kan
Water
N Yang jiao mai
Kun
Earth
S W Yin jiao mai
Zhen
Thunder
E Yang wei mai
Xun
Wind
S E Dai mai
Dui
Lake
W Du mai
Qian
Sky
N W Chong mai
Gen
Mountain
N E Yin wei mai
Li
Fire
S Ren mai


Pulses and hexagrams.
A hexagram includes 6 vectors, each being yin or yang. The general energy also includes 6 vectors including 3 yin: jue yin, shao yin, tai yin and 3 yang: shao yang, yang ming, tai yang. These 6 vectors can be found on the pulse, which includes 6 superficial pulse, related to 6 yang (Fu) entrails and 6 energies, and 6 deep pulses related to 6 yin organs (Zhang) and 5 Movements.

Here is Su Wen's definition of pulse (there are some differences with contemporary definition):
To left, elbow: The superficial, external pulse responds to the left kidney (yang) and to the deep organs of the abdomen; the deep, internal pulse responds to the last ribs on the left.
to left, barrier: External to liver, internal to diaphragm.
To left, thumb: External to heart, internal to mediastinum
To right, elbow: External to right kidney (yin) and deep organs of the abdomen, internal to last ribs to the right.
To right, barrier: External to spleen and pancreas, internal to stomach.
To right, thumb: External to lungs, internal to thorax interior.

Study hypothesis:
A yang trait in a hexagram is defined as an energy in fullness (fullness rather than excess) of a yang meridian, a yin trait as a full energy of a yin meridian. The cycle of the maximum energy amplitude in the meridians is the same as that of the hours.