⏰ Limited-Time Public Access: I Ching Divination Basics: Foundations Part 3.3, Trigram Numbers (Bagua Numbers, He Tu and Luo Shu Five-Element numbers)

A practical guide to taking numbers in I Ching divination, covering Pre-Heavenly and Post-Heavenly Eight Trigrams numbers, and He Tu and Luo Shu Five-Element numbers, with a real case example.

Dec 29, 2025

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I Ching Divination Basics is a practical English-language series on Six Lines Divination (Liu Yao) and Wen Wang Gua, updated two to three times per week. Each post turns one core idea into something you can apply in a real reading. Expect clear terminology, short explanations, worked mini-examples, and quick exercises. We move from concepts to verified practice, one cast at a time.
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I. Foundations

Part 3: Eight Trigrams (Bagua)

3.3. Pre-Heavenly and Post-Heavenly Eight Trigrams numbers, and He Tu and Luo Shu Five-Element numbers

In I Ching divination, “trigram numbers” are not merely abstract theory. They are practical number systems that can be used directly in Plum Blossom Yi Numerology (Meihua Yishu) and in later case reading. In this section, we will cover several number frameworks that you will repeatedly need in real judgments, including the Pre-Heavenly Eight Trigrams numbers, the Post-Heavenly Eight Trigrams numbers, and the He Tu and Luo Shu Five-Element numbers.

Trigram Numerology & Five Elements Table

These number systems matter because many questions in divination are, in essence, “taking numbers.” If the matter involves quantity, such as how many people, how much money, how far, how deep, how many days, or which direction, you can often derive the answer through these numerical correspondences, rather than by vague interpretation.

In the forthcoming Studies on Ancient I Ching Divination Cases (Zhouyi Gushi Kao, 《周易古筮考》), written by Shang Binghe (尚秉和, circa 1880 to 1910 CE) and translated by Wanyan Xuan (完颜璇)1, there are many cases in which taking numbers is essential. Below is one example from the book (the case content is kept unchanged):

Case 64: Ming – Hu Sen and Yuan Qishan Divine a Lost Gold Cup – 23. Bo to 27. Yi

Ming dynasty. Hu Sen excelled at divination, often hitting marvelously true. Traveling in Jinling with his fellow townsman Yuan Qishan, the two lodged at the Temple of Divine Music. The supervisor Yao Yishan had by chance lost a gold cup and harshly blamed his apprentices. The two took pity and divined, obtaining “Bo to Yi” {first line change}.

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They said, “The gold is in the earth; it is not lost. At the southwest corner of the dwelling, dig five inches down and you will get it.” As they said, the cup was indeed found.
Annotation (by Shang Binghe): This is judged by images. In Bo the upper is Gen ☶, which has the image of an overturned cup; the lower is Kun ☷, which is earth; and Gen signifies stopping, so they knew the cup had stopped within the ground. Also Kun’s position is the southwest, hence “dig at the southwest corner.” In the Nine Palaces [1] the number of Kun is five, hence “dig five inches.” Again, that it was found at five inches means Kun ☷ transforms to Zhen ☳, and Zhen has the image of a cup; the change at the first line makes 27.Yi. In 27.Yi, lines two through four and three through five both form mutual-body Kun; and counting down from 27.Yi’s Six-Five reaches the fifth place among Kun’s lines, hence “five inches.”[2]

[Annotation from the Translator (Wanyan Xuan)]
[1] “Nine Palaces numbers” refers to the Luo Shu Nine Palaces (Luo Shu magic square): the placement of 1 to 9 in a 3×3 grid that links numbers, directions, trigrams, and the Five Elements for image-number work (for example, Flying Stars, Na Jia method, Qimen Dunjia (奇门遁甲).

Note: Some books say “Kun’s number is five,” meaning Earth’s base number is 5 in the He Tu & Luo Shu Five Element Numbers system, not the Kun palace index in the Nine Palaces; in the Nine Palaces grid, Kun’s palace is 2.

[2] Here “five inches” ultimately comes from Kun (Earth) having the numerological value five; the mutual Kun in Yi is then used as a symbolic confirmation, rather than a strictly reproducible calculation.

Studies on Ancient I Ching Divination Cases is a rigorous and authoritative case-based classic in the field of I Ching divination. Featuring a total of 170 cases drawn primarily from Chinese historical records, this work compiles divinations recorded across thousands of years of Chinese history, many of which influenced major political decisions of their time. It builds on the original 139-case edition of Studies on Ancient I Ching Divination Cases, and this English edition adds further cases excerpted from Shang Binghe’s other writings to form a fuller and more comprehensive corpus.

Compiled and interpreted by the renowned I Ching scholar Shang Binghe, the book offers comprehensive readings that integrate hexagram texts, line statements, symbolic imagery, and Six Lines (Na Jia) method analysis. It shows not only what the text says, but how divination was actually used. For readers unfamiliar with Chinese history, each case includes contextual background to illuminate the historical figures and events involved.

The collection also makes clear the historical influence of I Ching divination in China, showing how rulers and high officials could employ it fluently to assess national affairs and military campaigns, and how specific readings became reference points in later tradition. For those interested in Chinese culture, the book reveals how divination shaped, and was shaped by, the course of civilization.

This English edition was translated by Xuan Wanyan, a Columbia University graduate from a family steeped in the I Ching tradition. To the best of the translator’s knowledge, this volume marks the first time this widely respected classic of Chinese I Ching divination has been translated into English, bringing its historically influential case tradition, detailed readings, and technical method to non-Chinese readers while faithfully preserving its original depth.

I Ching Divination-Basics

Further reading: English Editions of I Ching Divination Classics

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