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Chapter 3

The 8 Guas

First, there are 8 main symbols in I-Ching.  They are called 'the eight guas'.

t, water, is in the Kan gua.

c (soil) and y (wood) are in Gen gua.

m, wood, is in Zen.

cn (soil) and e (fire) are in Shun.

w, fire, is in Li gua.

wa (soil) and s (metal) are found in Quen.

yo, metal, is in Duay.

sh (soil) and h (water) are in Chen.

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Each gua has 3 lines.
There are 2 kinds of lines:  the solid line and the dotted line. 

Solid line:  -                Dotted line:   - -

Chen Quen Zen Shun Kan Li Gen Duay
chen.gif (912 bytes) quen.gif (929 bytes) zen.gif (923 bytes) shun.gif (917 bytes) kan.gif (923 bytes) li.gif (916 bytes) gen.gif (920 bytes) duay.gif (917 bytes)
3 solid lines 3 dotted lines 2 dotted lines on top 1 dotted line at the bottom 1 solid line in the center 1 dotted line in the center top line is solid top line is dotted

After you threw the coins or counted the numbers of the year, month, date, and time and drew the Gua, now you must understand what these Guas are telling you. What do each Gua mean?


Chen: (precious metal)

chen.gif (912 bytes)

 

Chen basically stands for heaven. It represents something hard, dense, rare, expensive, metal, justice, center, power and control.

Weather: sky, ice, snow.
Geography: north-west, capital state or capital city, important geographic area.
Characters: nobel, king, boss, old man, government worker, land lord, mail man, police, judge, a famous person, dead person, customer, robber, gangster.
Personalities: brave, righteous, justice, emotional.
Body parts: head, bone, lungs.
Time: autumn, yo year. Sometimes sh or h year.
Animals: horse, crane, lion, elephant.
Objects: precious metals, jewelry, round shaped object, metal, crown, mirror, something heavy, luxury car or a huge truck or bus, airplane.
Building: public restroom, tall building, big building, office or government building, hotel, north-west building.
Home: If you get Chen Gua in fall, your family is lucky. If you get this Gua in summer, you family will get trouble. If you get this Gua in winter, you will feel neglected by others. If you get this Gua in spring, it's lucky.
Marriage and love: The other side is government official's family. (meaning maybe the father or the mother is a government official or someone notorious and famous.) If you get Chen Gua in autumn, it's easy to be married. If you get this Gua in winter or summer, there will be trouble.
Food: horse meat, lots of bones, liver, lungs, dried meat, nuts, the head of an animal, round shaped stuff, spicy stuff.
Job or position: Can get the job. Good for becoming a government worker, police officer, soldier, a boss (CEO), general or military position, a prophet, grab control and power, mail man, diplomat. It's good for a position at the north-west direction.
Goal: will be successful, good for governmental negotiation, good for moving around earning money. Not lucky if you get this Gua in summer. If you get this Gua in winter, you will have to think and plot a lot but there will be less profit, and it will be tiring.
Trade: good for precious metal trade, jewelry, commodities. Great if you are doing business with the government. Chen Gua also means that the trade will be easy. But if you get this Gua in summer, it's not a lucky sign. You are lucky if you get this sign in autumn. If you get this Gua in winter, there's no profit.
Travel: good for travel. Good for going to the capital. Good for going north-west. Unlucky if you get this sign in the summer.
Meeting: Good for meeting a VIP.
Disease: disease in the head or the face, lung, bone or nerve. Unlucky if you get this Gua in the summer.
Legal: good for lawsuit. Somebody will help you out. Get the Chen Gua in fall and you win. Unlucky sign if you got it in the summer.
Grave: good to have it at north-west area, good to bury at dry mountain, good for high land. Get Chen Gua in fall means the burial will bring good luck to your family. Unlucky burial spot if you get this Gua in summer.
Colour: red, black, silver.
Number: Number:
Taste: spicy

 

Quen: (soft cheap soil)

quen.gif (929 bytes)

Quen Gua stands for earth soil. It represents something soft, cheap, mass, a lot, darkness, woman, large.

Weather: Cloudy, foggy.
Geography: Country side, crop field, farm, mass flat land, south-west.
Characters: Mother, step-mom, farmer, someone from the country side, lots of people, old lady, pregnant woman, woman.
Personalities: mizar, cheap, stingy, easy going, weak, sneaky like a fox.
Body parts: waist, stomach, flesh.
Time: Cn, sh, c, wa months. Wa or s years, months, dates, or hours.
Objects: Rectangle or square objects, soft soil, soft object, paper, cloth, crops, pottery, computer software.
Animals: Cow, camel.
Buildings: south-west building, barn, low building, storage place, garage, country side building.
Family: safe and sound. If you get Quen Gua in spring, the family is not peaceful.
Foods: Beef, roots, potatos, something sweat, something out of soil, crops, animal organs.
Marriage and love: Good for marriage. Fits marrying a tax collector's daughter or son. Good for marrying someone who's in real estate business. Good for also marrying a country side person.
Job or position: Can get the job. Fits south-west position, become a teacher or a position that has to do with fertility, soil, cultivation, tax, real estate, building constructor, etc.
Trade: Good for trading. Good for produce or farm goods trading. Good for trading involved with heavy stuff, cheap stuff, cloths, or soft objects. There will be profit in quietness (like quietly sitting in the office, not hard labor). Unlucky if you get the Quen Gua in spring.
Goal: Good for reaching your goal. Lucky for accomplishing something in the country side or in quietness (meaning something quiet). If you get this Gua in spring, it's not a lucky sign.
Travel: Can travel. Good for going south-west. Lucky going to the country side. Good for land travel. Not lucky if you get this Gua in spring.
Meeting: Will be able to meet. Good for meeting somebody from the country side. Good for meeting a very close friend or a woman. If you get this Gua in spring, it's not good for meeting.
Disease: In the waist, stomach. Trouble in digestion.
Legal: You have the case and lots of proofs. Lots of people will support you. The case will dissolve.
Grave: Burial spot should be somewhere in the south-west. Flat land is good. Near farmland is cool. Bury at a low land. If you get this Quen Gua in spring, you shouldn't bury here. ("You shouldn't bury here." means that if you have already chosen a spot to bury a relative but you threw the coins in spring and Quen Gua shows up heavily, you should choose another spot.)
Numbers: 8 5, 10
Direction: south-west.
Taste: Sweet.
Color: Yellow, black.

 

Zen: (thunder)

zen.gif (923 bytes)

 

Zen stands for something noisy and intimidating like a roar of a thunder. It stands for something tall and strong, fame, great wealth and power, energy.

Weather: Thunder.
Geography: East, trees, a noisy crowded city, a wide road, forest.
Body parts: Leg, liver, hair, sound.
Characters: First born son.
Personalities: Begin, get mad, scared (afraid), move around a lot.
Time: Spring y and m months, m year, month, date, or hour. Number 4 3 8 months or dates.
Objects: Wood, bamboo, wooden musical instrument, computer hardware parts, hair dryer, horn, loud speaker, giant seed. ("Giant seed" means a seed of peach, a coconut, or an avocado. Some seed that's big.)
Animals: Dragon, snake, a roar of a horse.
Buildings: East building, a building in the forest or in the trees, a tall slim building.
Family: There are scary cases in the house. If you get this Gua in spring or in winter, it's a lucky sign. Not lucky if you get this Gua in the fall.
Food: Meat, raw meat, sour fruit, BBQ, vegetable, fish. Spooky looking food like crab, lobster.
Marriage and love: Can marry. The other side comes out of a famous or notorious family. Good for first born son's marriage. Not lucky if you get this Gua in the fall.
Trading: Wood trading or computer hardware is cool. Trading at moving, noisy places is good. Tea and fruits are also okay. If you get this Gua in the fall, your trading is unlucky.
Job or position: Can get the position! Good for a position in the east. Become a general or a commander. Good for becoming someone who's intimidating like an attorney, computer company's officer or a worker, or someone who works in a noisy city. Good for becoming an auto mechanic or someone who works in noise like a construction worker, a stock clerk, or a carpenter.
Disease: leg, liver or nerve. The patient is afraid or is in shock.
Goal: Can accomplish your goal. Lucky if this is something which requires lots of movement. If you get this Gua in the fall, you don't have good luck.
Legal: Good for your case. There will be great anxiety. The case will continue endlessly.
Meeting: Can meet. Good for meeting a computer related person or someone who is from a forest. Great for meeting someone famous.
Travel: Good for travel. Lucky if you go west. If you get this Gua in the fall, the travel is unlucky.
Grave: Good for a burial in the east. Bury in the forest or where there are lots of tall trees is lucky. If you get this Zen Gua in the fall, the burial spot you have chosen is unlucky.
Numbers: 4 8 3.
Direction: East.
Taste: sweet, sour.
Colour: Green, dark green.

 

Shun: (wind)

shun.gif (917 bytes)

 

Shun Gua stands for wind. It represents thoughtfulness, wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and nature.

Weather: WInd.
Geography: South-east direction, grass land, garden.
Characters: First born daughter, scholar, single lady, business man, monk, archaeologist, oceanic experts, astronomer, astrologer, fortune teller, someone who is specialized in the study of nature.
Personality: Soft, inconfident, not sure.
Body parts: Hip, Chi (Chi is the flowing energy of your body).
Time: m month.
Objects: Wood ornament, rope, straight object, long object, bamboo or wood, handcraft, feather, fan, medicine grinder.
Animals: Chicken, bug, snake.
Building: South-east building, a building in the woods.
Family: Stable and safe. Lucky sign in spring. Unlucky in the fall.
Food: Chicken, something from the forest, vegetable, sour taste.
Marraige and love: Can marry. Good for marrying the first born daughter. Unlucky if you get this Gua in the fall.
Job or position: Can get the job. Good for getting a white collar job. Good for getting a quiet office job or a job which requires experience in a certain nature study. Great for becoming a writer, medical professional, a doctor.
Trade: Can succeed. Not stable. The advantage of a trade, printing, writing business, journalism, medicine, business that has to do with the wilderness or forest, gardening, produce and farm goods.
Goal: Can reach the goal. Will have profit. Get this Gua in the fall and be unlucky.
Travel: Can travel. There will be advantage if you travel. Good for traveling south-east. If you get Shun Gua in the fall, it's an unlucky sign.
Meeting: Can meet. Good for meeting an author or a medical specialist. Good for meeting an expert in studies of nature like archaeologist, astronomer, etc. Great for meeting someone who lives in the woods.
Disease: In the hip, vagina, penis, intestine, stroke.
Legal: It's a patent or a copyright disbute.
Grave: Good for a burial in the east, in the woods. If you get Shun Gua in the fall, you should consider another burial spot.
Numbers: 5 3 8.
Direction: South-east.
Taste: sour.
Color: light green, kind of soft, jade and white mixed color.

 

Kan: (water)

kan.gif (923 bytes)

 

Kan stands for water. It represents filth, liquid, darkness, and smart.

Weather: The moon, rain, snow, fog, water.
Geography: North, river, lake, ocean, wet land, quick sand.
Characters: Second born son, gangster, sailor, criminal.
Personalities: Poisonous, evil, bad, cruel, fool around and can't accomplish anything, change plans very often.
Body parts: Ear, blood, kidney.
Time: Winter, t year, t month, t date, and t time. 1, 6 months and dates. (Chinese months and dates of course)
Objects: Salt, liquor, liquid, bottle, cup, test tube, any fruit with large seed in the middle, automobile, transportation, boat, soft object, any equipment that has to do with liquid.
Animals: Pig, fish, sea lives, fox.
Building: North building, a building near the water, light tower, bar, swimming pool.
Food: Pork, liquor, frozen or cold stuff, sea food, soup, sour, fruits with large seeds in the middle.
Family: Not stable, misery, watch out for robbers and intruders.
Marriage and love: Good for marraige with a second born son. Great for a marriage with someone from the North. Not good for marriage. Do not marry in the month of cn, sh, c, or wa.
Job and position: Hard to get the job. Watch out for danger ahead. Good for a position in the north. Good for a job that has to do with liquid, transportation, or salt. Autobody technician, painter, artest.
Trade: If you got money, watch out and make sure you keep an eye on your money. Good for a profit that has to do with water (sea food, salt, liquor, etc.). Your money could be stolen or lost.
Goal: Not good sign. Can not accomplish your goal. If you get the Kan Gua in the fall or in the winter, there is still possibility for you to accomplish your goal.
Travel: Not good for travel. Good for sea or water travel. (travel with boat) Good for traveling north. Watch out for robbers and criminals. You might be robbed.
Meeting: Hard to meet. Good for meeting a gangster, a sailor, or somebody that has to do with water.
Disease: ear, heart, transmitted disease, kidney, upset stomach, cold, blood disease.
Legal: Not good for lawsuit. The other side will try to trick you. There might be a trap. You might lose the case.
Grave: Good for a burial in the north or a burial spot near the water. Not a good spot for burial.
Numbers: 1 6.
Direction: North.
Taste: Salty, sour.
Color: black

 

Li: (Fire)

li.gif (916 bytes)

 

Li stands for fire. It represents brightness, energy, heat, fame, news.

Weather: Sun, rainbow, sunset.
Geography: South, desert, tropical area, dry area.
Characters: Second born daughter, journalist, office worker, one who works under heavy stress, a person with large belly like a pregnant woman, a person who has vision problem, armoured police or soldier.
Personalities: Smart and wise, beautiful or handsome, study a lot.
Body parts: eye, heart.
Time: Summer, w year, month, date, or time. The Chinese date of 3 2 7.
Objects: Fire, book, record, document, letter, voice or video recording, lamp, dry stuff, stove, computer software, camera, lazer, TV, Video game, commercial.
Animal: Turkey, turtle, clam, shell fish, crab.
Building: South building, a building that receives lots of bright sunlight, huge window.
Family: Stable and safe. If you get Li Gua in winter, the family is not stable. If the opponent Gua kills the self Gua, there is fire. (burning down your house!)
Food: Turkey, fried food, BBQ, dried meat (beef jerky), cooked meat.
Marriage and love: Will not succeed. Good for marrying a second born daughter. If you get this Gua in the summer, you can get married. Get this Gua in the winter and it becomes an unlucky sign.
Job and position: Will get the job. Good for a south position. Good for office job, nuclear power plant position, or kitchen job.
Trade: Can be successful. Good for white collar business. (I mean, nowadays what's not involved with white collar? Computer, banking, writing, stock exchange, law. One thousand year ago when Shou Kan Jet wrote this, only one person out of one thousand people can read and write. But now everyone knows how to read.)
Travel: Can travel. Good for traveling south. Good for business travel or traveling for white collar reasons. If you get Li Gua in the winter, it's not lucky to travel. Don't travel by sea or by water if you get Li Gua in any season.
Meeting: Can meet a person from the south. Get this Gua in the winter and the meeting will not be successful. Get this Gua in the fall means that you will have some kind of examination. (taking a test)
Legal: Easy to drop the case. The judge is righteous and wise.
Disease: Vision problem, heart.
Grave: Good for a burial in the south, where there are no trees and very bright. Get this Gua in the winter means that the burial spot is not so lucky.
Numbers: 3 2 7.
Direction: South.
Color: Red, purple.
Taste: bitter.

 

Gen: (hard soil)

gen.gif (920 bytes)

 

Gen stands for mountain or hill. It symbolizes stubbornness, persistance, hard, dependable, young.

Weather: Cloud.
Geography: A road in the mountain, hill, a hill like grave, (rich people's grave where they put TVs, beds, table, chairs, and whole nine yards into the grave, so that the grave is so huge that it looks like a hill.) North-east area, a gate, an entrance, a door.
Characters: Youngest son, a person who resides in the mountain, a kid.
Personalities: Hindrance, quiet, hesitence, betray, stops you from doing something, won't show up.
Body parts: Finger, bone, nose, your back, penis.
Time: c and y months. c and y year, month, date, and time. 7 5 10 month and date. (Chinese calender of course) Soil year, month, date, and time.
Objects: Soil and rock, nuts, melon, yellow things, tan colour things, something out of soil, a temple, a door or a gate, something sticks out like a penis or a finger.
Animals: Tiger, dog, mouse, animal with a peak (a bird), fox.
Family: Safe and stable. Something is stopping you from accomplishing your goal. The family members are not being polite to each other, and there are arguments. Get this Gua in the spring and the family is not stable nor lucky.
Building: North-east building, a building on the mountain or a building near the rocks.
Food: Something out of soil like a potato, wild animal's meat.
Marriage and love: Hard to marry due to too many hindrances. Marry late. Good for marrying the youngest son. Good for marrying someone who lives in the country side. Get this Gua in the spring and it is an unlucky sign.
Job and position: Lots of hindrances. Cannot find a job. Good for a job in the north-east. Good for a position in the mountain or in the rocks.
Trade: Hard to be successful. Good for farm or wood trade. Get this Gua in the spring and it's an unlucky sign.
Travel: Not good for travel. There are hindrances. Good for going to somewhere near by land.
Meeting: Cannot meet. Have hindrance. Good for meeting a kid, the youngest son, or someone from the woods.
Disease: Finger, penis, stomach.
Legal: There are hindrances. The case goes on and on. No verdict.
Grave: A spot in the north-east. A grave on the mountain, a grave where there are rocks nearby. Get this Gua in the spring and you should bury your relative somewhere else.
Numbers: 5 7 10.
Direction: North-east.
Color: Yellow.
Taste: Sweet.

 

Duay: (sharp metal)

duay.gif (917 bytes)

 

Duay represents a river, conversation, talking, sharp metal edge.

Weather: Rain, full moon, star.
Geography: River, water, pond, lake, abandoned well, cracking dry land.
Characters: Youngest daughter, young lady, hooker, translator, witch, fortune teller, servants.
Personalities: Happy, talk a lot, gossip, eating and drinking.
Body parts: Tungue, mouth, throat, lung.
Time: Fall, yo year, month, date, and time. Metal year, month, date. 2 4 9 month and date. (Chinese month and date of course.)
Objects: Iron knife, metal, music instrument, broken stuff, broken cup or plate, something that has an opening or a hole.
Animals: Sheep, some animals in the river.
Building: West building, a building near the river or a lake, a run down building tat has broken walls and windows.
Family: Not stable, lots of argument. Get Duay Gua in the fall means luckiness. If you get this Gua in the summer, there will be trouble upon your family.
Food: Sheep meat, food out of the river, spicy food.
Marriage and love: Cannot succeed. If you get this Gua in the fall, you might succeed. Good for marrying the youngest daughter. Not lucky if you get this Gua in the summer.
Position and job: Hard to get the position. Because of the position, you suffer great loss. Good for a position in the west. Good for becoming a lawyer, a police man, a soldier, or a translator.
Trade: There is no profit, and there will only be losses. You must talk a lot. If you get this Gua in the fall, you will have some luck. Not lucky if you get Duay Gua in the summer. There will be lots of competition.
Travel: Not good for traveling far. Suffer from lots of talking. There could be losses. Good for traveling west. If you get Duay Gua in the fall, you will have a lucky trip.
Meeting: Good for meeting someone from the west. Good for meeting a young lady. At the meeting, you will be cursed by others.
Disease: Mouth, toungue, Throat, athema, coughing, digestion problem.
Grave: Good for burying at the west. There might be water leaking into the grave. If so, you must fix it. A grave near the river or a pond, a grave at a messy, abandoned area. If you get this Gua in the summer, you better not bury the dead here because it's not lucky.
Legal: Fight for the case for a long time, lots of querrelling, suffering from losses. Watch out for punishment. If you get this Gua in the fall, you win the case. (Remember, you must see lots of Duay Guas in your reading in order to predict that you will win. If you threw the coins in the fall, but there is only one Duay Gua in your reading, that doesn't mean you will win the case.)
Numbers: 4 2 9.
Direction: West.
Color: White.
Taste: Spicy.

 

The 8 Guas


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Written by Alex Y.C. Chiu

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