Five forces, one way of seeing

Every Chinese system here rests on the same few ideas. Learn them in this order and the charts start to make sense.

Start here

  1. Yin and Yang
  2. The Five Elements
  3. Stems and Branches
  4. The Sixty Cycle
  5. The Eight Trigrams

Foundations

This library is being written. Topics open as their pages are reviewed.

陰陽Yin and YangThe two complementary forces behind everything.
五行Five ElementsWood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water.
天干Heavenly StemsTen signs for element and polarity.
地支Earthly BranchesTwelve signs for time and the zodiac.
甲子Sixty CycleStems and branches paired in sixty steps.
納音Na YinA poetic element for each pair in the cycle.
合沖Clashes and UnionsHow the branches attract and oppose.
生肖Zodiac AnimalsThe twelve animals of the branches.
時辰Double HoursThe day in twelve two-hour periods.
節氣Solar TermsTwenty-four points of the solar year.
星宿Lunar MansionsTwenty-eight divisions of the sky.
八卦Eight TrigramsEight figures of three lines.
六十四卦HexagramsThe sixty-four figures of the I Ching.
河洛River Chart, Luo WritingTwo ancient number diagrams.
九宮Nine PalacesThe magic square behind many systems.

Go deeper

十神Four Pillars termsTen Gods, life stages and patterns.
星曜Purple Star termsStars, palaces and transformations.
六親Liu Yao termsRelations, spirits and line roles.
八門Qi Men termsDoors, stars and deities.
風水Feng Shui termsPeriods, mountains and stars.
面相Face and palm termsZones, palaces and lines.
流派SchoolsForty-four systems, explained.
典籍Classics and peopleThe books and the people behind them.