Fuxi made many contributions to humanity, but perhaps his greatest contribution was the creation of the Eight Trigrams (八卦). In Fuxi’s time, people had little understanding of nature, and natural phenomena like wind, rain, thunder, and lightning left them both confused and fearful. Fuxi decided to change this and explain these phenomena to humanity. To do so, he frequently climbed Mount Guatai to observe the sky, study the land below, and even pay attention to the footprints and markings of birds and animals.
Fuxi made thorough observations of the sun, moon, stars, seasons, weather, and the life cycles of plants. He noticed that the sky was vast and high, needing to be looked up to, while the earth was broad and supported all life, requiring him to look down. The heavens were exalted and high, while the earth was humble and low. The movements of the sky and the stillness of the earth had a certain order, yet he was unable to decipher it all.
One day, as Fuxi was again observing from Mount Guatai, he suddenly heard a strange roar. Out of a cave on the opposite side of the mountain sprang a peculiar creature, which had the head of a dragon and the body of a horse. Let’s call it the “Dragon Horse.” The creature leapt onto a large stone in the Wei River below and stopped there. Fuxi noticed that the Dragon Horse carried a jade tablet on its back. On the jade tablet were black dots and some strange symbols. This jade tablet was the He Tu (河图), or River Diagram.
The River Diagram consisted of 55 black and white dots, divided into five groups of numbers. These represented ancient observations of celestial and terrestrial cycles. The white dots symbolized odd numbers, representing Yang and the sky, called the “Heavenly numbers” (天数). The black dots symbolized even numbers, representing Yin and the earth, called the “Earthly numbers” (地数). Numbers 1–5 were called “Life numbers” (生数), while numbers 6–10 were “Maturity numbers” (成数). These two groups were interconnected and represented the relationship between the forces of creation and completion. The dots alternated between odd and even, symbolizing the idea that all things in the universe are created from the interplay of Yin and Yang. Every object and phenomenon in the world had its own number, a balance of creation and completion.
The patterns on the River Diagram deeply impressed Fuxi, and he felt a strange harmony between himself and nature. He realized that the patterns on the Dragon Horse’s back were closely aligned with his own observations of nature. Through the River Diagram, Fuxi was able to deduce the principles of the Eight Trigrams. He then created the Eight Trigrams, explaining natural phenomena to humanity.
As described in the Classic of Mountains and Seas (山海经), it is said that “Fuxi obtained the River Diagram, and the people of the Xia dynasty followed it, calling it ‘Lianshan’.” Fuxi used the symbols “☰” (three solid lines) to represent Yang, and “☷” (three broken lines) to represent Yin. These symbols came to represent all opposing and complementary aspects of the universe—heaven and earth, male and female, Yin and Yang, firmness and softness, movement and stillness, ascent and descent, etc.
Fuxi combined three of these symbols to form eight different combinations, each of which became one of the Eight Trigrams:
- Qián (乾) – Heaven (☰)
- Kūn (坤) – Earth (☷)
- Gèn (艮) – Mountain (☶)
- Duì (兑) – Lake (☱)
- Kǎn (坎) – Water (☲)
- Lí (离) – Fire (☶)
- Xùn (巽) – Wind (☴)
- Zhèn (震) – Thunder (☰)
These Eight Trigrams symbolize the eight great phenomena of the universe: Heaven, Earth, Mountain, Marsh, Water, Fire, Wind, and Thunder. Everything in the universe changes and evolves according to these eight phenomena.
The central concept of the Eight Trigrams is summarized by the phrase: “Tai Chi gives birth to the two polarities, the two polarities give birth to the four symbols, and the four symbols give birth to the eight trigrams.” In ancient times, the universe was in a state of chaos, with Yin and Yang not yet separated. From this primordial state, called Tai Chi (太极), the universe began to emerge. The separation of Yin and Yang formed the two polarities (阴阳), symbolizing the balance between opposites. These two forces then gave birth to the Four Symbols, which represented the four seasons of the year: Tai Yin (太阴) for winter, Yang Sun (阳孙) for summer, and lesser Yin (少阴) and lesser Yang (少阳) for spring and autumn. From the Four Symbols, the Eight Trigrams were derived.
Each of the Eight Trigrams corresponds to one of the Five Elements (五行):
- Qián and Duì are Metal (金)
- Zhèn and Xùn are Wood (木)
- Kūn and Gèn are Earth (土)
- Lí is Fire (火)
- Kǎn is Water (水)
The Eight Trigrams also represent different directions. These directions are often linked to family members. For example:
- Zhèn (East) represents the eldest son.
- Xùn (Southeast) represents the eldest daughter.
- Lí (South) represents the middle daughter.
- Kūn (Southwest) represents the mother.
- Duì (West) represents the youngest daughter.
- Qián (Northwest) represents the father.
- Kǎn (North) represents the middle son.
- Gèn (Northeast) represents the youngest son.
By placing different items in specific directions, one can influence the health and fortune of the family members associated with those directions.
Later, Fuxi expanded the Eight Trigrams by combining them in different ways, creating the 64 hexagrams (六十四卦). These hexagrams symbolized various natural and human phenomena, offering a comprehensive framework to understand the world.
Thus, the Eight Trigrams became one of the most important legacies Fuxi left to humanity, offering insight into the natural world, human life, and the interconnection between all things.