Childhood

PAIR EMBRACING symbolizes the Sexual Attraction of Parents.

Evidence for this Image: Legge in the Summation has: "marrying a young lady". Legge notes (p. 124) that the title of the hexagram means "all together." The image is obvious: they are together in an embrace.

Evidence for this Symbol: that PAIR EMBRACING symbolizes the Sexual Attraction of Parents is clear from the efforts of various translators: Wilhelm has "Influence (Wooing)," Blofeld "Attraction, Sensation," Legge "mutual influence."

Illustrations on the Web:
The Chinese Courtship & Wedding
Chinese Egg Symbolism

PAIR COPULATING symbolizes the Mating of Parents.

Evidence for this Image: Blofeld begin line 1: "To ensure his continuance." There is no continuance of the family, and more importantly, the continuation of offerings to the ancestors, without sexual intercourse between husband and wife. Husband and wife are mentioned in line 6.

Evidence for this Symbol: that a PAIR COPULATING symbolizes the Mating of Parents is clear from the above evidence for the image, the preceding hexagram, and the sense of the cycle as a whole.

Illustrations on the Web:
Sexuality in Modern China
TAOIST Sex Practices

PREGNANT WOMAN symbolizes Mother's Pregnancy.

Evidence for this Image: This image follow in the course of nature from the preceding hexagram.

Evidence for this Symbol: That PREGNANT WOMAN symbolizes Mother's Pregnancy is obvious: the meaning is closely connected to the image. The title of this hexagram is given by Blofeld as "Withdrawal." The English term is "Confinement." From Legge's translation of the Book of Rites: "When a wife was about to have a child, and the month of her confinement had arrived..."(Nei Tse, 16).

Illustrations on the Web:
Pregnancy/Birth
Prenatal Care: From MEDLINE.

WOMAN IN LABOR symbolizes the Mother's Delivery.

Evidence for this Image: Blofeld, lines 3 and 6: "A goat butts against a hedge." This is an image for a baby being born: a baby butts its way out of its mother. To take it as no more that a goat (lines 5 and 6 being the horns) is frivolous and neglects the sense of the sequence of hexagrams in which it occurs.

Evidence for this Symbol: That WOMAN IN LABOR symbolizes the Mother's Delivery is clear from the same evidence as for the image.

Illustrations on the Web:
Phys. Pregnancy
Social Psychology of the New Child
American College of Nurse-Midwives

The BABY symbolizes the Individual as a Baby.

Evidence for this Image: In line 2, Legge has "grandmother," Blofeld has "royal mother." Mother entails child. Further, the hexagram as image resembles the primitive character for 'child.'

Evidence for this Symbol: A BABY symbolizes Babyhood of an individual directly.

Illustrations on the Web:
The Super Baby Gallery

The BABY INVERTED symbolizes Weaning.

Evidence for this Image: That the image is a baby is given above.

Evidence for this Symbol: Weaning is the next phase in the course of human life. That The BABY INVERTED symbolizes Weaning is also supported by the component trigrams: the lower means "restriction," the upper "mother."

Illustrations on the Web:
Weaning: From La Lache League
Weaning: From BabyCenter

HOME symbolizes the Membership in Family.

Evidence for this Image: A pig under a roof makes up the Chinese character for "home" and is the first character in the title of this hexagram. The trigram K'an corresponds to a pig.

Evidence for this Symbol: Blofeld translates the title of this hexagram as "The Family." Once a child is weaned and leaves the women's quarters, he becomes a member of the family.

Illustrations on the Web:
Pig Under Roof: From Dan Stackhouse
Children: An appreciation.

HOME INVERTED symbolizes the Life Outside Family.

Evidence for this Image: Given above.

Evidence for this Symbol: Blofeld and Whincup translate the title of this hexagram as "Estranged" and "Estrangement." The maturing individual develops a life outside the confines of the family.

Illustrations on the Web:
Dr. Maria Montessori: By John A. Stoops
Adolescent Separation: By Kathleen Sciacca

The CADET symbolizes Training for Adulthood.

Evidence for this Image: There is no specific evidence for this image, but its legs suggest a human figure, and the course of life suggests a young man. Since the young man is of noble birth and given the times, training in military skills is likely. Therefore, CADET.

Evidence for this Symbol: The title of this hexagram in Whincup is "Trouble." Legge says the title is "the symbol for incompetancy in the feet and legs, involving difficulty in walking" (p.143). A Cadet is initially awkward in the tasks demanded of him.

Illustrations on the Web:
The Royal Military Academy
Kemper Military School and College

The CAP symbolizes Graduation.

Evidence for this Image: There is no specific evidence for this image, but it is suggested by the phase of life now achieved (early manhood) and the idea developed in the preceding hexagram. The Capping Ceremony was fundamental in ancient China and is discussed extensively in the Book of Rites. How these caps specifically looked is uncertain, but some caps had two bumps -- somewhat like Mickey Mouse caps -- and had strings. The image may well be of such a cap, rather than a helmet as I had previously supposed. The 'bumps' may be a memorial to the horns of Fu Hsi, the legendary inventor of the 8 trigrams.

Evidence for this Symbol: The use of caps to signal Graduation into adulthood is common in many cultures. Blofeld translates the title of this hexagram as "Release." The adult is released from the restrictions of childhood.

Illustrations on the Web:
Capping Ceremony
Capping Ceremony: From Catholic Encyclopedia.