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1 RAYS OF LIGHT ggggg ggggg ggggg ggggg ggggg ggggg
RAYS OF LIGHT symbolize the King.
Evidence for this Image: Dragons are mentioned throughout the text. For the meaning of dragons and their relation to light, see The Astrological Origin of Dragons. The relation of the lines to the Lights of Heaven may be found in the The Structure of a Hexagram. To see these lines as beams of light is easy.
Evidence for this Symbol: The King as the sun, the people as the soil, is a hackneyed expression throughout world literature. But here is a specific reference from the Book of Rites (Ching Chieh, 3):
"The son of Heaven forms a ternion with heaven and earth. Hence, in power of his goodness he is their correlate, and his benefits extend at once to all things. His brilliancy is equal to that of the sun and moon, and enlightens all within the four seas, not excepting anything, however minute and small.Further China is the Land of the Dragon, and the Emperor sat upon the Dragon throne. Williams says:
"Since the reign of Kao Tsu of the Han dynasty, 206 B.C., the five-clawed dragon was the emblem of imperial power; the Emperor's throne, his robes, and articles of household use, etc., all bore the device of this scaly monster" (p.139).This relation between dragons, light, and the King is unlikely to have been an innovation of the Han. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that RAYS OF LIGHT symbolize the King.
Illustrations on the Web:
The Shang
Ancient Chinese History
2 SOIL gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg
SOIL symbolizes the People.
Evidence for this Image: The hexagram is made up of the trigram for Earth doubled. Earth is composed of soil, a multitude of particles.
Evidence for this Symbol: In keeping with the overall meaning of the cycle and the preceding hexagram, the broken lines suggest the multitudes of people.
Illustrations on the Web:
Chinese Women
Women in Chinese Art
Links to the Land of China
3 THE CARRIAGE gg gg Draw Bars (thills) ggggg gg gg gg gg Body of the Carriage gg gg ggggg
The CARRIAGE symbolizes Recruitment of Personnel for the Army.
Evidence for this Image: The word "chariot" is mentioned in lines 1, 4, and 6, but since the image possesses thills, the word clearly should be "carriage." The carriage is that of an official sent out to draft soldiers for the army. Such carriages are well illustrated in books on ancient China, but I have not found an example on the Internet.
Evidence for this Symbol: That carriage symbolizes Recruitment is clear from the context in which it occurs: the ordinary people (prior hexagram) have always provided the cannon fodder for the nation.
Illustrations on the Web:
Be All That You Can BE
4 THE CARRIAGE INVERTED ggggg gg gg gg gg gg gg ggggg gg gg
THE CARRIAGE INVERTED symbolizes the Training of the Army.
Evidence for this Image: The image is established above.
Evidence for this Symbol: "Ignorance" or "ignorant" is mentioned throughout the hexagram; instruction is specifically mentioned in the Summation (first sentence of hexagram). Raw recruits must be drilled: this is a universal function of government.
Illustrations on the Web:
Article 12: A cartoon with thills: Slow load. View all these pictures while you are there.
Boot Camp
Regiments and Corps of the British Army
5 BUFF COAT gg gg Neck Opening ggggg Shoulder gg gg Openings for Arms ggggg ggggg ggggg
BUFF COAT symbolizes Garrison Duty on the Borders.
Evidence for this Image: Shaughnessy, p.73, translates the title of this hexagram as "Short Coat." The object, however, is probable a buff coat. Buff is a tough leather, and the use of buff coats anciently was common to Asia and Europe. Only a soldier would wear such a stiff, heavy coat, so the coat was a distinguishing sign of a soldier, as is a "Red Coat" in American history.
Evidence for this Symbol: "Waiting in the distant border" is specified in line 1. Garrison duty on the the border is a common fact of history. I believe the quilted coats on terracotta figures at the grave of the First Emperor are such buff coats. These coats may be seen in books.
Illustrations on the Web:
First Emperor's Tomb: Unfortunately, Buff Coats not visible in this picture.
The Great Wall: A Virtual Tour
6 BUFF COAT INVERTED ggggg ggggg ggggg gg gg ggggg gg gg
BUFF COAT INVERTED symbolizes a Border Incursion by Invaders.
Evidence for this Image: The buff coat image was established above.
Evidence for this Symbol: "Contention" is mentioned in the Summation and in lines 2 and 4 by Legge. This "contention" is logically a border incursion. The soldiers of #5 are sent to the border to "wait," that is, to defend it. The overthrown (inverted) coat suggests "a man down," which is the likely case in a surprise attack on the border.
Illustrations on the Web:
Secrets of the Norman Invasion
Secrets of the Great Wall
7 THE CHARIOT gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg Wheel ggggg Axle gg gg
THE CHARIOT symbolizes an Expeditionary Force to repel the invasion.
Evidence for this Image: The title of this hexagram is given as "Army" by various translators. War chariots were the premier tools of war of this era, and the resemblance of the image to a chariot is exceedingly obvious.
Evidence for this Symbol: That THE CHARIOT symbolizes an Expeditionary Force is stated in the first line of the hexagram: "An army sets out in strict order" (Whincup).
Illustrations on the Web:
The Chariot: A superb Web page.
8 THE CHARIOT INVERTED gg gg ggggg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg gg
The CHARIOT INVERTED symbolizes the Recall of the Expeditionary Force.
Evidence for this Image: The image as CHARIOT is established above.
Evidence for this Symbol: The "union" and "alliance" of the various translators is logically the homecoming reunion of returning troops. The return of an expeditionary force may be the result of armistice, but hardly of "alliance."
Illustrations on the Web:
Armistice of the Great War
USAID: Demobilization and Reintegration
