Tài Xuán Jīng
From Kook Science
Tài Xuán Jīng (Tai Hsuan Ching, Taixuanjing; Chinese: 太玄經, "Canon of Supreme Mystery") is a Chinese text, detailing a divination system — similar to the more commonly known I Ching (Yì Jīng) system — based on a set of 81 tetragrams, composed by the Confucian writer Yáng Xióng (Yang Hsiung; Chinese: 揚雄/扬雄). It has been popularized to some extent in English as The Elemental Changes and The Alternative I Ching.
System
The world of the Tai Xuan Jing is described in terms of the interaction of three forces (as monograms) — tiān (t'ien; 天, "heaven", represented as an unbroken line [⚊]), dì (ti; 地, "earth", once broken line [⚋]), and rén (jen; 人, "man", twice broken line [𝌀]) — grouped into nine digrams (bigrams), generating the final 81 "shou" tetragrams (quadragrams).
Symbols
Digrams
| Tài Xuán Jīng digrams | ||||||||
| ⚌ | ⚎ | 𝌃 | ⚍ | ⚏ | 𝌁 | 𝌂 | 𝌄 | 𝌅 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
Tetragrams
| Tài Xuán Jīng tetragrams | ||||||||
| 𝌆 | 𝌇 | 𝌈 | 𝌉 | 𝌊 | 𝌋 | 𝌌 | 𝌍 | 𝌎 |
| 1 Centre |
2 Full Circle |
3 Mired |
4 Barrier |
5 Keeping Small |
6 Contrariety |
7 Ascent |
8 Opposition |
9 Branching Out |
| 𝌏 | 𝌐 | 𝌑 | 𝌒 | 𝌓 | 𝌔 | 𝌕 | 𝌖 | 𝌗 |
| 10 Defectiveness or Distortion |
11 Divergence |
12 Youthfulness |
13 Increase |
14 Penetration |
15 Reach |
16 Contact |
17 Holding Back |
18 Waiting |
| 𝌘 | 𝌙 | 𝌚 | 𝌛 | 𝌜 | 𝌝 | 𝌞 | 𝌟 | 𝌠 |
| 19 Following |
20 Advance |
21 Release |
22 Resistance |
23 Ease |
24 Joy |
25 Contention |
26 Endeavour |
27 Duties |
| 𝌡 | 𝌢 | 𝌣 | 𝌤 | 𝌥 | 𝌦 | 𝌧 | 𝌨 | 𝌩 |
| 28 Change |
29 Decisiveness |
30 Bold Resolution |
31 Packing |
32 Legion |
33 Closeness |
34 Kinship |
35 Gathering |
36 Strength |
| 𝌪 | 𝌫 | 𝌬 | 𝌭 | 𝌮 | 𝌯 | 𝌰 | 𝌱 | 𝌲 |
| 37 Purity |
38 Fullness |
39 Residence |
40 Law or Model |
41 Response |
42 Going to Meet |
43 Encounters |
44 Stove |
45 Greatness |
| 𝌳 | 𝌴 | 𝌵 | 𝌶 | 𝌷 | 𝌸 | 𝌹 | 𝌺 | 𝌻 |
| 46 Enlargement |
47 Pattern |
48 Ritual |
49 Flight |
50 Vastness or Wasting |
51 Constancy |
52 Measure |
53 Eternity |
54 Unity |
| 𝌼 | 𝌽 | 𝌾 | 𝌿 | 𝍀 | 𝍁 | 𝍂 | 𝍃 | 𝍄 |
| 55 Diminishment |
56 Closed Mouth |
57 Guardedness |
58 Gathering In |
59 Massing |
60 Accumulation |
61 Embellishment |
62 Doubt |
63 Watch |
| 𝍅 | 𝍆 | 𝍇 | 𝍈 | 𝍉 | 𝍊 | 𝍋 | 𝍌 | 𝍍 |
| 64 Sinking |
65 Inner |
66 Departure |
67 Darkening |
68 Dimming |
69 Exhaustion |
70 Severance |
71 Stoppage |
72 Hardness |
| 𝍎 | 𝍏 | 𝍐 | 𝍑 | 𝍒 | 𝍓 | 𝍔 | 𝍕 | 𝍖 |
| 73 Completion |
74 Closure |
75 Failure |
76 Aggravation |
77 Compliance |
78 On the Verge |
79 Difficulties |
80 Labouring |
81 Fostering |
Resources
Books
- Nylan, Michael (1993), The Canon of Supreme Mystery by Yang Hsiung: Translation with Commentary of the "T'ai Hsuan Ching", State University of New York Press, https://amzn.to/2aRT5pl
- Nylan, Michael (1994), The Elemental Changes: The Ancient Chinese Companion to the I Ching - The T'ai Hsuan Ching of Master Yang Hsiung Text and Commentaries, State University of New York Press, https://amzn.to/2b5adaV
- Walters, Derek (1987), The Alternative I Ching, Aquarian Press, https://amzn.to/2aRTjwM