THE KING WEN

Table

the King Wen SEQUENCE

in tabular form
KW Table

The King Wen Table

The King Wen Sequence in Tabular Form
by Jzsef Drasny
Second, improved edition

Copyright Drasny Jzsef , 2013

http://www.i-ching.hu

KW Table

Summary
For over the last two thousand years, scholars have been unable to come into
accord on the meaning of the arrangement of the hexagrams in the traditionally received
(King Wen, KW) sequence. In fact, besides the connection of the odd and the
subsequent even numbered hexagrams, it is hardly possible to find any relation between
the content of a given sign and its place in the row. Beginning with the ninth wing of the
Yijing (the Xu Gua), many different explanations have been suggested on the possible
meaning of this arrangement. In the opinion of many scientists, the sequence hides some
kind of ancient astronomical, physical, mathematical, or other knowledge. Many others
say the sequence was generated randomly, and it is useless even to think about any
order in it. In short, there is no generally accepted theory that would explain the place of
each hexagram in the KW sequence.
In this short study a two-dimensional arrangement will be shown, the King Wen
Table. It has been generated from the KW sequence by the simplest way. In this table,
certain groups of related hexagrams can be discovered, having regular positions there.
In the sequence, however, these groups and their structure are not recognizable.
Consequently, the well structured KW Table can be rightly considered the direct
predecessor of the irregular sequence. If somebody wants to find any meaning or
significance in the arrangement of the hexagrams, it is also well worth to study this
table.
Still, based on the structure of the KW Table, a good guess can be made about
an earlier arrangement, the King Wen Array.
Throughout this argumentation, there are facts based on observations, and there
are assumptions based on these facts: The final hypothesis has at least one advantage

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over the other explanations: it is in accordance with the rule of Ockhams razor, using
the fewest and simplest assumptions.
In a former work, the author set forth a theory on the spherical arrangement of
the hexagrams, the Yi-globe.1 There, among others, he dealt with the development of the
KW sequence from the structural elements of this sphere. The Yi-globe, however, was
only a hypothetical form and originating the KW sequence from might also seem
conjectural. In this article, a more general solution will be demonstrated, based on the
positions of the hexagrams in the KW sequence alone, without any reference to the Yiglobe at all.

The King Wen Sequence in Tabular Form

Regularities in the King Wen Sequence

In the traditional sequence, there are two well-known regularities:

a) In the sequence, each even numbered hexagram, except the eight symmetrical
ones, is followed by its reverse sign (twenty-eight pairs altogether).
b) The eight symmetrical hexagrams are in pairs with their complements (four
pairs).

With respect to the order of the pairs, opinion varies considerably. The main
views can be classified as follows. There are only two or three works given as examples
in each group. They are subjectively picked out from the vast literature, from scholarly
books to metaphysical websites, simply to demonstrate the diversity of opinions. A
more systematic and scholarly work on this this subject was published by Steve Moore. 2
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a) The traditional sequence comes from King Wen, and it is the only authentic
arrangement. There are close relations between the contents of the adjacent
hexagrams and pairs, and/or there are coherent groups in the sequence. For
example:
- The ninth wing of the Yijing contains explanatory notes on the
connection of each hexagram with the previous one in the sequence.3
- Liu I-ming took the hexagrams as successive steps along the way
towards perfect enlightenment.4
- Frank Kegan identifies six sets of ten successive hexagrams, each with a
particular function. In the sets, a special meaning is given to each place.5
b) There has to be some kind of regularity in the sequence but it is unknown and
waits for discovery. The representatives of this view usually propound a rule,
disclosed by them. For example:
- The monograph of Richard S. Cook resolves the classical enigma. It
provides a comprehensive analysis of the hexagram sequence, showing
that its classification of binary sequences demonstrates knowledge of the
convergence of certain linear recurrence sequences.6 (Citation from the
editors note on the book.)
- Based on the principles of his Novelty Theory, Terence McKenna
constructed a mathematical function, using numerical values derived
from the King Wen sequence. Using this Timewave Zero formula, he
predicted the end of time at December 21, 2012.7
c) There are different, new arrangements; some developed long ago, others more
recently, with additional meanings. They in many ways seek to compensate for
the lack of universality in the traditional sequence. Two of these inventions are
as follows:
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- In the natural system of Shao Yong (10111077), the sequence starts
with the Creative. In the following signs the lines gradually change,
beginning from the upper line and down to the lowest one, according to a
definite rule. In fact, this arrangement is a kind of transcription of the
binary numbers (derived much later) from 111111 to 000000.8
- Andreas Schter arranged the hexagrams in a lattice by energy level,
from the least energetic at the bottom, to the most energetic at the top.
In mathematical terms, this is a six-dimensional hypercube.9
d) There is no order in the sequence, nor should we try to create one. This is the
view of most users and readers. They say the essence of the book is not in the
arrangement of the hexagrams but in their meaning separately and together. The
meaningful pairs are enumerated in the sequence at random, without any rule or
order among them.
- Bradford Hatcher thinks the pairs have been scrambled into a random
sequence, and the efforts of finding some order in this sequence are
simply a useless expenditure of time.10

The argument made in this paper partly belongs to group b above because it
discloses some kind of regularity in the traditional sequence. However, this order comes
from another, geometrical arrangement that has not been known up to the present.

Three regular groups in the King Wen sequence

In the Yijing literature, there are well-known short or longer sequences and
groups where the hexagrams are categorized according to the meaning or the
composition of the hexagrams. The following gives examples of such groups:
- The eight doubled trigrams, composed from two identical trigrams;
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- Nine hexagrams that show the development of character;11
- The twelve sovereign (waxing and waning) hexagrams;
- Jing Fangs eight palaces (or eight houses), with eight hexagrams in each.

Observing the twelve sovereign hexagrams and two other groups, so far
unknown relations can be found among their ordinal numbers in the KW sequence.
1. The ordinals of the sovereign hexagrams are: 12, 1112, 1920, 2324, 3334,
4344.
2. The ordinals of the hexagrams in the sequence, created by exchanging the
trigrams in the sovereign hexagrams, are: 12, 1112, 910, 1516, 2526, 45
46.
3. A group where the hexagrams are composed from two opposite
(complementary) trigrams, in other words, from the opposite pairs of the Earlier
Heaven: 1112, 3132, 4142, 6364.

As it is easy to see, the differences between the ordinals in these groups are in
connection with the number ten (see the bold-faced numbers). These connections are
frequent enough to see them as an indication of some kind of regularity.
It will be useful to demonstrate this regularity in a table (Figure 1).

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Figure 1. Three groups in tabular form

There are three rows in the table, one for each group:
- The pairs of the Earlier Heaven are in the first row.
- The sovereign hexagrams are in the second row. The Creative and the Receptive
(#1 and #2) are not included here because their places have been assigned to the
leading positions, probably in the long past. As for the pair #1112, it has been
already placed in the first row.
- The third row contains of the opposite hexagrams of those in the second row
(with the exchanged trigrams).

In this arrangement, it is easy to find regularity among the elements. Each of the
four columns consists of the first three pairs of four consecutive decades respectively.
There are only three pairs not following this order; they have two asterisks (**) on
them.
- Column 1: #1112, #1920 (instead of #1314), and #1516.
- Column 2: #6364 (instead of #2122), #2324, and #2526.
- Column 3: #3132, #3334, and #910 (instead of #3536).
- Column 4: #4142, #4344, and #4546.

Putting to one side the three anomalies, Figure 1 seems to be the part of a greater
table in which all the hexagrams would be found (Figure 2).

KW Table

Figure 2. The King Wen sequence in table form

The numbers in the cells proceed one another in order, ten (five pairs) in each
columns, and indicate the position of the given cell in the table. In the frame of double
order, the arrangement of the ordinal numbers visibly agrees that of the hexagrams in
Figure 1. That is, the cell No 1112 holds the hexagrams #1112, the cell No 3132
holds #3132, and so on. The cells No 2122, 1314, and 3536 are exceptions,
corresponding to the three misfits in Figure 1.
The cells of the three hexagram sequences dealt with above are marked with
different colors. It can be well seen that each of these sequences has one definite region
in the table: they are the three rows in the frame. That is, these groups of hexagrams
have their own regions in the table, though one pair in each group stands separately and
there is an alien hexagram on their places. Still, the regularity of this arrangement is
apparent and can be formed as follows.
There are three groups of hexagrams where the elements belong together in a
definite way (by form and content). Arranging the hexagrams into the table of
Figure 2 and in the cells corresponding to their ordinals, the elements of each
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group remain together in adjacent cells, forming a separate region for the
group.

The question is whether could be this regularity applied to other groups of the
hexagrams. First, with a view to answering this question, it is necessary to examine
more exactly the common characteristics of the hexagrams in the three groups
mentioned above.

Group of the eight directions (DIR8)

Previously, the hexagrams of the first group were defined as comprising the
opposite pairs of the Earlier Heaven. They can be seen in Figure 3, in detail.

Figure 3. The four pairs of the Earlier Heaven (Group DIR8)

In this diagram, the hexagrams are in the order as they are placed in the cells of
Figure 2 (the KW sequence in table form), from No 1112 to 4142. Under the images
of the hexagrams, there are the names of the upper and the lower trigrams. The numbers
below are the ordinals in the KW sequence. The double lines indicate the boundary of
the region. Three pairs in the region contain the opposite (complementary) trigrams of
the Earlier Heaven; they are individually framed and shadowed. In the second cell,
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however, the hexagrams (#21 and #22) are different. The missing pair of the group is
#6364; it is shown outside the region.
In the eight hexagrams of this group, i.e. the hexagrams in the grey cells, the
upper and the lower trigrams are the complements of each other. In the circular diagram
of the Earlier Heaven, these trigrams are in opposition, and their connecting lines show
the eight directions of space. Hence, this is the group of the eight directions, DIR8 in
short.

Group of the sovereign hexagrams (SOV8)

The second row belongs to the group of the eight sovereign hexagrams. (As it
was noted above, two pairs of this sequence, #12 and #1112 have already been placed
in other cells.) In this group, one trigram in the hexagrams is always the Qian or Kun,
and the other is one of the children, excepting the Li and Kan. The group is named
SOV8 after the eight hexagrams of the sovereigns.
In Figure 4, the hexagrams of this row are shown.

Figure 4. The eight sovereign hexagrams (Group SOV8)

The arrangement of this diagram is similar to that of Figure 3. Three pairs of the
eight sovereigns, #2324, #3334, and #4344 are settled in the frame. The pair #13
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14, however, does not belong to the sovereign hexagrams but occupies a cell in the row.
The fourth pair of the sovereigns is #1920, and it is outside this region, in the cell 19
20. It is shown beside the region.

Group of the sovereign hexagrams with exchanged trigrams (SOVX)

The third sequence contains the opposites of the eight sovereign hexagrams in
the previous group (SOV8); the upper and the lower trigrams are exchanged in them.
They are shown in Figure 5. The pair #3536 is the alien and the missing pair is the #9
10; the latter stands outside the region.
The constitutive trigrams are the same as those in group SOV8: the Qian or Kun,
and one of the children, excepting the Li and Kan. This is the group of the eight
sovereigns with exchanged trigrams, SOVX in short.

Figure 5. The eight sovereigns with exchanged trigrams (Group SOVX)

Based on the above observations, it seems to be worthy to look for other regular
groups in the table. As it was formulated above, regularity means some groups of
hexagrams being coherent according to their upper and lower trigrams, and the distinct
regions for these groups in the table.
The next four regular groups in the King Wen sequence are as follows.
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Group of the four cardinal trigrams (CPT4)

It was found that in the groups SOV8 and SOVX, in the majority of the
hexagrams, one trigram was the Qian or Kun, and the other was one of the children,
but the Li and Kan are excepted. A new regular group can be created from the
complementary hexagrams, where beside the Qian and Kun, the Li and Kan should be
the second trigrams.
In the first column of Figure 2, the first pair (#12), has an exceptional and
distinguished place, but below them the hexagrams #56 and #78 have the above
required qualities. The one is composed of the trigrams Qian and Kan, and the other
from the Kun and Kan, but the QianLi and the KunLi pairs are missing.
There are two pairs, however, with the combinations sought, in the cells No 13
14 (Qian and Li) and in No 3536 (Kun and Li), where apparently they do not belong to
the given group (see Fig. 4 and Fig. 5). These hexagrams (#1314 and #3536) will
make the first column complete, replacing #34 and #910 in their present cells. As a
matter of fact, the pair #910 obviously belongs to group SOVX, to the cell No 3536.
Also #34 will find its correct place in another group and region.
All these pairs can be seen in Figure 6.

Figure 6. The hexagrams of the four cardinal points (Group CPT4)

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After the necessary replacements, one trigram in these hexagrams always will be
Qian or Kun, and the other the Li or Kan. These characteristics make these four cells the
region of the four cardinal points of space. Thus, the group is termed CPT4.

Group of the children of same sex (SAMX)

Following the three rows in the middle of the table, the hexagrams in the fourth
and fifth row are shown (Figure 7).

Figure 7. The pairs of the children of same sex (Group SAMX)

Examining the eight pairs here, four of them can be found that are composed of
the same rule: #2728, #3738, #3940, and #4950. They are shadowed in the frame.
Their composing trigrams are the pairs of two different sons (from the Zhen, Kan, and
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Gen) or two different daughters (from the Xun, Li, and Dui); there are no mixed
pairs. In addition, there are two pairs that correspond to this rule and belong to this
group but they are at other places in the table, in the cells No 34 and 6162 (the
hexagrams #34 and #6162). The irregular pairs are in the cells No 4748 and 2930,
and make the recognition of the regularity difficult.
The hexagrams #1718 and #1920 remain outside this group and the region.
This group will be marked SAMX, according to the combination of the
hexagrams from two children of same sex.

Group of the children of opposite sex (OPPX)

The complementary part of group SAMX contains the hexagrams with the
trigrams of opposite sex. These are at different places of the table as follows:
- Three pairs, #5354, #5556, and #5960 are together in the sixth column, with
the double trigram #5758 sandwiched between them.
- The pair #2122 would join with these, in the cell 6364. There, the pair #6364
is alien because it belongs to DIR8 and its place is the cell No 2122.
- The pair #1718 resides separately, in cell 1718.
- Also the pair #4748 remains without a dwelling place. At present, the only
empty cell in an unfilled region is at 1920, and it may go there.
- Still, three pairs in the first row (#1112, #3132, and #4142) are composed
from the trigrams of opposite sex but they belong to a separate group of higher
rank, to the group of the Earlier Heaven (DIR8).

The six pairs enumerated above (the three pairs in group DIR8 not included) are
shown in Figure 8. Four of them are in the region of the last columns and two are in the
adjacent cells at the lower end of the second column.
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As was the case with the other six groups, these hexagrams have common
qualities in terms of their composition. The twelve hexagrams contain the sondaughter
combinations of the trigrams. They will be named group OPPX, after the children of
opposite sex.

Figure 8. The pairs of the children of opposite sex (Group OPPX)

Group of the eight double trigrams (DBL8)

In terms of their composition, the double trigrams obviously belong together,

even though they are scattered in the table of the KW sequence. Only two pairs, #5152
and #5758 are together in the sixth column, although not in adjacent cells.
The places are shown in Figure 9.

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Figure 9. The eight double trigrams (Group DBL8)

The reason for the separate place of the Creative and the Receptive (#1 and #2)
has already been offered. With respect to the fourth double pair, the Abysmal and the
Clinging (#29 and #30) do not have regular place in cell No 2930, in the region of
group SAMX. Instead, their expected cell would be No 6162, beside #5152, at the top
of the last column. There, the pair #6162 is alien and belongs to the group SAMX. In
this way, three pairs of the double trigrams would be close to each other, but only two
of them will be located in adjacent cells, in No 5152 and 6162. Their common region
is in the last two columns.
The group of the eight double trigrams will be named as DBL8.
The composition of the seven groups is shown in the next table (Figure 10). The
boldfaced numbers indicate the hexagrams that are within their corresponding region,
the other hexagrams are the aliens.

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Figure 10. The composition of the seven groups

Now, the table of the KW sequence can be completed with all the groups and
regions (Figure 11).

KW Table

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Figure 11. The table of the KW sequence with the groups and regions

Here, the color of each cell designates the group to which the two hexagrams in the
given cell belong. Apparently, the majority of the hexagrams belong to definite regions of
adjacent cells in the table except for one or two alien (misplaced) pairs. In detail:
The table contains six regions, regularly arranged in the rows and columns. (The
sixth region consists of two separate parts: the last two columns and two adjacent
cells at the end of the second column.)
In each of these regions, a particular rule can be applied for the composition of the
majority of the hexagrams. In such a way, seven groups of hexagrams have been
created (two groups in the sixth region).

It is important to note that in the individual groups, all the possible opposite
hexagram pairs are present, i.e. the reverse and the inverted hexagrams, and the
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hexagrams with exchanged trigrams. (The exchanged trigrams of group SOV8 are
separately in group SOVX.)
Based on these regularities, it can be supposed with reason that this tabular form
(or a very similar one) had been deliberately developed it was in use before the linear
KW sequence.
At some unknown time in the past, however, the table was extended in one row,
following the rules of Chinese reading (reading the columns from the top down). In
such a way, the adjacent hexagrams in the horizontal rows departed from each other,
and their connections became unrecognizable.
This kind of transformation of the table may have happened when the demand
occurred to make records of the hexagrams together with the associated judgments and
line texts. In the course of recording, the hexagrams were written at the top of a bamboo
slip (or other material) and the corresponding texts below. Each hexagram had one or
more bamboo slips and they all were tied together, one beside the other in a row. The
succession of the hexagrams mechanically followed their order in the table, i.e., it went
according to the rules of Chinese reading, from the top down and consecutively in the
columns. That is to say, the linear sequence of the hexagrams was only a formal
necessity, determined by the form of writing. By that time (before the second century
BC), the original sense of the arrangement had probably been forgotten and might not
be taken into account. Afterwards, the text and the linear arrangement served as the
basis of the canonized Yijing classics, and the sequence has remained unchanged until
today.
A similar case would occur if somebody read an English poem according to
Chinese practice, beginning with the first word of each line, then the second word, and
so on. In the end, the sense of the verse would completely disappear. This might happen
with the original tabular form of the hexagrams.
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Changes in the table of the KW sequence

The hypothesis about the transformation of the table into the KW sequence
would be more easily acceptable if an explanation was found for the positions of the
hexagrams that lie outside the region in which one would expect to find them.
It is rather easy to find reasons for two changes that refer to the pair #2930 (the
Abysmal and the Clinging) and #6364 (After Completion and Before Completion). In
the Yijing, the hexagrams are divided into two parts, from 1 to 30 (Upper Canon) and
from 31 to 64 (Lower Canon). It can be supposed with reason that the two pairs above
were intentionally removed from their original positions in consequence of this
separation, on the occasion of the transformation of the table into the sequence.
In the table, the Abysmal and Clinging pair originally had to be in cell 6162,
and not in 2930, as they were shown in Figure 11. In the tabular arrangement, these
hexagrams might be among the other double trigrams, in the last columns. Similarly to
the Creative and the Receptive (#12) at the head of the first column, the Abysmal and
Clinging had to be at the top of the last one. These four hexagrams, in the diagram of
the Earlier Heaven, in their simple trigram form, represented the four cardinal points of
the universe. In the table form, they might have the same role; they marked out the
limits of the created world. In the linear arrangement and at its separation in two parts,
the Abysmal and the Clinging would have lost their distinguished position, ending up in
the insignificant penultimate place in the second part of the sequence. Not willing to
allow this to happen, they were removed to a similar, important position, at the end of
the Upper Canon, changing place with the Inner TruthPreponderance of the Small
pair. Thus, in the sequence, they received the ordinal numbers 2930 according to their
new positions.
A similar change-over may have happened at the places 2122 and 6364. In the
table, the functionally correct place of the After Completion and Before Completion pair
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was in the cell 2122 (see Figure 3). After the transformation and the partition, it was
also necessary to close the Lower Canon with one of the cardinal hexagrams, as
happened in the first part. For this reason, the two signs of Completion were removed to
the end of the sequence, changing places with the less important Biting ThroughGrace
pair in cell 6364. Thus, the two pairs, the CreativeReceptive and the After
CompletionBefore Completion, as the symbols of the Heaven and the Earth, and the
Beginning and the End, provided a symbolic frame to the whole material, and got the
last two ordinals, No 63 and 64.
In such a way, a reasonable explanation may be given for the location of these
four misplaced or deviant pairs. Before these changes, the table might have had the
form of Figure 12. Here, in the cell 2122, the hexagram pair #6364 occupies its
correct place in the region of group DIR8, and the pair #2122 is in the last column,
among the members of its own group OPPX. Similarly, the pair #2930 is in its original
cell 6162 at the top of the last column, and #6162 occupies the cell 2930 in the
region of group SAMX.

Figure 12. The table of the KW sequence just before the transformation
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Replacing the ordinal numbers with the images of the hexagrams, the following
table will be developed (Figure 13). According to the hypothesis, this was the
arrangement just before the transformation. Also, it may be perfectly right to call it the
King Wen Table (after the King Wen Sequence).

Figure 13. The King Wen Table

Notes to Figure 13:

1. The numbers on the upper row denote the limits of the present KW ordinals of the
hexagrams in the corresponding column. (The exceptions are the #6364 and #2122 pairs,
and the #2930 and #6162 pairs, as was shown in Figure 12 above.)
2. In the diagram, the misplaced pairs are marked with small circlets. According to the
ordinal numbers, each of these pairs has a given position in the array but by composition it
belongs to another cell in another region. The color of the circlets shows the proper region
of the pair.

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3. The vertical line X---X shows the plausible place where the table might have been
cut in half before the extension in the row.

Here, there are only six pairs that stand in wrong cells; each of them takes the
place of another pair of the six. It is rather easy to see the misplacements: the pair #910
has changed place with #3536. The other four pairs have changed places successively,
from cell 34 to 1314, from 1314 to 1920, from 1920 to 4748, and from 4748 to
34. At present, no reasons can be found for these changes. These anomalies, however,
are so few in number and in proportion that the whole table can be regarded as a regular
design with a few incidental errors and not a random array with so many uniformities.
The series of the latter misplacements in the table might happen in another way.
The hexagram pair #3536 originally might be in the cell 34 and not in cell 910 as it
was supposed in the above example. This meant six successive misplacements; the
hexagrams in the cell 34 were moved to the place 3536, from 3536 to 910, from 9
10 to 1314, from 1314 to 1920, from 1920 to 4748, and from 4748 to 34. That
is, the whole process of the changes was carried out not at random, but in a cyclic way.
Still, there is a disturbing element in the KW matrix, where two pairs stand
separately, in the cells 1718 and 1920. They belong to group OPPX, according to the
composition of the hexagrams. It might have been the case that in an earlier variant of
the KW matrix, they were together with the other members of this group in the last
column, and their present cells were empty. This question will be discussed later.
To sum up, the formation of Figure 13 could be and indeed had to be the
arrangement of the hexagrams just before the development of the KW sequence. After
the extension of the columns in a row, the sequence was cut in half, and, at last, the
pairs #2930 and #6364 occupied their distinguished places at the ends of the Upper
and the Lower Canon respectively (see the arrows on Figure 14). This sequence has

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remained unchanged until now, and has become the traditionally received, so-called
King Wen sequence (Figure 14). Later still, the ordinal numbers were added.

Figure 14. The King Wen sequence, just after the transformation

It is often said that the arrangement of the hexagrams in this sequence has been
made randomly. In the demonstration above, however, we have seen that each
movement of the hexagrams was a conscious choice, following their order in the table
and placing the hexagrams successively in the linear arrangement. From this point of
view, the KW sequence may be considered the regular extension of the King Wen
Table.

Conclusion

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At the beginning of this article, it was shown that the arrangement of the
hexagrams in the KW sequence contained some traces of an order. This order became
visible when the hexagrams were arranged in a rectangular array of five rows and seven
columns. The transformation of the sequence into this form was very simple: ten
consecutive hexagrams (five pairs) went to each column. The last three cells remained
empty (Figure 2). Observing the compositions of the hexagrams and their positions in
the array, two rules might be established:
- The hexagrams were distributed in classes (groups), collating their ordinal
numbers and the constituent trigrams.
- A definite region (a rectangular area of adjacent cells) in the array was
associated with each group (Figure 13).
- There were only six pairs out of these rules.

The classification of the hexagrams, the arrangement of the regions, and the
strong relationship between the groups and the regions likely have resulted from the
conscious design of this table by one or more intelligent person at some point in the
distant past. In contrast, the hexagrams in the traditional King Wen sequence apparently
do not have any order other than the traces of the rectangular array.
The irregular KW sequence, in great probability, has been preceded by the
regular, two-dimensional King Wen Table.

Accepting the above hypothesis, the further guessing will be easier in connection
with the significance of the KW sequence. The sequence only seems to be the
simplified, mechanically extended variant of the KW Table. If somebody should want
to find some hidden meaning in the arrangement of the hexagrams or in their mutual
relations, he/she will have to search in this tabular form for it.
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Supplement
On the basis of the conclusion above, I have made some speculations on the
possible arrangements of the hexagrams before the existence of the King Wen Table. I
supposed that this table had had an earlier variant where all the hexagrams were
regularly arranged and there were not any deviant pairs.

Earlier arrangements

At present, there are rules for the classification of the hexagrams and there are
rules for the placements of the groups in the array. In the past, there had to be a
conscious mind that planned and elaborated these rules and they certainly were
applicable for all the hexagrams, without exceptions. The misplacements might be made
intentionally or at random but they had to happen in an originally regular arrangement.
Thus, knowing the rules, the original, regular array can be reproduced by
removing the deviant pairs to their determined correct positions (Figure 15).

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Figure 15. An early variant of the King Wen Table

Here, in accordance with the (supposed) intentions of the creator, still two
modifications have been made. The three pairs of the double trigrams in the last
columns were united in one region, and the six separated pairs of group OPPX received
a common area. The necessary changes were as follows:
- The hexagram pair #5758 went up to the cell 5354, adjoining #5152. At the
same time, #5354 and #5556 got one step lower, to the cells 5556 and 5758
respectively.
- The pair #2122 from the cell 6364 moved to the next cell 6566, and the two
pairs from cells 1718 and 1920 went to the empty cells at the end of the last
column. Thus, all the members of group OPPX came together in a rectangular
region at the end of the table.
- Three cells remained empty: 1718, 1920, and 6364.

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The result of these modifications was an arrangement where every group,
including the DBL8 and OPPX groups, had its own, rectangular region in the array.
At this moment, one has to think about the occurrence of the arrays in real life.
The above tables (Figures 14 and 16) represent the sixty-four hexagrams in the plane as
they might have been arranged in the ancient past. Here, they are shown in the form of
modern drawings but in the past they could not been easily realized with the
contemporary tools. In fact, these arrangements probably were composed from discrete
objects (such as pieces of oracle bones, tortoise shells, bamboo slips, etc.) and laid out
on a table or on the floor. There, it was not necessary to have sixty-four pieces of them
because the reversed hexagrams could be simply shown by inverting the corresponding
hexagram upside down. Only the four symmetrical pairs (#12, #2728, #2930, and
#6162) had to be made from two pieces each.
On this subject Larry J. Schulz referred to the essay of Lai Zhide (15251604).
He wrote:
Lai offered an explanation for the division of the Zhouyi into two sections of
unequal length. In his opinion, Wen Wang, the progenitor of the Zhou
dynasty, treated the inverted gua pairs as single six-line units when he
established the Zhouyi order. That is, if the second pair of gua Zhun and
Meng, and all others in invert pairs are counted as one unit and the eight
linear opposites are counted individually, the result will be 18 units in the
Former Section and 18 in the Latter.12

Using this form of representation, the most expressive and the most probable
variant of the rectangular arrays can be visualized (Figure 16). Here, each cell only
contains one single hexagram that represents both members of the corresponding
reversed pair. The symmetrical pairs occupy two adjacent cells. Now it becomes
seemingly apparent why have the three cells remained empty just beside the
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symmetrical pairs in the former table (Figure 15): those are the places of the second
members of these pairs.

Figure 16. The King Wen Array

Looking at this array, I have to think about a wise man sitting on the floor,
taking the wood tables one by one out of a pile, and arranging them in rows and
columns before him. He carefully examines the images, contemplates the meanings, and
decides their places in the layout. If such a man had ever lived, he might have been Ji
Chang himself, the later King Wen, or somebody else whose work would have been
attributed to the King. Anyhow, I should call this arrangement the King Wen Array
because it is worthy of this name.
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This array might be very convenient for the daily use. It was easy to keep in
mind and to reconstruct it from memory. Owing to a lack of any recorded form,
however, in the course of centuries (from the era of King Wen to the first manuscripts),
the meaning of the arrangement might have been forgotten and the pieces of the
hexagrams were removed from their original places through ignorance or by accident.
The last corrupted variant might be the array of Figure 13, with relatively few changes
in it, in comparison with the elapsed time. Then, from that variant the known sequence
has been evolved.
When contemplating the King Wen Array, one also should find a rich
symbolism. In my imagination, for example, the rectangular array may represent a
house or a palace, supported by two pillars on the sides. The hexagram groups may be
the main building blocks and the cells are the bricks. Each element has its own meaning,
but its position in the array, the group to which it belongs, and the surrounding
hexagrams add much more significance to it. Others may find different interpretations;
all may lead to a better understanding of this old mystery.

Still, I thank Steve Marshall for reading my early manuscript and offering useful
and valuable remarks that changed my attitude to the subject.

Endnotes
1

Drasny Jzsef, A Ji King elfeledett vilgkpe A Ji-gmb (The forgotten worldview of the I Ching
The Yi-globe). (Budapest: Szenzr Kiad, 2005).
2
Steve Moore, Structural Elements in the King Wen Sequence of Hexagrams. Oracle Paper No. 1.
February 2005. Online: http://www.biroco.com/yijing/Moore_Structural_Elements.pdf. Retrieved on
January 11, 2013.
3
The Yijing. The Sequence of the Hexagrams (Xu Gua).
4
Liu I-ming, The Taoist I Ching, trans. Thomas Cleary (Boston: Shambhala, 1986).
5
Frank R. Kegan, King Wen Sequence Explained for First Time since 1100 B.C.E., Stars-n -Dice.
Online: http://www.stars-n-dice.com/fluxtome.html. Retrieved on January 11, 2013.

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6

Richard S. Cook, Classical Chinese Combinatorics: Derivation of the Book of Changes Hexagram
Sequence (Berkeley: STEDT Monograph 5, 2006).
7
Terence McKenna, Derivation of the Timewave from the King Wen Sequence of Hexagrams,
Levity. Online:http://www.levity.com/eschaton/waveexplain.html. Retrieved on January 11, 2013.
8
Hellmut Wilhelm, Change: Eight Lectures on the I Ching. in Understanding the I Ching. The
Wilhelm Lectures on the Book of Changes, eds. Hellmut Wilhelm and Richard Wilhelm (Princeton:
Princeton University Press, 1995), pp. 114119.
9
Andreas Schter, The Yijing as a Symbolic Language for Abstraction, Yijing. Online:
http://www.yijing.co.uk/downloads/LoA.pdf. Retrieved on January 11, 2013.
10
Clarity I Ching Community, Clarity.
http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/friends/showthread.php?t=12850&page=2. Retrieved on January 11, 2013.
11
The Yijing, Xi Ci Zhuan, Part II, Chapter VII.
12
Schulz, L. J. (1990), Structural motifs in the arrangement of the 64 gua in the Zhouyi. Journal of
Chinese Philosophy, Journal of Chinese Philosophy, vol. 17: pp. 347348. Online:
http://www.biroco.com/yijing/Schulz_Structural_Motifs.pdf. Retrieved on January 11, 2013.

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