Line (Yao)
爻
In simple terms
a single horizontal line — either yang (⚊) or yin (⚋). Six of them stack from bottom to top to form one hexagram.
At a glance
A little deeper
The bottom line is the “first line” (初爻), the top the “top line” (上爻). In divination, which line is “moving” is the heart of the reading — and you always read from the bottom up.
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Related terms
an unbroken solid line (⚊). It stands for yang — active, strong, outward energy — one of the two building blocks of every hexagram.
a broken line split in two (⚋). It stands for yin — receptive, yielding, hidden energy — the counterpart to the yang line.
a figure of six stacked lines. Two trigrams (upper and lower) combine into one, giving 8 × 8 = 64 hexagrams in all.
the hexagram you first cast. It shows the present shape of your situation or question — the starting point of the reading.
the “moving line” that flips from yin to yang (or back). It marks the key variable in the situation and the line the reading focuses on most.
the second hexagram formed when the moving lines of the primary flip. It shows the direction the situation is moving toward. Also called the “resulting hexagram.”
a hidden hexagram drawn from the inner four lines (2-3-4 and 3-4-5) of the primary. It reveals the background beneath the surface.