Origins of Six Yao: How Jing Fang Built the Najia System
Six Yao Has a Complete Deductive System
Six Yao divination, also called Najia Shifa, was built by Jing Fang in the Western Han dynasty. Jing Fang integrated heavenly stems, earthly branches, five-element generation-control, six relations, and six beasts into the 64 hexagrams. Plum Blossom I Ching focuses on 'images.' Six Yao focuses on 'logic.' Six Yao takes more effort to learn, but once you master it, your interpretations are rock-solid. The core consists of: najia (stems paired with trigrams), nazhi (branches paired with lines), six relations (palace-based relations), six beasts (Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, etc., assigned to lines), plus shi-ying positioning.
Six Yao is the most systematic divination method. Learn to assemble a hexagram — set shi-ying, arrange six relations, place six beasts — and you hold the nuclear weapon of divination. It is slow. But of all methods, its logic is the tightest.
Five Key Steps for Six Yao Hexagram Assembly
- First, determine the hexagram's palace. Eight palaces govern eight hexagrams each. Know which palace the hexagram belongs to, and the shi and ying positions follow.
- Arrange najia and nazhi. Assign heavenly stems and earthly branches to each line. This step is the foundation for six relations and five-element interactions.
- Set the six relations. Take the palace's five-element as 'self.' Each line's branch element interacts with the palace element. What generates self → Parent. What self generates → Offspring. What controls self → Officer. What self controls → Wealth. Same as self → Sibling.
- Place the six beasts. Based on the day's heavenly stem, assign from line one upward: Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Hook Display, Flying Serpent, White Tiger, Dark Warrior.
- Identify the yongshen. Match your question to a six-relation. Career → Officer. Wealth → Wealth. Exams → Parent. Children → Offspring. Partnerships → Sibling.
Common Breakers
- Getting the palace wrong. Each hexagram belongs to a specific palace. You must memorize them: Qian palace eight hexagrams, Kan palace eight hexagrams, etc. Wrong palace means wrong shi-ying and six relations.
- Misplacing earthly branches. Every hexagram has its own nazhi rule. Yang hexagram branches go forward; yin hexagram branches go backward. Memorize which branch sits at line one.
- Confusing the 'self' in six relations. Six relations are not centered on the querent. They center on the palace's five-element. Qian palace belongs to Metal — 'self' is Metal.
- Picking the wrong yongshen. Asking about career but picking Wealth. Asking about love but picking Officer. Wrong yongshen means every interpretation after is wasted.
- Ignoring day-branch and month-branch. After the hexagram forms, check the day's stem-branch. What does the day-branch clash? What does the month-branch combine? Read the hexagram without time, and half your conclusion is off.
The Core Framework: Najia, Six Relations, Six Beasts, and the Yongshen System
Career & Wealth
Career → look at Officer. Wealth → look at Wealth. Officer represents position, power, pressure. Officer prosperous as yongshen → promotion ahead. Officer weak and controlled → work troubles or hidden rivals. Wealth represents income, assets. Wealth generates Officer — money can push career forward. Officer controls Sibling — power suppresses competition. This generation-control chain is the core of six yao career reading. Day-branch clashes Officer → recent job changes. Month-branch combines Wealth → this month's finances stay steady.
Love & Relationship
Relationships → look at the shi and ying relationship. Shi line is you. Ying line is the other person. Shi generates ying → harmony. Shi controls ying → friction. Men asking about marriage → check Wealth line. Women asking → check Officer line. A strong Wealth line → the other person's conditions are good. A strong Officer line → the other person is capable. The six beasts help too: Azure Dragon on ying → good character. Dark Warrior on ying → stay alert. Shi line empty → you lack confidence. Ying line empty → the other person hasn't decided yet.
Personality
Six Yao learners tend to have strong logical thinking. They like systems. They won't settle for gut feelings. They invest time to break everything down clearly. When interpreting, they draw tables, run deductions, and demand evidence for every step. The strength: steady, hard to get wrong. The weakness: over-analysis, missing intuitive signals. Try using Plum Blossom I Ching to train your intuition. Six Yao trains logic. The two complement each other.
Health
Health → look at Officer and Offspring. Officer represents illness, affliction, pathogens. Officer prosperous and active → health issues exist. Officer on line one → legs and feet. Officer on line five → heart and lungs. Offspring represents medicine, treatment plans. Offspring controls Officer — medicine can cure. Offspring strong → treatment works. Day-branch clashes Officer → condition improves. Month-branch controls Offspring → treatment effects weaken this month. Six beasts add clues: White Tiger plus Officer → acute illness. Flying Serpent plus Officer → chronic or mental issues.
Fundamental Principles and Verses for Six Yao Interpretation
Practical Steps for Six Yao Hexagram Assembly
- Start by Memorizing the Eight Palace Hexagrams: First hurdle in Six Yao: memorize the eight palaces. Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, Dui — eight hexagrams per palace, 64 total palace assignments. Don't cram them all at once. One palace per day, eight days done. Once you know the palaces, the shi-ying positions come automatically.
- Draw a Table for Assembly: Take a sheet of paper. Draw a six-row table. Columns: line position, nazhi branch, six-relation, shi-ying, six-beast, day-branch relation, month-branch relation. Fill the entire table for every hexagram before interpreting. With a table, you won't skip anything. All generation-control relationships are visible at a glance.
- Practice One Hexagram, One Yongshen First: Don't be greedy as a beginner. Cast one hexagram, ask one question, find one yongshen. Asking about career? Look only at Officer. Leave other analyses aside. Once one-hexagram-one-yongshen is solid, then learn to read multiple matters at once.
Six Yao Beginner FAQ
Q:What is the difference between Six Yao and Plum Blossom I Ching?
A:
Plum Blossom focuses on 'images' — reading hexagram imagery, flexible interpretation. Six Yao focuses on 'logic' — deducing through five-element generation-control, rigorous interpretation. Plum Blossom gives results in three minutes. Six Yao takes ten minutes to assemble. Use Plum Blossom when inspiration strikes. Use Six Yao for major decisions that need deep analysis. The two methods complement each other — do a quick Plum Blossom scan first, then dive deep with Six Yao.
Q:Must I assemble hexagrams by hand? Can I use software?
A:
Beginners must use their hands. The assembly process is how you build a connection with the hexagram. Arranging nazhi, setting six relations, placing six beasts — every stroke deepens your understanding. Software gives you results in one second, and you forget them the next. Hand-assemble for six months. After that, even when you use software, you'll spot errors instantly.
Q:How do I memorize the six relations? I keep mixing them up.
A:
Draw a five-pointed star. Center is 'self' (palace element). Above self is what generates self → Parent. Below self is what self generates → Offspring. Toward the threat direction is what controls self → Officer. Toward what you can control is what self controls → Wealth. Level with self is what equals self → Sibling. Every time you forget, draw the star again. After a month, you won't need to.
Q:Which matters more — day-branch or month-branch?
A:
Month-branch governs the big direction. Day-branch governs the immediate moment. Month-branch decides whether yongshen is prosperous or weak this month. Day-branch decides whether yongshen receives generation or control today. Month-branch is like the season — summer means short sleeves. Day-branch is the daily weather — rain or shine today. When interpreting, first check the month-branch for the tone. Then check the day-branch for the variable.