Genders of the trigrams

The trigram genders seem to make sense with the exception of Fire and Water. We expect
Fire to be yang and Water to be yin, but whether we use the 'number of strokes' or the 'odd
line' to determine the gender, we get the result that Fire is yin and Water is yang.
When it comes to the five elements, earth, water, and wood are clearly to be associated with yin.
Water, the softest and most yielding element, becomes the supreme symbol of yin and the Tao in
the Tao Te Ching. Fire (the hottest element) and metal (the hardest) both are associated with yang.
Nevertheless, the Blue Dragon, that symbolizes wood is a principal symbol of Yang , while
the White Tiger, that symbolizes metal is a principal symbol of Yin.
This kind of reversal turns up frequently in the I Ching.

Although it is correct to see yin as feminine and yang as masculine, everything in the world is
really a mixture of the two, which means that female beings may actually be mostly yang and
male beings may actually be mostly yin. Because of that, things that we might expect to be
female or male because they clearly represent yin or yang, may turn out to be the opposite
instead.
Among the trigrams it is noteworthy that in all the children, the sex is determined by
the odd line, but based on the ratio of yang/yin lines, the trigrams are predominately
the opposite quality from the sex of the child. Also, we expect water to be associated with yin
and fire with yang, but water is the second son and fire the second daughter. The other
children are associated with such things as we might expect, e.g. water turns up again in the
third/youngest daughter as the Lake.

Heaven 3 strokes Yang Father

Lake 4 Strokes Yin Youngest Daughter
Fire 4 strokes Yin Middle Daughter
Thunder 5 strokes Yang Eldest Son
Wind 4 strokes Yin Eldest Daughter
Water 5 strokes Yang Middle Son
Mountain 5 strokes Yang Youngest Son
Earth 6 strokes Yin Mother
There are other ways to consider how the gender of the trigrams is determined. If a trigram
has a single yang or a single yin line, then that line is the ruler of the trigram, and it
determines its gender.
But we must also be aware that a yang line represents a ruler and a yin line a subject. This
suggests that there is a paradox here.

Consider the trigram 'fire'

From one perspective, the single line, the yin line in the centre, is the ruler making the
trigram 'yin'. Therefore it is considered weak, inauspicious, inferior.
It has two yang lines and one yin line – two rulers and one subject. Having two rulers is a
sign of conflict and divided agendas and therefore weak.
The yin line is the central line of the trigram, which is the controlling line, being central,
balanced and therefore powerful, but not necessarily in a positive way.
'Fire' needs fuel, which comes from the earth. The fire clings to the fuel and its shape is
governed by the shape of the fuel.
Although it rises towards the sky, it is a product of 'earth' energy. Although it also represents
'light' and 'illumination', which come from real knowledge, the conscious awareness of the
real knowledge, i.e. it becoming conscious knowledge, uses the interface of the brain which
is yin.
The trigram also represents the middle daughter.
The yin line is true yin initially. It is necessary so that the real knowledge of the yang is able
to interact with the conscious awareness, yin, but in doing so, because its nature is receptive
and flexible, it attracts external influences, becoming conditioned awareness. It becomes
false yin.

Consider the trigram 'Water'

The single line, the yang line in the centre, is the ruler, making the trigram 'yang'. Therefore it
is considered strong and auspicious.
It has one yang line and two yin lines – as things should be – subjects united under one
ruler.
The yang line is the central line of the trigram, which is the controlling line, being central and
balanced and therefore powerful, but again not necessarily in a positive way. That is why this
trigram is associated with danger, as a fast flowing river rushing through a gorge towards an
abyss.
As rain, water falls from the sky, but that is only possible because the surface of the ocean
was heated by the Sun, yang, causing the water to rise as water vapour. So it is lifted
towards 'Heaven' by yang energy.
Although it is moved towards land by wind, yin, this wind is caused by the yang of the Sun
heating the earth, which causes the air above the land to heat up and rise. This produces
low pressure over the land which 'sucks in' the moist air from over the ocean. The whole
water cycle is governed by yang.
Re:- Genders of the Trigrams

The trigram also represents the middle son.

The yang line is initially true yang, which replaces the central yin line of 'Earth'. It brings a
flash of light, real knowledge, into the darkness of 'Earth', but this light is obscured by the two
yin lines, which makes the real knowledge susceptible to external influences, and thus
becomes conditioned – false yang.

The interaction of the two trigrams is essential for change to occur. The process of cultivation
is the replacing of the central yin line in the trigram 'fire' with the central yang line from the
trigram 'water'.
From another perspective, the process is to take the real knowledge, the mind of Tao, the
central yang line, which has fallen into water, and use it to replace the conscious knowledge
of the human mind, the central yin line, in the trigram 'fire'.
This process is the gradual dissolving of the yin, leading to the return of the pure yang, the
true face of the Creative.

When doubled up, the trigrams produce Hexagrams 29 and 30, which are the end of the
Upper Canon of the Yi Jing. When they interact, they come together and interlace, producing
alternating yang and yin lines. This produces Hexagrams 63 and 64, which are the end of the
Lower Canon of the Yi Jing.