Basic feng shui series
The trigrams (I)
by Jayashree Bose

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How to read the trigrams?

-      - yin yao (broken line)
____ yang yao (unbroken line)

Yang can be thought of as the male line and yin as the female line.

Qian - all yang yao's - represents the father
_____
_____
_____

Kun - all yin yao's - represent the mother
_     _
_     _
_     _

Zhen - the first (bottom) line is yang*. The other two lines are yin. - represents the first son (eldest son).
_    _
_    _
____

Xun - the first line is yin. The other two lines are yang - represents the first daughter (eldest daughter)
____
____
_    _

Kan - the middle line is yang. Therefore it represents the middle or the second son.
_    _
____
_    _

Li - the middle line is yin. Therefore it represents the middle or the second daughter.
____
_    _
____

Gen - the third (top) line is yang. Therefore it represents the third or the youngest son.
____
_    _
_    _

Dui - the third (top) line is yin. Therefore it represents the third or the youngest daughter.
_    _
____
____

* While counting lines in the trigram, the bottom line is considered the first line the middle line the second and the top line as the third.
Eg.   -    - 3rd line
         -    - 2nd line
         ___ 1st line