Unicode polygrams Unicode characters for Asian polygram divination.
Version of Monday 25 March 2024.
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Unicode provides many of the multi-line symbols used in Asian divination. Each can have multiple interpretations, such as heaven, thunder, fire, and so forth; they can vary widely according to the source. The interpretations given here are those of Unicode.

In the tables below are included for each character, its image, its Unicode code point, and its Unicode interpretation. The code point is the hexadecimal number denoting that chararacter. For example, if the code point for a character is 2636, it can be effected in HTML with the character sequence ☶ yielding ☶. In contexts other than HTML, the syntax might be different.


The characters of table one are taken from the Unicode page Miscellaneous Symbols 2600-26FF. Here are the Yijing mono-, di- and trigrams:

table one
268A

yang
268B

yin
268C

greater
yang
268D

lesser
yin
268E

lesser
yang
268F

greater
yin
2630

heaven
2631

lake
2632

fire
2633

thunder
2634

wind
2635

water
2636

mountain
2637

earth


The hexagrams of table two are taken from the Unicode page Yijing Hexagram Symbols 4DC0-4DFF, and are discussed in Wikipedia. Unicode lists them in the King Wen sequence, which places them into 32 pairs; the same is done here. The two hexagrams of each pair reside in adjacent cells in the table below. Examples are 4DC0-4DC1, 4DC2-4DC3, and so forth.

table two
4DC0
the creative heaven
4DC1
the receptive earth
4DC2
difficulty at the beginning
4DC3
youthful folly
4DC4
waiting
4DC5
conflict
4DC6
the army
4DC7
holding together
4DC8
small taming
4DC9
treading
4DCA
peace
4DCB
standstill
4DCC
fellowship
4DCD
great possession
4DCE
modesty
4DCF
enthusiasm
4DD0
following
4DD1
work on the decayed
4DD2
approach
4DD3
contemplation
4DD4
biting through
4DD5
grace
4DD6
splitting apart
4DD7
return
4DD8
innocence
4DD9
great taming
4DDA
mouth corners
4DDB
great preponderence
4DDC
the abysmal water
4DDD
the clinging fire
4DDE
influence
4DDF
duration
4DE0
retreat
4DE1
great power
4DE2
progress
4DE3
darkening of the light
4DE4
the family
4DE5
opposition
4DE6
obstruction
4DE7
deliverance
4DE8
decrease
4DE9
increase
4DEA
breakthrough
4DEB
coming to meet
4DEC
gathering together
4DED
pushing upward
4DEE
oppression
4DEF
the well
4DF0
revolution
4DF1
the cauldron
4DF2
the arousing thunder
4DF3
the keeping still mountain
4DF4
development
4DF5
the marrying maiden
4DF6
abundance
4DF7
the wanderer
4DF8
the gentle wind
4DF9
the joyous lake
4DFA
dispersion
4DFB
limitation
4DFC
inner truth
4DFD
small preponderance
4DFE
after completion
䷿4DFF
before completion

Table two bis has the same hexagrams as table two, but has them placed in a pattern resembling binary numbering; and that emphasizes the relationship between hexagrams and the trigrams of table one.

table two bis
(2630)
(2631)
(2632)
(2633)
(2634)
(2635)
(2636)
(2637)
(2630)
4DC0
4DEA
4DCD
4DE1
4DC8
4DC4
4DD9
4DCA
(2631)
4DC9
4DF9
4DE5
4DF5
4DFC
4DFB
4DE8
4DD2
(2632)
4DCC
4DF0
4DDD
4DF6
4DE4
4DFE
4DD5
4DE3
(2633)
4DD8
4DD0
4DD4
4DF2
4DE9
4DC2
4DDA
4DD7
(2634)
4DEB
4DDB
4DF1
4DDF
4DF8
4DEF
4DD1
4DED
(2635)
4DC5
4DEE
4DFF
䷿
4DE7
4DFA
4DDC
4DC3
4DC6
(2636)
4DE0
4DDE
4DF7
4DFD
4DF4
4DE6
4DF3
4DCE
(2637)
4DCB
4DEC
4DE2
4DCF
4DD3
4DC7
4DD6
4DC1


The polygrams shown in tables three and four are taken from Unicode page Tai Xuan Jing Symbols 1D300-1D35F, and are discussed in Wikipedia. Each line within a character can have zero, one, or two gaps. In this aspect, they differ from the characters of the previous sections where each line is limited to zero or one gap.

The "missing" characters of table three are given in table one of this report, although the interpretation there, which involves yang and yin, may not be pertinent here.

table 3
(268A)
(268B)
1D300
𝌀
earth
(268C)
(268E)
1D302
𝌂
human earth
(268D)
(268F)
1D303
𝌃
earthly heaven
1D301
𝌁
heavenly earth
1D304
𝌄
earthly human
1D305
𝌅
earth

Table four contains tetragrams, and Unicode provids all 81 = 34 combinations. The different-colored backgrounds are merely for ease of reading.

table 4
(268C)
(268E)
(1D302)
(268D)
(268F)
(1D303)
(1D301)
(1D304)
(1D305)
(268C)
1D306𝌆
centre
1D30F𝌏
defectiveness or distortion
1D318𝌘
following
1D321𝌡
change
1D32A𝌪
purity
1D333𝌳
enlargement
1D33C𝌼
diminishment
1D345𝍅
sinking
1D34E𝍎
completion
(268E)
1D307𝌇
full circle
1D310𝌐
divergence
1D319𝌙
advance
1D322𝌢
decisiveness
1D32B𝌫
fullness
1D334𝌴
pattern
1D33D𝌽
closed mouth
1D346𝍆
inner
1D34F𝍏
closure
(1D302)
1D308𝌈
mired
1D311𝌑
youthfulness
1D31A𝌚
release
1D323𝌣
bold resolution
1D32C𝌬
residence
1D335𝌵
ritual
1D33E𝌾
guardedness
1D347𝍇
departure
1D350𝍐
failure
(268D)
1D309𝌉
barrier
1D312𝌒
increase
1D31B𝌛
resistance
1D324𝌤
packing
1D32D𝌭
law or model
1D336𝌶
flight
1D33F𝌿
gathering in
1D348𝍈
darkening
1D351𝍑
aggravation
(268F)
1D30A𝌊
keeping small
1D313𝌓
penetration
1D31C𝌜
ease
1D325𝌥
legion
1D32E𝌮
response
1D337𝌷
vastness or wasting
1D340𝍀
massing
1D349𝍉
dimming
1D352𝍒
compliance
(1D303)
1D30B𝌋
contrariety
1D314𝌔
reach
1D31D𝌝
joy
1D326𝌦
closeness
1D32F𝌯
going to meet
1D338𝌸
constancy
1D341𝍁
accumulation
1D34A𝍊
exhaustion
1D353𝍓
on the verge
(1D301)
1D30C𝌌
ascent
1D315𝌕
contact
1D31E𝌞
contention
1D327𝌧
kinship
1D330𝌰
encounters
1D339𝌹
measure
1D342𝍂
embellishment
1D34B𝍋
severance
1D354𝍔
difficulties
(1D304)
1D30D𝌍
opposition
1D316𝌖
holding back
1D31F𝌟
endeavour
1D328𝌨
gathering
1D331𝌱
stove
1D33A𝌺
eternity
1D343𝍃
doubt
1D34C𝍌
stoppage
1D355𝍕
labouring
(1D305)
1D30E𝌎
branching out
1D317𝌗
waiting
1D320𝌠
duties
1D329𝌩
strength
1D332𝌲
greatness
1D33B𝌻
unity
1D344𝍄
watch
1D34D𝍍
hardness
1D356𝍖
fostering