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乾 (gān) — heaven, the male principle; the Qian trigram (☰) and hexagram (䷀) of the Yijing

Definition

In the Yijing (I Ching), 乾 is the trigram ☰ symbolizing 'heaven' and the yang/male principle — first of the Eight Trigrams, and the name of the hexagram ䷀ formed from it.

bound form
heaventhe male principlethe Qian trigram (☰) and hexagram (䷀) of the Yijing

Examples

  • 乾、、、巽。
    Bā guà bāo kuò gān, kūn, zhèn, xùn děng.
    The Eight Trigrams include Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, and others.
  • 乾。
    gān Guà shì bā guà zhōng de dì yī guà.
    The Qian trigram is the first of the Eight Trigrams.
  • 乾。
    Tā jīng tōng gān guà de zhé xué.
    He has mastered the philosophy of the Qian hexagram.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
乙乙yǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
倝
倝gàn乾qián
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

乾 combines 乙 with 倝, which supplies the sound.

Appears in
Chinese Culture & Customs

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