The Mystic Pivot of Earthly Order: A Study on the Ancient Origins of the Six Combinations and Qi Transformations of the Twelve Earthly Branches
This article offers an in-depth investigation into the pre-Qin, high-antiquity origins and inner rationale of the Six Combinations and their Qi transformations among the Twelve Earthly Branches (e.g., Zi-Chou combining to transform into Earth). Through textual examination of the Earthly Branches' origins, their connection with Jupiter's orbital cycle, the correspondences between the twelve months and the twelve sovereign hexagrams, and the spatial positioning of the four Earth-branches at the four inter-cardinal directions, the essay reveals the profound astronomical and yin-yang philosophical underpinnings of the Earthly Branch system as a cornerstone of Chinese metaphysical arts.
Chapter Two: The Philosophy of "Combination" -- The Thought of Yin-Yang Union in High Antiquity
Section 1: The Origins of the Yin-Yang Concept
To understand the principle of the Six Combinations and Qi Transformation, one must first understand the meaning of "combination" (he). "Combination" means the union of yin and yang. The concept of yin and yang is the very foundation of ancient Chinese philosophy.
The Yijing, "Appended Statements, Part I" (Xici Shang):
"One yin and one yang -- this is called the Dao" (yi yin yi yang zhi wei dao).
And:
"Heaven and Earth mingle their vapors, and the myriad things are transformed and refined; male and female blend their essences, and the myriad things are transformed and born" (tiandi yinyun, wanwu huachun; nannü gou jing, wanwu huasheng).
Yin and yang are the great principle of Heaven and Earth. Heaven is yang, Earth is yin; sun is yang, moon is yin; firmness is yang, yielding is yin; movement is yang, stillness is yin. All things can be divided by yin and yang, and the union of yin and yang is the fundamental motive force behind the generation and transformation of all things.
The Most High (Laozi), Chapter 42:
"The Dao gives birth to the One; the One gives birth to the Two; the Two gives birth to the Three; the Three gives birth to the myriad things. The myriad things carry yin on their backs and embrace yang; through the blending of qi they achieve harmony" (dao sheng yi, yi sheng er, er sheng san, san sheng wanwu. Wanwu fu yin er bao yang, chong qi yi wei he).
This passage is supremely essential. "The One gives birth to the Two" -- the Supreme Ultimate gives birth to yin and yang. "The Two gives birth to the Three" -- yin and yang combine to produce harmonious qi. "The Three gives birth to the myriad things" -- harmonious qi flows forth and all things are born. The key lies in "through the blending of qi they achieve harmony" -- the two qi of yin and yang clash and surge, combining to produce a centered, harmonious qi, and this centered, harmonious qi is the very root of all things' transformation and birth.
The principle of the Six Combinations and Qi Transformation corresponds exactly to this. The six pairings of Earthly Branches are precisely the union of yin and yang; their combining to transform qi is the concrete manifestation of "through the blending of qi they achieve harmony."
Section 2: The Union of Heaven and Earth -- The Way of Tai and Pi
Among the sixty-four hexagrams of the Yijing, the hexagrams Tai (Peace) and Pi (Stagnation) most directly embody the principles of the union and non-union of Heaven and Earth.
Hexagram Tai (Earth above, Heaven below) -- its text states:
"Tai: the small departs, the great arrives. Auspicious and successful" (Tai, xiao wang da lai, ji, heng).
The Tuan commentary explains:
"Tai -- the small departs, the great arrives, auspicious and successful. This means that Heaven and Earth interact and the myriad things communicate freely; above and below interact and their wills are united. Inner yang and outer yin, inner vigor and outer compliance, inner the noble and outer the petty."
When Heaven is below, its qi rises; when Earth is above, its qi descends. The two qi interact and all things prosper. This is the great meaning of "combination" -- yin and yang interact, above and below communicate, and only then is there generation and transformation.
Hexagram Pi (Heaven above, Earth below) -- its text states:
"Pi: this is not the way of humanity. It does not benefit the noble one's constancy. The great departs, the small arrives."
The Tuan commentary explains:
"Pi -- this is not the way of humanity. It does not benefit the noble one's constancy. The great departs, the small arrives. This means that Heaven and Earth do not interact and the myriad things do not communicate; above and below do not interact and there is no realm under heaven. Inner yin and outer yang, inner yielding and outer firm, inner the petty and outer the noble."
When Heaven is above, its qi keeps rising without descending; when Earth is below, its qi keeps sinking without ascending. The two qi do not interact, and all things are blocked. This is the image of "non-combination."
From the hexagrams Tai and Pi, we see that the ancient sages placed the highest value on the union of yin and yang. Union brings communication, and communication brings life; non-union brings obstruction, and obstruction brings death. This is the most fundamental law between Heaven and Earth.
Why is Tai assigned to the Yin-month (first month) and Pi to the Shen-month (seventh month)$19
Tai, with three yang below and three yin above, is assigned to the Yin-month. The Yin-month is the first month, when spring qi first stirs -- the beginning of Heaven and Earth's harmonious union. At this time, yang qi has already accumulated to three parts (from the Zi-month's single yang through the Chou-month's two yang to the Yin-month's three yang), reaching equilibrium with yin qi. The dynamic of yin-yang union is at its most evident.
Pi, with three yin below and three yang above, is assigned to the Shen-month. The Shen-month is the seventh month, when autumn qi first arises -- the beginning of Heaven and Earth's closure. At this time, yin qi has accumulated to three parts (from the Wu-month's single yin through the Wei-month's two yin to the Shen-month's three yin), reaching equilibrium with yang qi. Yet the tendency is toward yin-yang separation rather than union.
Most interestingly, Yin and Shen are exactly in a "clash" (chong) relationship among the Earthly Branches, and Tai and Pi are exactly inverse in hexagram logic. Clash signifies opposition; yet within opposition lies the potential for transformation. The Tai of the Yin-month will eventually turn into the Pi of the Shen-month, and the Pi of the Shen-month will in time turn back into the Tai of the Yin-month. This is the principle of yin-yang waxing and waning, of ceaseless cyclic return.
Yet Yin and Shen do not form a Six Combination. In the Six Combination system, Yin combines with Hai. Why$20 This will be discussed in detail below.
Section 3: Combining Virtue and Combining Qi -- "Combination" in Pre-Qin Texts
In pre-Qin literature, the word "combination" (he) is used with great breadth and richness of meaning.
The Yijing, "Text of the Hexagram Qian (Heaven) -- Appended Discourse" (Wenyan):
"How great is the Primal Origin of Qian! The myriad things receive their beginnings from it; thus it governs Heaven. Clouds move and rain is bestowed; all creatures flow into their forms. The great luminance knows beginning and end; the six positions are completed in their season. Riding the six dragons in their season, one drives across Heaven. The way of Qian transforms and changes; each being receives its true nature and destiny. Preserving the union of the Great Harmony -- thus benefit and constancy are realized" (baohe taihe, nai li zhen).
The four characters "preserving the union of the Great Harmony" (baohe taihe) are of supreme importance. "Great Harmony" (taihe) is the ultimate state of yin-yang in centered harmony. "Preserving the union" (baohe) means maintaining a state of combined virtue. The Way of Qian transforms and changes, each creature attains its proper nature, and the ability to maintain this ultimate state of yin-yang harmony is the most perfect condition between Heaven and Earth.
The Zuozhuan, first year of Duke Zhao, records the words of the physician He:
"Heaven has six kinds of qi, which descend to produce the five flavors, manifest as the five colors, and verify as the five tones. When in excess, they produce six kinds of illness. The six qi are: yin, yang, wind, rain, darkness, and brightness. They divide into the four seasons and are ordered as the five periods; when they go to excess, there is calamity. Excess yin produces cold illness; excess yang, heat illness; excess wind, limb illness; excess rain, abdominal illness; excess darkness, confusion illness; excess brightness, heart illness."
Though this does not directly address the Branches' combinations, the doctrine of "six qi" precisely echoes the number six of the Six Combinations. Heaven has six qi; Earth has six combinations. Can this be mere coincidence$21
And the Guoyu, "Discourses of Zhou, Part II," records the words of Ling Zhoujiu on musical pitch-pipes:
"Governance takes its pattern from music; music follows harmony; harmony follows balance. Sound achieves harmonious music; pitch-pipes achieve balanced sound."
"Harmony" (he) is the consummation of combination. The harmony of sound lies in the reconciliation of yin and yang, high and low; the harmony of Heaven and Earth lies in the intermingling of the six qi. The Six Combinations and Qi Transformation is the concrete expression of the harmonious intermingling of Heaven and Earth's qi.
Section 4: Combination and Transformation -- The Key to Qualitative Change
After "combination" there must be "transformation" (hua). "Transformation" means change, generation. After yin and yang combine, what results is not mere addition but a qualitative change, generating a new quality of qi. This is the meaning contained in the character "transformation" in the Six Combinations and Qi Transformation.
The Yijing, "Appended Statements, Part II":
"The great virtue of Heaven and Earth is called generation" (tiandi zhi da de yue sheng).
And:
"Heaven and Earth mingle their vapors, and the myriad things are transformed and refined" (tiandi yinyun, wanwu huachun).
"Mingling their vapors" (yinyun) describes the state of the two qi of yin and yang pervading and interweaving. "Transformed and refined" means transforming into something essential and pure. This is not simple mixing but a qualitative change akin to a chemical reaction.
Master Zhuang (Zhuangzi), "Discussion on Making All Things Equal" (Qiwu Lun):
"Heaven and Earth were born together with me, and the myriad things and I are one."
Master Zhuang, "The Great Ancestral Teacher" (Da Zong Shi):
"The corpse-keeper of Creation" (zaohua zhi shi).
The term "Creation" (zaohua) was already in use in pre-Qin times. "Creating" (zao) means to bring into being; "transforming" (hua) means to change. Creation is the process of bringing into being through change, and the motive force behind this creative change lies precisely in the union of yin and yang.
The Guanzi, "Inner Cultivation" (Neiye Pian):
"The essence of all things -- this is what produces life. Below, it generates the five grains; above, it becomes the arrayed stars. Flowing between Heaven and Earth, it is called spirits and gods; stored within the breast, it is called the sage. Therefore this qi -- it blazes as if ascending to Heaven, plunges as if entering the abyss, drifts as if upon the sea, stands firm as if upon a mountain."
This "essence" (jing) is essential qi, the subtle and refined qi generated by the union of yin and yang. This qi is omnipresent -- flowing between Heaven and Earth it is spirits and gods; stored within a person it constitutes sagehood. The qi produced by the Six Combinations is precisely the concrete manifestation of this subtle essential qi operating between Heaven and Earth.
Why does combination lead to transformation$22 Why does it not result in the same$23
This question touches the deeper layers of yin-yang philosophy. The union of yin and yang is not the gathering of like with like, but the intercourse of unlike with unlike. When like gathers with like, quantity increases but quality does not change; when unlike couples with unlike, their forces clash and quality must change. Just as a mare and stallion couple to produce a foal, or a seed enters the earth and meets water and warmth to sprout -- whenever unlike things combine, something new must be produced.
The Yijing, Hexagram Xian (Influence/Reciprocity) -- the text:
"Xian: success, benefit in constancy. Taking a wife is auspicious."
The Tuan commentary:
"Xian means 'mutual influence.' The yielding is above and the firm below; the two qi respond to each other in mutual influence. Stillness combined with joy, the man humbles himself to the woman -- thus success, benefit in constancy, and taking a wife is auspicious. Heaven and Earth influence each other and the myriad things are transformed and born. The sage influences the hearts of people and all under heaven achieves peace."
"Heaven and Earth influence each other and the myriad things are transformed and born" -- this sentence reveals the relationship between "influence" (gan) and "transformation and birth" (huasheng). "Influence" is the mutual resonance and union of yin and yang; "transformation and birth" is the qualitative change and new creation that follow union. The Six Combinations and Qi Transformation is the concrete application of this principle.