Liuyao terms, explained clearly
This is Yarrow’s compact glossary for technical terms that often appear around Liuyao and hexagram reading. The goal is clarity, not pretending to replace a full traditional manual.
How to use this section
- Start with the term page if a word feels unfamiliar in a guide or reading.
- Use the glossary together with how to read a hexagram for structure.
- For examples rather than definitions, browse the new hexagrams section.
- If you are ready to move from terminology into practice, go straight to the reading flow or review how Yarrow works.
Changing lines
What they are, why they matter, and how to read movement without forcing drama.
Trigrams
A concise introduction to the eight trigrams and why they matter inside a hexagram.
Six relatives
The relationship roles used in Liuyao analysis, explained in plain language.
Xunkong (void branches)
A careful beginner explanation of xunkong and why practitioners treat it as a timing and relevance factor.
Five elements
The generating and controlling cycles behind every line relationship.
Earthly branches
How lines get their elemental identity and respond to timing.
Heavenly stems
The ten stems used in the Najia system to assign trigram characters.
Quick definitions
A concise guide to the most common Liuyao terms, written for readers who want the structure without drowning in jargon.
The key line that represents the subject of your question. It is often the center of the reading.
The line that represents you, your position, or your present state in the matter.
The line that represents the other side, the counterpart, or the external response.
A line that nourishes or strengthens the useful line and gives it backing.
A line that controls or obstructs the useful line and can show resistance or difficulty.
A line that blocks support from reaching the useful line by attacking its source.
A system of relationship roles derived from the five-element relationships among the lines.
Often associated with documents, shelter, support systems, vehicles, elders, or structure.
Often linked to pressure, rules, authority, obligations, or illness depending on context.
Often linked to peers, rivals, friends, competition, or resource leakage.
Often linked to money, assets, practical resources, and in some contexts a romantic partner.
Often linked to release, relief, results, students, creativity, and sometimes healing or medicine.
A line that changes and pushes the reading forward. It often marks an active turning point.
The transformed state of a moving line, showing where the situation may be heading.
A transformed line pattern that suggests forward momentum or strengthening.
A transformed line pattern that suggests withdrawal, reduction, or loss of momentum.
The monthly environmental force that strongly affects which lines are supported or weakened.
The daily influence that can support, clash with, or activate a line in the short term.
Often translated as void. It can show delay, temporary inactivity, or something not yet landing fully.
The classical system that assigns stems, branches, and relational roles into the hexagram lines.
Wood, fire, earth, metal, and water — the core symbolic language behind support and restraint.
How strong or weak a line is under the current timing and structure of the chart.
The original hexagram produced by the cast, showing the current situation and its base pattern.
The hexagram formed after moving lines change, showing the next phase or direction.
A hexagram with no moving lines, often suggesting temporary stability or slower change.
A visible line on the surface of the chart that may cover or interact with a hidden factor.
A concealed factor beneath the visible chart, often used to explain something not yet obvious.
A state suggesting storage, containment, entrapment, or energy being held and not freely expressed.