Na Jia: assigning stems and branches to each line
A hexagram by itself shows yin and yang, but not the Five Elements. Na Jia assigns a stem–branch pair to each of its six lines by fixed rules. These pairs allow comparison of elemental generation and control, the first step in interpreting a hexagram.
Why assign stems and branches?
A cast hexagram consists only of six yin and yang lines, with no elemental attributes shown. Liu Yao’s traditional judgments rely on which elements generate or control others. Assigning stems and branches gives each line an element for further analysis. This system, Na Jia (纳甲), is traditionally associated with Jing Fang’s school in the Han dynasty.
Start with the eight trigrams
The sixty-four hexagrams each combine two three-line trigrams. The lower three lines form the inner trigram and the upper three the outer trigram. There are eight: Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen and Dui (乾、坤、震、巽、坎、离、艮、兑). Na Jia assigns their stems and branches as shown below.
| Trigram | Heavenly Stem | As the inner trigram (lines 1, 2, 3) | As the outer trigram (lines 4, 5, 6) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qian (乾) | Inner: Jia (甲); outer: Ren (壬) | Zi, Yin, Chen (子、寅、辰) | Wu, Shen, Xu (午、申、戌) |
| Kun (坤) | Inner: Yi (乙); outer: Gui (癸) | Wei, Si, Mao (未、巳、卯) | Chou, Hai, You (丑、亥、酉) |
| Zhen (震) | Geng | Zi, Yin, Chen (子、寅、辰) | Wu, Shen, Xu (午、申、戌) |
| Xun (巽) | Xin | Chou, Hai, You (丑、亥、酉) | Wei, Si, Mao (未、巳、卯) |
| Kan (坎) | Wu | Yin, Chen, Wu (寅、辰、午) | Shen, Xu, Zi (申、戌、子) |
| Li (离) | Ji | Mao, Chou, Hai (卯、丑、亥) | You, Wei, Si (酉、未、巳) |
| Gen (艮) | Bing | Chen, Wu, Shen (辰、午、申) | Xu, Zi, Yin (戌、子、寅) |
| Dui (兑) | Ding | Si, Mao, Chou (巳、卯、丑) | Hai, You, Wei (亥、酉、未) |
Example: Qian and Gou
Qian, Heaven over Heaven, has Qian as both its inner and outer trigram, so each half uses the corresponding Qian assignments:
| Line position | Qian: Heaven over Heaven (乾为天) | Five Elements | Gou: Heaven over Wind (天风姤) | Five Elements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top line | Renxu | Earth | Renxu | Earth |
| Fifth line | Ren-Shen (壬申) | Metal | Ren-Shen (壬申) | Metal |
| Fourth line | Ren-Wu (壬午) | Fire | Ren-Wu (壬午) | Fire |
| Third line | Jia-Chen (甲辰) | Earth | Xin-You (辛酉) | Metal |
| Second line | Jia-Yin | Wood | Xin-Hai (辛亥) | Water |
| First line | Jiazi | Water | Xin-Chou (辛丑) | Earth |
In Gou, the outer trigram remains Qian, so the upper three assignments stay unchanged. The inner trigram becomes Xun, so the lower three use Xun’s inner assignments: Xin-Chou, Xin-Hai and Xin-You (辛丑、辛亥、辛酉).
What comes after the assignments?
The stem–branch assignments support the next three steps: compare each line’s element with the hexagram palace’s element to assign the Six Relations; use the casting day’s stem to assign the Six Spirits; and use the hexagram’s position within its palace to locate the Self and Response lines. Na Jia is the starting point.
This page introduces traditional culture knowledge for reference only; it makes no predictions or guarantees about fate, health, relationships or wealth.