卦

guà

卜 + 圭

Definitions

guà (noun) divinatory trigram; hexagram from the Book of Changes

guà (noun) divination; fortune telling

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 卜 represents the meaning and 圭 represents the sound.

Semantic: 卜 Phonetic: 圭

About

卦 (guà) refers to the divinatory trigrams and hexagrams fundamental to ancient Chinese philosophy, cosmology, and fortune-telling. It is a phonosemantic compound: the right side is 卜 (bǔ), the radical for divination (originally the reading of cracks in heated bones), which gives the meaning; the left side is 圭 (guī), a jade tablet used in rituals, which provides the sound and also reinforces the ceremonial context. Over time, the character became inextricably linked with the I Ching (Book of Changes), where specific combinations of broken and solid lines are used to interpret cosmic forces, natural elements, and philosophical changes.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这个卦象很难解释。

Zhè ge guàxiàng hěn nán jiěshì.

This divination symbol is very difficult to interpret.

他用八卦来预测未来。

Tā yòng bāguà lái yùcè wèilái.

He uses the Eight Trigrams to predict the future.

爷爷会算卦，但从不轻易给人算。

Yéye huì suànguà, dàn cóng bù qīngyì gěi rén suàn.

Grandfather knows how to divine, but he never does it for people lightly.

太极图中间有八卦的图案。

Tàijítú zhōngjiān yǒu bāguà de tú'àn.

There is a pattern of the Eight Trigrams in the center of the Taiji diagram.

占卜师仔细地分析着每一个卦。

Zhānbǔshī zǐxì de fēnxīzhe měi yī gè guà.

The fortune-teller carefully analyzed each hexagram.

《易经》中的六十四卦各有深意。

"Yì Jīng" zhōng de liùshísì guà gè yǒu shēnyì.

Each of the sixty-four hexagrams in the "Book of Changes" has profound meaning.

根据卦辞，你最近的运势会有转变。

Gēnjù guàcí, nǐ zuìjìn de yùnshì huì yǒu zhuǎnbiàn.

According to the hexagram statement, your recent fortune will undergo a change.

他的一生仿佛都被那神秘的卦所注定。

Tā de yīshēng fǎngfú dōu bèi nà shénmì de guà suǒ zhùdìng.

His whole life seems to have been destined by that mysterious divination.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 卜

Component: 圭

卦