Taixuanjing — Yang Xiong’s Image–Number System
Ternary lines, 81 figures, decisions by proportion. (太玄经 / 太玄經)
0) Positioning — what this page covers (and excludes)
This page explains Taixuanjing as Yang Xiong’s late Western Han image–number system that models change with three-valued lines arranged into 81 figures. You’ll get a safe origin timeline, what the work asserts, a minimal working grammar (how the ternary lines read), a field sequence you can use without costume, and applications for work, relationships, and customers. Excludes: mechanical fortune-telling, fatalism, and any claim that symbols override engineering, safety, or accounting. For the binary canon and commentary strata, see Yijing (Ten Wings); for applied timing, see Tongshu / Tongsheng.
1) Origins & timeline — safe claims
- Author & milieu: Yang Xiong (扬雄 / 揚雄, c. 53 BCE–18 CE), scholar in the Western Han world.
- Date: composed in the late 1st century BCE; responds to mature Yijing traditions with a different line arithmetic.
- Form: a cycle of 81 figures, each with verse and explication.
- Method move: where Yijing is binary (2 states × 6 lines = 64), Taixuan is ternary (3 states × 4 lines = 81), echoing the Three Powers (三才·天–人–地). See also Huangji Jingshi for image–number approaches.
2) What Taixuan actually asserts (de-poetized)
- Change is graded, not binary: systems pass through excess / center / deficit (盈 / 中 / 虚).
- Four-stage unfolding: lines are stages — initiation → development → pivot → outcome.
- Three-power weighting: read outcomes by how Heaven (conditions), Human (agency), and Earth (constraints) stack.
- Centrality beats extremity: seek the center; proportionate acts in season stabilize, oversized pushes recoil.
- Resonance rules: acts that fit time/form amplify; those that oppose dampen or backfire.
3) Minimal working grammar — what you must command
- Line states (per position): Heaven-leaning (conditions), Human-leaning (agency), Earth-leaning (constraints). [常以盈/中/虚表值]
- Four positions (top-down): Root (impulse) → Unfold (spread) → Pivot (decision) → Result (near-term profile).
- Tones: favorable / adverse / mixed-qualified / blocked (吉 / 咎 / 介 / 否) — mixed is normal.
- Pivot priority: a constrained pivot outweighs a pretty result: downsize or stage.
- Interface with Yijing: use Yijing for clean polarity; use Taixuan to size and center actions.
4) Field sequence — run Taixuan without costume
- Name the decision: one verb, one object, one horizon.
- Profile the Three Powers: Heaven (market/regulatory/weather), Human (skill/capital/will), Earth (site/logistics/runway).
- Choose an initial figure: cast with a three-way generator or pick by scenario matching.
- Weight the pivot: Earth-leaning pivot → shrink or stage; Human-leaning → calibrated push is viable.
- Size & stage: translate tone to scope/spend/cadence; favor centered amplitudes; keep a fallback slot.
- Verify by outcomes: if leading indicators move as predicted, scale one step; if not, re-center.
5) Applications — work, relationships, customers
Work
- Hiring in a shaky quarter: Earth-leaning pivot + mixed result → swap one senior hire for two contract probes; revisit post cash milestone.
- SKU cuts: Heaven pressure + Human pivot → trim one tier, not two; 30/60-day reviews.
- Product bet: Human unfold + Earth pivot → low-blast pilot with pre-agreed kill metrics.
Relationships (boundaries, tone)
- Recurring friction: Heaven root + Earth pivot → down-scope talks; written options; short check-ins.
- Rebuild trust: Human pivot + mixed result → small, observable promises; no grand gestures.
Customers
- Launch window: Heaven root + Human pivot → launch, but cap offer complexity; book two compliant support hours.
- Renewal risk: Earth-heavy root + mixed tone → maintenance plan first; upsell after a neutral window shows stability.
6) Micro-cases (abstracted)
A) B2B rollout with vendor dependency
Figure: Heaven-leaning unfold; Earth-leaning pivot. Move: ship feature-thin; lock escrow + acceptance tests; upsell after two clean cycles. Outcome: no cash burn on failed promises; upsell sticks later.
B) Boutique retail — two locations planned
Figure: Human-leaning pivot; mixed result. Move: open one store; gate the second on three KPIs (basket size, refund %, staff stability). Outcome: first site stabilizes; second green-lights on data.
C) Family negotiation — relocation
Figure: Earth-leaning root; Human-centered pivot. Move: trial month with checklists (commute, sleep, cost); final decision after pivot review. Outcome: decision accepted without long resentment arc.
7) Common traps — stop paying tuition
- Binary brain — forcing yes/no when the system needs a centered amplitude.
- Ignoring the pivot — blocked pivots sink pretty endings.
- Over-symbolizing — lines describe proportions, not personalities.
- Casting fetish — sloppy three-way methods mislead; when unsure, scenario-match and verify.
- Timing to rescue bad form — timing multiplies whatever form gives you.
8) Ethics — proportion, records, safety
- Use Taixuan to size and stage decisions, not to label people.
- Log the figure (or scenario), why you sized the move, and the verification gates.
- Never override law, engineering, or medical guidance with symbolism.
9) Closing
Taixuanjing gives a graded control panel: four stages, three weights, one centered move at a time. Read the pivot, size the push, stage the window, and verify to reduce regret. For identity alignment, start with your Day Pillar book or the Day Master Calculator.
