Lot Essay
A plaque such as this, engraved with the ba gua, or 'Eight Diagrams', is said to preserve the wearer from misfortune and assure his future prosperity.
The ba gua are said to have been evolved from the markings on the shell of a tortoise by the legendary Emperor Fuxi (2852 B.C.), and from the two primary forms, represented by a continuous straight line, yang yi, or symbol of the male principle, and a broken line, yin yi, or symbol of the female principle. Mathematics are said to have been derived from the ba gua, which figuratively denote the evolution of nature and its cyclic changes, and they constitute the basis for the philosophy of divination and geomancy, supposed to contain the elements of metaphysical knowledge and the clue to the secrets of creation.
The ba gua are said to have been evolved from the markings on the shell of a tortoise by the legendary Emperor Fuxi (2852 B.C.), and from the two primary forms, represented by a continuous straight line, yang yi, or symbol of the male principle, and a broken line, yin yi, or symbol of the female principle. Mathematics are said to have been derived from the ba gua, which figuratively denote the evolution of nature and its cyclic changes, and they constitute the basis for the philosophy of divination and geomancy, supposed to contain the elements of metaphysical knowledge and the clue to the secrets of creation.