Rains fall from the sky above. Sun and stars herald the seasons. Moments of recognition . Similar figures were used in the names of certain constellations. Altogether, symbolizes the observing of some decisive moment in nature, such as thunder or rainfall.
Thunder brings a sudden and involuntary awareness of impending rain.
Just as the first clap of thunder heralds the rain, the first rainstorm heralds the rainy season, and so on. Chinese writing is historically based on drawings, not spoken words. These original illustrations represent the oldest forms of the Chinese characters that later became the names the Hexagrams. Please review the Sources page for an explanation of the references. The prose and verse explanations of the significance of the Hexagrams are original, and should not be mistaken for translations of I Ching text.