Biting Through
噬嗑
Natural disaster
Will 1990 bring an earthquake to the west?
Năm 1990 tháng 2 ngày 20 (Canh Ngọ, Kỷ Mão, Nhâm Ngọ)
Context
In February 1990, the student Truong Thanh and his cousin asked: will China and the Xi'an area see an earthquake this year? The hexagram cast was Shi Ke transforming into Xie.
Six-Line Chart
| Line | Can Chi | Five Elements | Six Relations | Moving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Si Fire | Fire | Children | |
| 5 | Wei Earth | Earth | Wife/Wealth | |
| 4 | You Metal | Metal | Officials | |
| 3 | Chen Earth | Earth | Wife/Wealth | |
| 2 | Yin Wood | Wood | Siblings | ● |
| 1 | Zi Water | Water | Parents | ● |
Officials
Parents
Wife/Wealth
Siblings
Children
● Changing line
Transformed Hexagram
#40
Deliverance
解
Analysis
The inner trigram Zhen is thunder; the outer trigram Li is lightning. Thunder and lightning together signal a quake. Zhen Wood meets the month-stem in thriving phase; lines 1 and 2 are both moving and transform into Kan Water that produces back. Wood thrives and moves while Earth is weak and restrained — an earthquake omen.
Magnitude: Zhen = 4, Li = 3, summing to 7 — forecast around magnitude 7.
Direction: Yin Wood restrains Chen Earth — by tradition the opposite direction means west. Mao Wood moving must clash You Metal, and You is west — so the west has the earthquake.
Timing: the Azure Dragon moves to restrain Chen Earth, and Chen is the 3rd month — predicted for the 3rd lunar month.
Actual outcome
On 3 April that year (Ren-Xu day, Geng-Chen month) around 5 AM, Qinghai had a magnitude-6.9 earthquake — exactly matching the prediction.
Source: Chương 2, Dự đoán thiên tai, Vol III