Bagua
/ˈbɑː.ɡwɑː/noun
A Chinese system of eight trigrams used in divination, cosmology, martial arts, and feng shui.
Did you know?The eight trigrams are traditionally attributed to the culture hero Fuxi and are central to the Yijing, or Book of Changes, one of China’s oldest divination texts.
Etymological Timeline
Late Shang–Early Zhou period
Old Chinese
八卦
“The written expression later pronounced bāguà, referring to the eight trigrams”
c. 900–600 BCE
Classical Chinese
八卦
“Eight symbolic combinations of broken and unbroken lines used within the Yijing tradition”
Han Dynasty
Classical Chinese
八卦
“A cosmological and divinatory system associated with natural forces, directions, family roles, and change”
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
pɛt kwɛ̀H
“Historical pronunciation corresponding to the characters 八卦”
Modern Mandarin
Mandarin Chinese
bāguà
“Literally “eight trigrams”; a system used in divination, cosmology, and feng shui”
20th Century
English
bagua
“An English loanword used especially in discussions of feng shui, Chinese cosmology, and martial arts”