Feng Shui Research Centre-UAE
spacer
The Taiji | The Hetu | Wuxing | Xiantian Bagua | Houtian Bagua | Luo Shu | 9 Stars

Komodo Dragon Skin
Close-up of skin pattern
on a Komodo Dragon
The He Tu (River Chart)

It is said in a legend that Fu Xi received a gift from heaven when he saw a Qi Lin (dragon horse) coming out of the Yellow River which had a unique and highly symetrical pattern of black and white dots on it's back. This pattern came to be known as the He Tu or River Chart.

The He Tu shows how the different types of qi originate from yin and yang:

The River Chart
White dots represent yang and black dots represent yin.

Numeric Symmetry
Numeric Symmetry

One example of the perfect symmetry of The He Tu is that the totals of the yang (odd) numbers and the yin (even) numbers are each equal to 20.

Counting the dots while disregarding the central five white and surrounding 10 black dots, all of the yang (odd) numbers are perfectly balanced by an opposing yin (even) number directly across from it. This corresponds to the theory that everything possesses a positive male bright side (Yang) but at the same time has a negative female dark side (Yin). These aspects are complementary and integrate with each other, and it is believed that harmony can only be achieved with a balance between the two.

Copyright 2008, Vicky Moane