震

The Zhen trigram ☳ of the Book of Changes, representing thunder and movement.

The core idea is sudden forceful movement, whether natural (thunder, earthquake) or emotional (shock, awe).

A phono-semantic compound:

雨 (비 우) — semantic component representing weather, rain, heavenly phenomena.

辰 (별 진) — phonetic component, originally a pictograph of a lightning-like celestial sign; conveys the sound zhèn / jin.

Together, 雨 + 辰 depict a sky-event that shakes the earth — thunder.

In early bronze and seal forms, 震 often depicted lightning striking downward, reinforcing the idea of sudden, powerful force.

지진 (地震) — earthquake

진동 (震動) — vibration, tremor

전율 (電震/震慄) — shudder, fear

소진 (震) — thunder (rare, classical)

경진 (驚震) — startled shaking

In the I Ching, is the Trigram 震 (☳ Zhèn) representing:

- thunder

- movement

- arousal

- awakening

- sudden change

- the eldest son

It symbolizes the moment life begins to stir, the shock that initiates action.

《易經·震卦》 (Book of Changes, Hexagram 51 “Shock / Thunder” 震卦)

The most important classical locus for 震.

「震來虩虩，後笑言啞啞。」

“When the shock comes, there is trembling and fear; afterwards, there is laughter and calm speech” - A sudden shock may terrify at first, but leads to renewal and clarity.

《易經·說卦傳》 (The Book of Changes, Commentary on the Trigrams)

「震，東方也。萬物出乎震，震為雷。」

“Zhen corresponds to the East. From Zhen all things emerge; Zhen is thunder” - Symbolically, 震 = Spring’s first stirring, the force that awakens life.

震 is often used metaphorically for:

- being shocked

- stirred to action

- awakened morally or spiritually

- shaken by awe or fear

震懾 — to be overawed

震撼 — to be deeply shaken emotionally

《詩經·小雅·十月之交》 (The Book of Songs, Minor Odes, The Tenth Month)

「雷震電激。」

“Thunder shakes and lightning flashes” - A poetic description of violent natural movement.

《左傳·僖公二十八年》 (Zuo Zhuan, Duke Xi, Year 28)

「天威震動。」

“Heaven’s majesty shook them.”

震 here expresses awe or divine power, not literal thunder.

In Daoist writings, thunder represents transformation, renewal, and the movement of qi (氣).

In Buddhist texts, 震 often appears in descriptions of earth tremors accompanying spiritual events, such as in the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra.

Its classical meaning extends from natural phenomena (thunder, earthquakes) to spiritual awakening, shock, and powerful movement.

Rooted in 雨 + 辰, it symbolizes the world-shaking energy of thunder, and in the Book of Changes, it marks the moment when life itself begins to move.