The 8 trigrams of Bagua (八卦) is a set of ancient symbols with mystical meanings. These symbols pervade Chinese civilization. The eight trigrams have influenced the development of many aspects: martial arts, fortune telling, fengshui, literature, religion, architecture, and philosophy are just some of the areas that are based on or influenced by the eight trigrams. The trigrams are pervasive because they represent Chinese cosmology. This cosmology has been used to understand the organization of life and the universe, and the many phenomena that occur. It is a system for organizing and understanding the forces of nature.