The 64 Hexagrams of the I Ching
The complete King Wen sequence, with the Chinese name, pinyin, the Wilhelm/Baynes English title, the upper and lower trigrams, the classical judgment, and a concise interpretation. Click any hexagram below to jump to its entry — or read straight through. For deeper reading, the I Ching AI app includes Wilhelm's German, the English Wilhelm-Baynes translation, and a complete Japanese rendering.
乾The Creative
"The Creative works sublime success, furthering through perseverance."
The first hexagram is six unbroken lines: pure creative force, primal time, the impulse that sets everything in motion. Its message is not to assert oneself but to align with this larger current — to begin, to persist, to push only where pushing is appropriate. When this comes up, the situation is fundamentally favorable; the work is to remain straight enough to deserve it. → Full reading of Hexagram 1
坤The Receptive
"The Receptive brings about sublime success, furthering through the perseverance of a mare."
If 1 is the creative impulse, 2 is the capacity to receive, hold, and bring to form what has been initiated. The image is the earth — patient, durable, willing to support whatever is planted in it. The advice: do not lead first; follow with steady, patient strength. The mare goes far precisely because she does not gallop ahead of her own footing.
屯Difficulty at the Beginning
"Difficulty at the Beginning works sublime success, furthering through perseverance. Nothing should be undertaken; it furthers one to appoint helpers."
The first germination, full of force but constrained by what surrounds it. The energy is real but the way is not yet clear. The hexagram counsels: do not push forward alone; gather companions, build supports, accept that the early stage is meant to be slow. What is begun rightly here will succeed precisely because it does not insist on speed.
蒙Youthful Folly
"It is not I who seek the young fool; the young fool seeks me. At the first oracle I inform him. If he asks two or three times, it is importunity."
The state of being a learner — confused, unformed, but capable of clarity. The hexagram is about teaching and being taught: the pupil must approach the teacher, not the reverse; the question must be asked once with seriousness. This is Hermann Hesse's favorite hexagram, and the source of his celebrated essay on the dignity of learning.
需Waiting (Nourishment)
"Waiting. If you are sincere, you have light and success. Perseverance brings good fortune. It furthers one to cross the great water."
Conditions are ripening, but the moment is not now. The hexagram counsels active patience — eating, drinking, gathering strength, trusting that what is needed will arrive. To force the moment is to mistake one's role. The waiting itself is the work.
訟Conflict
"Conflict. You are sincere and are being obstructed. A cautious halt halfway brings good fortune. Going through to the end brings misfortune."
A genuine disagreement, with right on one side but no clean victory available. The hexagram is striking in its restraint: it does not say "win the conflict." It says, even if you are right, do not pursue the matter to the bitter end. Better to stop halfway, accept the imperfect resolution, and preserve what can be preserved.
師The Army
"The Army needs perseverance and a strong man. Good fortune without blame."
Mass effort under a single discipline. The hexagram is about collective action — military or otherwise — and its first requirement is clarity of command. Without a strong, principled center, even a just cause dissolves into chaos. Strength is allowed here, but only the kind that is restrained by purpose.
比Holding Together
"Holding Together brings good fortune. Inquire of the oracle once again whether you possess sublimity, constancy, and perseverance."
The art of belonging together — alliance, marriage, partnership. The hexagram cautions that holding together is rare and demanding: it requires that each side be the kind that can hold. Those who arrive late find little. Those who hesitate find nothing. The moment to commit, when it comes, is brief.
小畜The Taming Power of the Small
"The Taming Power of the Small has success. Dense clouds, no rain from our western region."
A small force holds back, for a time, a much larger one — but only for a time. The clouds are dense; the rain has not yet come. The hexagram counsels patience with small obstacles, refinement of small details. The breakthrough is on its way; do not force it.
履Treading (Conduct)
"Treading on the tail of the tiger. It does not bite the man. Success."
A delicate situation in which one is exposed to power one cannot dominate. The image — treading on the tiger's tail — captures both the danger and the way through it: extreme propriety, careful step by careful step, courtesy without subservience. Done with discipline, even this dangerous ground can be crossed safely.
泰Peace
"The small departs, the great approaches. Good fortune. Success."
A rare moment of harmony, when forces above and below meet as they should. Heaven below, earth above — counterintuitive at first, but the meaning is that heaven's energy flows up into earth, and earth's substance flows down to receive it. The hexagram warns gently: such moments do not last. Use them well.
否Standstill
"Standstill. Evil people do not further the perseverance of the superior man. The great departs, the small approaches."
The opposite of 11. The two principles are present but no longer communicate; the result is stagnation. The hexagram counsels withdrawal, inner integrity, refusing to compromise principles to fit a corrupted situation. Wait until conditions change; do not pretend they have not.
同人Fellowship with Men
"Fellowship with Men in the open. Success. It furthers one to cross the great water. The perseverance of the superior man furthers."
True community — not closed cliques but a fellowship organized around shared principles, open to all who share them. The hexagram requires that the gathering happen in the open, on common ground. Hidden coalitions fail; transparent ones endure.
大有Possession in Great Measure
"Possession in Great Measure. Supreme success."
An exceptionally favorable position — wealth, talent, opportunity all gathered in one place. The hexagram warns that such moments tempt arrogance. The right response is generosity: distribute what you hold, support what is worthy, do not cling. Strength used modestly compounds; strength used selfishly dissipates.
謙Modesty
"Modesty creates success. The superior man carries things through."
The only hexagram of the 64 in which every line is favorable. Modesty here is not false self-deprecation but the natural posture of someone who has real power and chooses not to display it. Such people accomplish what showier people cannot, precisely because they do not exhaust themselves on display.
豫Enthusiasm
"Enthusiasm. It furthers one to install helpers and to set armies marching."
A surge of collective energy. The hexagram is about how to harness enthusiasm — through music, ritual, leadership that channels the feeling into form rather than letting it spend itself in noise. Without form, enthusiasm exhausts itself; with form, it can move mountains.
隨Following
"Following has supreme success. Perseverance furthers. No blame."
To lead, one must first know how to follow — the seasons, the moment, the people one means to lead. The hexagram is about adaptive intelligence: aligning oneself with what is actually happening, rather than insisting that what is happening conform to one's plan. Following well is not weakness but a form of mastery.
蠱Work on the Decayed
"Work on what has been spoiled has supreme success. It furthers one to cross the great water."
Something has gone wrong, and the wrong has had time to settle in. The hexagram is the work of repair: patient, painstaking, often inherited. The damage is not the present generation's fault, but it is the present generation's responsibility. The crossing of the great water — decisive action — is part of the cure.
臨Approach
"Approach has supreme success. Perseverance furthers. When the eighth month comes, there will be misfortune."
A favorable trend is approaching from below; spring is moving toward summer. The hexagram counsels using the favorable time well, since it will not last. The reference to the eighth month is a reminder that every advance contains the seed of its reversal — and that planning for the reversal during the advance is wisdom.
觀Contemplation
"Contemplation. The ablution has been made, but not yet the offering. Full of trust they look up to him."
The hexagram of viewing — both viewing and being viewed. To act well, one must first see clearly; to lead well, one must be the kind of person worth watching. The reference to ablution and offering signals that the inner preparation matters more than the outward act.
噬嗑Biting Through
"Biting Through has success. It is favorable to let justice be administered."
Something is blocking the way forward — a misunderstanding, an obstacle, a person — and it must be confronted directly. The hexagram is unusually direct: bite through, do not chew indefinitely. Justice administered is the image, and the principle: clear, proportioned, decisive.
賁Grace
"Grace has success. In small matters it is favorable to undertake something."
The art of form — appearance, manner, the way things are done. The hexagram counsels paying attention to small matters of style and presentation, while warning that grace cannot substitute for substance. Beautiful packaging of empty content fails; modest packaging of real value succeeds.
剝Splitting Apart
"Splitting Apart. It does not further one to go anywhere."
A structure is being dismantled from below. The hexagram counsels stillness and acceptance — to resist the dismantling now is wasted effort; what is collapsing must collapse before something new can begin. The right response is preservation: protect what is essential, let go of what cannot be kept.
復Return (Turning Point)
"Return. Success. Going out and coming in without error. Friends come without blame. To and fro goes the way. On the seventh day comes return."
The deepest point of winter — and the moment the light returns. After 23's dismantling, 24 shows the smallest seed of renewal. The hexagram counsels nurturing the small new thing carefully, not forcing it to be larger than it is yet. The cycle has turned; what was lost is on its way back.
無妄Innocence (The Unexpected)
"Innocence. Supreme success. Perseverance furthers. If someone is not as he should be, he has misfortune, and it does not further him to undertake anything."
Action without calculation, doing what is right because it is right rather than because of what it will produce. The hexagram counsels integrity over scheming — and warns that those whose motives are tangled will find that their plans miscarry. The unexpected favors the straight.
大畜The Taming Power of the Great
"The Taming Power of the Great. Perseverance furthers. Not eating at home brings good fortune. It furthers one to cross the great water."
Great force is being held in disciplined restraint. The image is a powerful animal trained by patient handling. The hexagram counsels both the accumulation of strength and its careful release at the right moment — not the small daily releases of small force, but the larger, more consequential release that comes when readiness has been built.
頤The Corners of the Mouth (Nourishment)
"The Corners of the Mouth. Perseverance brings good fortune. Pay heed to the providing of nourishment and to what a man seeks to fill his own mouth with."
What you take in shapes what you become — food, words, ideas, company. The hexagram is about the ethics of consumption in the broadest sense. To live well is to be careful about both what one consumes and what one gives others to consume. Discrimination here is not snobbery; it is self-cultivation.
大過Preponderance of the Great
"Preponderance of the Great. The ridgepole sags to the breaking point. It furthers one to have somewhere to go. Success."
A critical overloading — the structure is straining beyond what it was built for. The hexagram does not counsel collapse; it counsels decisive action, often unconventional. Sometimes the only way through is to break with normal procedure and act on what the situation actually demands.
坎The Abysmal (Water)
"The Abysmal repeated. If you are sincere, you have success in your heart, and whatever you do succeeds."
Real danger, sustained. The hexagram does not pretend it can be avoided; it can only be passed through. The image is water — finding its way around every obstacle, never breaking under pressure, eventually arriving. The instruction is to be sincere all the way through: the danger tests the heart, and only the sincere heart comes out intact.
離The Clinging (Fire)
"The Clinging. Perseverance furthers. It brings success. Care of the cow brings good fortune."
Clarity that depends on something else — fire clings to fuel, light clings to objects. The hexagram counsels lucidity together with attentiveness to what sustains the lucidity. Take care of the cow — that is, take care of the conditions that keep your clarity alive.
咸Influence (Wooing)
"Influence. Success. Perseverance furthers. To take a maiden to wife brings good fortune."
The mutual attraction that brings unlike things together. The first hexagram of the second half of the I Ching — and the foundation of the social order, the meeting of complementary forces. The hexagram counsels openness to influence and care in choosing what to be influenced by.
恆Duration
"Duration. Success. No blame. Perseverance furthers. It furthers one to have somewhere to go."
What endures, endures by changing within a stable form. The hexagram is the secret of long-lasting things — marriages, institutions, friendships — which require that the inner content keep moving even as the outer shape stays the same. Stasis kills duration; only living continuity sustains it.
遯Retreat
"Retreat. Success. In what is small, perseverance furthers."
A timely withdrawal — not defeat, but the wisdom to leave a deteriorating situation before it deteriorates further. The hexagram counsels going early rather than late, gracefully rather than forced, and using the time of retreat to prepare for what comes next.
大壯The Power of the Great
"The Power of the Great. Perseverance furthers."
Strength at its peak — and therefore at the moment of greatest risk. The hexagram warns that pure force without proper restraint becomes brutality. The instruction: do not push only because you can. Strength is for purposes; without purpose, it ruins itself.
晉Progress
"Progress. The powerful prince is honored with horses in large numbers. In a single day he is granted audience three times."
Rapid advancement, recognition, the rising sun. The hexagram cautions that quick progress can leave one without the slower foundations that make progress durable. Receive recognition gracefully, but do not let it accelerate the work past the point where the work can keep its quality.
明夷Darkening of the Light
"Darkening of the Light. In adversity it furthers one to be persevering."
The light is being hidden — a difficult historical moment, a hostile environment, a situation where openness is dangerous. The hexagram counsels concealment of one's true views while keeping the inner light intact. Survive the darkness; do not let the darkness extinguish you.
家人The Family
"The Family. The perseverance of the woman furthers."
The micro-society of the home, and by extension every well-ordered small community. The hexagram counsels that wider order begins with order in the smallest unit. The state is built on the family; the family is built on each member knowing their role and doing it without resentment.
睽Opposition
"Opposition. In small matters, good fortune."
A relationship in tension — sisters in the same house, partners on different sides. The hexagram counsels not pushing for reconciliation on big matters, where the gap is too wide, but acting cooperatively on small matters, where alignment is possible. Even strained relationships can be productive at the margins.
蹇Obstruction
"Obstruction. The southwest furthers. The northeast does not further. It furthers one to see the great man. Perseverance brings good fortune."
An obstacle that cannot be removed by direct force. The hexagram counsels retreat to safer ground, consultation with someone wiser, patience until the obstruction yields on its own. The work, while obstructed, is on oneself: build the inner resources that will be needed when the way opens.
解Deliverance
"Deliverance. The southwest furthers. If there is no longer anything where one has to go, return brings good fortune. If there is still something where one has to go, hastening brings good fortune."
A tension breaks; the storm has passed. The hexagram counsels not making the recovery longer than it needs to be. If business remains, attend to it quickly; if it does not, rest. Either way, do not dwell unnecessarily on the difficulty that has just ended.
損Decrease
"Decrease combined with sincerity brings about supreme good fortune."
A reduction that, paradoxically, benefits the whole — sacrificing the lower for the higher, the unnecessary for the essential. The hexagram counsels willing simplification, particularly of one's own desires. What one chooses to do without becomes a measure of what one truly values.
益Increase
"Increase. It furthers one to undertake something. It furthers one to cross the great water."
The opposite of 41 — the higher gives to the lower, and both flourish. The hexagram counsels generosity from those with abundance, and bold action from those who are receiving it. Increase is a moment to be used, not stored; favorable trends move on if not engaged.
夬Breakthrough (Resoluteness)
"Breakthrough. One must resolutely make the matter known at the court of the king. It must be announced truthfully. Danger. It is necessary to notify one's own city."
A final confrontation with what has long been a problem. The hexagram counsels openness and seriousness: announce the matter publicly, do not act covertly. Direct confrontation now is necessary, but it must be done without rancor and with care for one's own community.
姤Coming to Meet
"Coming to Meet. The maiden is powerful. One should not marry such a maiden."
Something small and weak is entering — but in a position from which it could grow large and damaging. The hexagram counsels alertness to the small unwanted thing that enters at the beginning of a process. Address it now, while it is small; later it will be much harder.
萃Gathering Together
"Gathering Together. Success. The king approaches his temple. It furthers one to see the great man."
A coming together — of people, of resources, of effort. The hexagram counsels organization, leadership, and a clear shared purpose. Gatherings without center disperse; gatherings with a worthy center compound.
升Pushing Upward
"Pushing Upward has supreme success. One must see the great man. Fear not. Departure toward the south brings good fortune."
Patient, organic growth — like a tree growing tall over years. The hexagram counsels neither rushing nor giving up. What is built this way endures; what is forced upward collapses. Trust the process, but make the daily effort.
困Oppression (Exhaustion)
"Oppression. Success. Perseverance. The great man brings about good fortune. No blame. When one has something to say, it is not believed."
A genuinely difficult time, with little external help. The hexagram counsels inner integrity above all: when no one listens, speak less; when nothing is going well, take care of what is within one's own control. This is endurance, not victory — but endurance is also a form of strength.
井The Well
"The Well. The town may be changed, but the well cannot be changed. It neither decreases nor increases. They come and go and draw from the well."
The deep, lasting source of nourishment — physical and spiritual — that does not belong to any one person but serves all. The hexagram counsels caring for shared resources, including the inner ones one offers others. A well that is not maintained becomes silted; care for the source.
革Revolution (Molting)
"Revolution. On your own day you are believed. Supreme success, furthering through perseverance. Remorse disappears."
A change so deep that the old form must be replaced by a new one. The hexagram counsels that revolution must be timed — undertaken neither too early (no support) nor too late (already irrelevant) — and that it must rest on real justification, not merely impatience.
鼎The Cauldron
"The Cauldron. Supreme good fortune. Success."
The vessel that transforms raw matter into nourishment — physical and spiritual. The hexagram is the image of a ritual instrument: the act of taking what is unrefined and making it suitable for offering. Carl Jung cast this hexagram when he asked the I Ching how it felt about being translated into English. It is also the image of a project that consecrates the materials it works with. → Full reading of Hexagram 50
震The Arousing (Shock)
"Shock brings success. Shock comes — oh, oh! Laughing words — ha, ha! The shock terrifies for a hundred miles, and he does not let fall the sacrificial spoon and chalice."
A sudden shock that startles but does not damage. The hexagram counsels equanimity: the one who can laugh after the thunder has the right relationship to it. The sacred work — the chalice, the spoon — should not be dropped because the world made a loud noise.
艮Keeping Still (Mountain)
"Keeping Still. Keeping his back still so that he no longer feels his body. He goes into his courtyard and does not see his people. No blame."
Stillness so complete that even the self drops away. The hexagram counsels meditation, retreat, the practice of being where one is without commentary. Many of the I Ching's most paradoxical instructions converge here: to act well, one must first be able to do nothing.
漸Development (Gradual Progress)
"Development. The maiden is given in marriage. Good fortune. Perseverance furthers."
Slow progress through proper stages, like a wedding observed in full ritual. The hexagram counsels not skipping any stage of a process — courtship before marriage, apprenticeship before mastery, foundation before structure. What is built slowly is built securely.
歸妹The Marrying Maiden
"The Marrying Maiden. Undertakings bring misfortune. Nothing that would further."
A relationship or arrangement that is structurally unbalanced — entered without the usual preparation, or in a subordinate position. The hexagram counsels accepting one's place gracefully even when it is not the place one would have chosen. To force the situation is to make it worse; to inhabit it well is to redeem it slowly.
豐Abundance (Fullness)
"Abundance has success. The king attains abundance. Be not sad. Be like the sun at midday."
A peak of abundance and clarity — and therefore the start of decline. The hexagram counsels not mourning what cannot be held: noon is followed by afternoon, and that is the way of suns. Enjoy abundance fully while it is present; use it for what only abundance can do.
旅The Wanderer
"The Wanderer. Success through smallness. Perseverance brings good fortune to the wanderer."
The condition of being a stranger — without home, without standing, dependent on the kindness of strangers. The hexagram counsels small, careful conduct, scrupulous attention to courtesy, refusal of grand schemes. The wanderer who survives is the one who does not demand more than the wandering allows.
巽The Gentle (Penetrating Wind)
"The Gentle. Success through what is small. It furthers one to have somewhere to go. It furthers one to see the great man."
The model of soft, sustained influence — the wind that bends the grass, the small repeated effort that, over time, reshapes its surroundings. The hexagram counsels patience and discretion; force confronts, but the wind goes everywhere.
兌The Joyous (Lake)
"The Joyous. Success. Perseverance is favorable."
Joy not as private feeling but as something exchanged — conversation, friendship, the easy pleasure of being together. The hexagram counsels valuing such moments and contributing to them, while noting that joy without depth becomes hollow. The lakes are joyous because they hold something.
渙Dispersion (Dissolution)
"Dispersion. Success. The king approaches his temple. It furthers one to cross the great water."
The dissolution of what has hardened — fixed positions, frozen relationships, accumulated misunderstandings. The hexagram counsels actions that loosen what is locked: ritual, ceremony, generous gestures. Sometimes the obstacle is not external but internal rigidity; soften that, and movement returns.
節Limitation
"Limitation. Success. Galling limitation must not be persevered in."
The discipline of staying within proper limits — financial, emotional, behavioral. The hexagram counsels moderation, with a warning: limits that are too harsh cannot be sustained. The wisdom is in calibrating limits to what is durable, not to what is theoretically perfect.
中孚Inner Truth
"Inner Truth. Pigs and fishes. Good fortune. It furthers one to cross the great water. Perseverance furthers."
A truth so deep that it reaches even the inarticulate — "pigs and fishes." The hexagram counsels sincerity as the foundation of influence: only the truthful heart can move others, and only the genuinely felt response can endure. Philip K. Dick ended The Man in the High Castle with this hexagram.
小過Preponderance of the Small
"Preponderance of the Small. Success. Perseverance furthers. Small things may be done; great things should not be done. The flying bird brings the message: it is not well to strive upward, it is well to remain below. Great good fortune."
A time for small matters, not great ones. The hexagram counsels keeping ambitions modest and attending to details — household, body, small obligations. The bird should fly low; this is not the moment for grandeur. Great fortune comes from small care.
既濟After Completion
"After Completion. Success in small matters. Perseverance furthers. At the beginning good fortune, at the end disorder."
The moment when everything is finally in place — and therefore the start of the next decline. The hexagram is the most structurally "complete" of the 64, every line in its proper position, and for that reason the most fragile. The instruction is vigilance: completion is not stability. Maintain what has been achieved.
未濟Before Completion
"Before Completion. Success. But if the little fox, after nearly completing the crossing, gets his tail in the water, there is nothing that would further."
The book closes not with completion but with the moment before it — the crossing not yet finished. The hexagram counsels finishing carefully what has been begun, paying particular attention to the last steps, where exhaustion makes mistakes most likely. The I Ching's final word is that the work is never really over: 64 leads back to 1.
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