1. Initiating
Qián Heaven over Heaven
Judgment
A beginning that carries all the way through. Push, and it opens; hold your line, and it lasts.
Image
The sky keeps moving and never tires. Work the same way: your own strength, applied without a break.
The I Ching has sixty-four hexagrams, and this page has all of them, in the traditional order, from 1 Initiating to 64 Not Yet Across. Each carries its number, its Chinese name, the figure of six lines, the two trigrams that make it, and the two short texts that belong to it: the judgment, which speaks about the situation the figure names, and the image, which is built from the two trigrams and draws a line of conduct out of that picture.
The English is our own, translated from the Chinese for this site. It is written to be read cold, without a glossary, and it says less than a commentary would, on purpose: the texts are short in the original, and padding them out is where a translation starts inventing. The figures are drawn the way they are read, from the bottom line upward. How the I Ching works explains the lines, the trigrams, the casting methods and what a moving line does, and the oracle will cast one of these for a question of your own.
2. Yielding
Kūn Earth over Earth
Judgment
It carries through by following rather than leading. Set out alone and you lose the way; go with someone and you find it. Steady and unhurried is where this goes well.
Image
Earth takes the shape of whatever rests on it and holds the weight. Be broad enough to carry what you are given.
3. Hard Start
Zhūn Water over Thunder
Judgment
It begins, opens, pays and holds, but do not set off anywhere yet. Put someone in place to run it.
Image
Cloud and thunder, nothing broken open yet. Sort the tangle out thread by thread.
4. Not Knowing Yet
Méng Mountain over Water
Judgment
Inexperience, and it goes well. You do not chase the one who needs teaching; they come to you. Answer the first honest question. Asked the same thing three times over, say nothing.
Image
A spring breaking out below the mountain. Act on what you decide, and let the character follow from the acting.
5. Holding Off
Xū Water over Heaven
Judgment
Trust it and it comes clear. Hold your position and it goes well. This is the moment for the big crossing.
Image
Cloud has gone up and the rain has not come. Eat, drink, and be good company until it does.
6. Dispute
Sòng Heaven over Water
Judgment
You are in the right and blocked, and you should be wary. Stopping halfway goes well; carrying it to the end goes badly. Find someone who can arbitrate. Not the moment for the big crossing.
Image
Sky pulling one way and water the other. Settle the terms at the start, before there is anything to argue about.
7. Mustering
Shī Earth over Water
Judgment
Hold the line, and put someone experienced in charge. Then nothing goes wrong.
Image
Water held inside the ground, out of sight. Take people in and keep them, and the numbers are there when you need them.
8. Closing Ranks
Bǐ Water over Earth
Judgment
This goes well. Ask again, properly, and commit for the long run. The unsettled are coming over. Whoever arrives last does badly.
Image
Water lying on the ground, taking its shape exactly. Set up the parts and stay close to the people running them.
9. Held Back a Little
Xiǎo Chù Wind over Heaven
Judgment
It moves. Cloud piled up and nothing falling, blown in from our own western edge.
Image
Wind moving across the sky and never reaching the ground. Work on the surface of things: how it reads, how it is said.
10. Stepping Carefully
Lǚ Heaven over Lake
Judgment
Step on the tiger's tail and come away whole. This one goes through.
Image
Sky above, marsh below, each where it belongs. Be clear about what sits where, and people settle.
11. Opening
Tài Earth over Heaven
Judgment
What was cramped is on its way out and what is large is arriving. A good stretch, and worth using.
Image
Sky and ground in contact. Shape what is happening between them so the people under it can live in it.
12. Blocked
Pǐ Heaven over Earth
Judgment
The wrong people are in the way. Holding your position does not help here. What was large is leaving and what is small is arriving.
Image
Sky and ground pulling apart, nothing passing between them. Live plainly, keep out of the way, and do not take the money.
13. Common Cause
Tóng Rén Heaven over Fire
Judgment
Meeting people out in the open, not behind doors. This is the moment for the big crossing, and it pays to hold.
Image
Sky and fire, both of them rising. Sort what belongs with what, and tell things apart.
14. Holding a Lot
Dà Yǒu Fire over Heaven
Judgment
It begins, and it opens wide.
Image
Fire high in the sky and everything lit. Put down what is bad, raise what is good, and take what you are given.
15. Keeping Low
Qiān Earth over Mountain
Judgment
It goes through, and whoever carries it sees it finished.
Image
A mountain down inside the earth, its height not showing. Take from where there is too much, add where there is too little, and weigh things out level.
16. Readiness
Yù Thunder over Earth
Judgment
A good time to put people in place and to move.
Image
Thunder coming up out of the ground. Make the music, honour what deserves it, and name the people it came from.
17. Going Along
Suí Lake over Thunder
Judgment
It begins, opens, pays and holds. Nothing goes wrong.
Image
Thunder gone down inside the marsh and quiet. When it gets dark, go in and rest.
18. Rot to Clear
Gǔ Mountain over Wind
Judgment
It opens, and this is the moment for the big crossing. Three days before you start, three days after.
Image
Wind caught under the mountain, and things going bad in the still air. Stir people up and grow them.
19. Drawing Near
Lín Earth over Lake
Judgment
It begins, opens, pays and holds. By the eighth month it turns bad.
Image
Ground standing over the marsh, looking down into it. Teach without running out, and hold people without a limit.
20. Looking On
Guān Wind over Earth
Judgment
Hands washed, the sacrifice not begun. People are watching, and they trust what they see.
Image
Wind moving over the ground, touching all of it. Go and look at the country, watch the people, then decide what to teach.
21. Biting Down
Shì Kè Fire over Thunder
Judgment
It goes through. Use the courts.
Image
Thunder and lightning at once. Make the penalties clear and the law plain.
22. Surface
Bì Mountain over Fire
Judgment
It goes through. A small gain in setting out.
Image
Fire at the foot of the mountain, lighting the near things and not the far. Handle the everyday business and leave the hard cases alone.
23. Coming Apart
Bō Mountain over Earth
Judgment
Not the time to set out.
Image
The mountain wearing down onto the ground it sits on. Thicken what is underneath and the house stands.
24. Turning Back
Fù Earth over Thunder
Judgment
The turn has happened and the way back is open. Coming and going does no harm; others arrive. It runs on a cycle and comes round in seven days. Worth setting out.
Image
Thunder still underground. The old rulers shut the passes at midwinter and let the traders rest. What is only starting to return should not be made to work yet.
25. No Pretending
Wú Wàng Heaven over Thunder
Judgment
It begins, opens, pays and holds. Go crooked and there is trouble, and nowhere worth going.
Image
Thunder rolling under the sky and everything true to itself. Meet the season as it comes and let things grow.
26. Storing Up
Dà Chù Mountain over Heaven
Judgment
It pays to hold. Better not to eat at home. This is the moment for the big crossing.
Image
The whole sky held inside a mountain. Learn what was said and done before you, and let it build in you.
27. Feeding
Yí Mountain over Thunder
Judgment
Hold, and it goes well. Watch what feeds people, and watch what you put in your own mouth.
Image
Thunder under the mountain, the jaws working. Watch what you say and go easy on what you eat.
28. Too Much Weight
Dà Guò Lake over Wind
Judgment
The ridgepole is bending. Still worth setting out, and it goes through.
Image
The marsh risen over the trees and drowned them. Stand on your own without fear, and drop out of sight without minding it.
29. Deep Water
Kǎn Water over Water
Judgment
Danger, and then the same danger again. What gets you through is holding to something you actually believe. Keep moving; that counts for more than getting clear.
Image
Water arrives and arrives. Do the same thing the same way every time, and teach it until it is second nature.
30. Catching Light
Lí Fire over Fire
Judgment
It pays to hold, and it goes through. Keep a cow and it goes well.
Image
Light after light, each one taking from the last. Keep it going, and let it reach all four sides.
31. Being Moved
Xián Lake over Mountain
Judgment
It goes through, and it pays to hold. Marrying goes well.
Image
A marsh sitting in the top of the mountain. Stay hollow, and people come in.
32. Lasting
Héng Thunder over Wind
Judgment
It goes through. Nothing goes wrong. It pays to hold, and it pays to set out.
Image
Thunder and wind, the same pair arriving together every time. Take your position and stop moving it.
33. Pulling Back
Dùn Heaven over Mountain
Judgment
Withdrawing goes through. A small gain in holding.
Image
The mountain reaching up and the sky pulling further away. Keep the small-minded at a distance, without rudeness and without softening.
34. Full Strength
Dà Zhuàng Thunder over Heaven
Judgment
It pays to hold.
Image
Thunder up in the sky, all noise and force. Do not step anywhere you should not.
35. Coming Up
Jìn Fire over Earth
Judgment
A capable governor, handed horses by the herd, and called before the ruler three times between dawn and dusk.
Image
The sun clear of the horizon. Show what is good in you yourself, rather than waiting to be found.
36. Light Going Down
Míng Yí Earth over Fire
Judgment
It pays to hold on through the hard part.
Image
The light gone down under the ground. In front of people, dim yourself and keep seeing clearly.
37. The Household
Jiā Rén Wind over Fire
Judgment
It pays for the women of the house to hold their position.
Image
Wind coming off the fire, working from the inside out. Say things with something in them, and do things the same way each time.
38. At Odds
Kuí Fire over Lake
Judgment
Small things go well here. Big ones do not.
Image
Fire going up and marsh going down, moving apart as they go. Keep the common ground and keep your difference.
39. Hard Going
Jiǎn Water over Mountain
Judgment
Southwest works, northeast does not. Find someone who can help. Hold, and it goes well.
Image
Water standing on the mountain with nowhere to run. Turn back on yourself and work on what you are.
40. Loosened
Jiě Thunder over Water
Judgment
Southwest works. If there is nowhere to go, coming back goes well. If there is somewhere, go early.
Image
Thunder and rain breaking the weather open. Let the mistakes go and go easy on the offences.
41. Taking Away
Sǔn Mountain over Lake
Judgment
Trust it. It goes well from the start, there is nothing wrong with it, it holds, and it pays to set out.
Image
A marsh cut into the foot of the mountain, the one deepening as the other loses. Check your temper and block off what you want.
42. Adding To
Yì Wind over Thunder
Judgment
It pays to set out, and this is the moment for the big crossing.
Image
Wind and thunder, each one feeding the other. See something good and move toward it; find a fault and fix it.
43. Breaking Through
Guài Lake over Heaven
Judgment
Say it openly at court. Call it out honestly, and know it is dangerous. Tell your own town first. Do not go straight to force. It pays to set out.
Image
The marsh risen up into the sky, about to break. Pass what you have downward, and do not sit on it.
44. Coming Upon
Gòu Heaven over Wind
Judgment
The woman is strong. Do not marry her.
Image
Wind under the sky, touching everything without being seen. Send the word out to all four sides.
45. Massing
Cuì Lake over Earth
Judgment
It goes through. The king goes to the temple. Find someone who can help. It goes through, and it pays to hold.
Image
The marsh risen above the ground and everything crowded in. Check the weapons and be ready for what you did not expect.
46. Rising
Shēng Earth over Wind
Judgment
It opens from the start. Go and see someone who can help. Do not worry. Going south goes well.
Image
A tree growing up out of the ground. Go with what you are, and let the small pile up into something tall.
47. Hemmed In
Kùn Lake over Water
Judgment
Squeezed, and it still comes out well if you hold. Someone steady does fine here. Nothing you say will be believed, so stop explaining.
Image
A lake with the water gone out of it. When there is nothing left to draw on, spend yourself on the thing you actually meant to do.
48. Drawing Water
Jǐng Water over Wind
Judgment
You can move the town and not move the well. Nothing lost, nothing gained. People come and go and the water stays. Get the bucket almost up and break it, and that is bad.
Image
Water drawn up through timber. Put people to the task, and have them back each other up.
49. Changing Skin
Gé Lake over Fire
Judgment
It is believed only on the day it actually happens. It begins, opens, pays and holds, and the regret goes.
Image
Fire down inside the marsh, the two working against each other. Fix the calendar and make the seasons plain.
50. The Cooking Pot
Dǐng Fire over Wind
Judgment
It goes well from the start, and it goes through.
Image
Fire over wood and the pot standing on its legs. Get your position right and hold on to what you were given.
51. The Shock
Zhèn Thunder over Thunder
Judgment
It goes through. The shock comes and everyone flinches; then there is laughing and talking. It carries a hundred miles, and the one holding the ladle and the wine does not spill them.
Image
Thunder on thunder, one roll before the last has gone. Let the fright do its work, then look at yourself.
52. Stopping
Gèn Mountain over Mountain
Judgment
Hold still at the spine and the rest of you stops. Cross your own courtyard and meet nobody. Nothing here goes wrong.
Image
Two mountains, one behind the other. Keep your thinking inside the ground you actually stand on.
53. By Degrees
Jiàn Wind over Mountain
Judgment
The woman marries and it goes well. It pays to hold.
Image
A tree on the mountain, adding a ring a year. Settle into being good at this, and the way people behave improves around you.
54. Marrying In
Guī Mèi Thunder over Lake
Judgment
Setting out goes badly. Nothing here pays.
Image
Thunder over the marsh, stirring what it sits on. See it through to the end, and know where it wears out.
55. At Full
Fēng Thunder over Fire
Judgment
It goes through. The king gets there. Do not worry. Best at noon.
Image
Thunder and lightning arriving together. Try the cases and hand down the sentences.
56. Travelling
Lǚ Fire over Mountain
Judgment
It goes through in small ways. On the road, hold your position and it goes well.
Image
Fire on the mountain, burning across and never staying. Be clear and careful about penalties, and do not hold anyone long.
57. Working In
Xùn Wind over Wind
Judgment
It goes through in small ways. It pays to set out, and to find someone who can help.
Image
Wind following wind, the same push arriving again and again. Repeat the instruction, and get the work done.
58. Good Cheer
Duì Lake over Lake
Judgment
It goes through, and it pays to hold.
Image
Two marshes touching, each one feeding the other. Talk it over with people you trust, and practise together.
59. Breaking Up
Huàn Wind over Water
Judgment
It goes through. The king goes to the temple. This is the moment for the big crossing, and it pays to hold.
Image
Wind moving over water and scattering it. Make the offering, and build the place where people gather.
60. Set Limits
Jié Water over Lake
Judgment
It goes through. Limits that hurt cannot be kept.
Image
Water over the marsh, and only so much of it will hold. Set the measures, and talk about how people should behave.
61. Trust All Through
Zhōng Fú Wind over Lake
Judgment
Even pigs and fish go well here. This is the moment for the big crossing, and it pays to hold.
Image
Wind over the marsh, moving everything it touches. Argue the case again, and hold off the sentence.
62. Slightly Over
Xiǎo Guò Thunder over Mountain
Judgment
It goes through and it pays to hold. Small things, not large ones. The bird flying past leaves its call behind: better to come down than to go up.
Image
Thunder on the mountaintop, loud in a small place. Lean too far toward respect, too far toward grief, too far toward spending little.
63. Already Across
Jì Jì Water over Fire
Judgment
You are over. It goes well in small ways from here, so long as you hold. It starts well and comes apart at the end.
Image
Water sitting above fire, each holding the other in place. Work out what could go wrong while nothing has, and set the guard before you need it.
64. Not Yet Across
Wèi Jì Fire over Water
Judgment
Not over yet, and it can still come out well. The young fox almost makes the far bank and drops its tail in. Nearly there is the dangerous part.
Image
Fire above, water below, neither doing the other any good. Sort out what belongs where before you try to move.
To arrive at one of these by the method the book intends, cast a reading. Three coins, six throws, and the figure assembles from the bottom up; if any line is moving, the reading shows the second hexagram it turns into as well.