Also known as The Wanderer, The Traveler, Sojourning, The Stranger.
The character 旅 shows people gathered under a banner, and came to mean travel or a traveller. Hexagram 56 is about being away from home: a stranger without a settled place, passing through. A traveller does best by being modest, careful and decent, so doors stay open.
The figure
Fire over Mountain. Fire on a mountain burns across the slope and never stays in one place, while the mountain stays put. It is the reverse of hexagram 55.
The judgment
It goes through in small ways. On the road, hold your position and it goes well.
You don't have the standing you'd have at home. Keep things small, stay steady and be polite, and you'll be fine.
The image
Fire on the mountain, burning across and never staying. Be clear and careful about penalties, and do not hold anyone long.
Justice should be like a passing fire: clear, careful and quickly over, never left to smoulder.
The six lines
Counted from the bottom, the way the figure is built when you cast it.
- Line 1, at the bottom. The traveller fusses over petty things and invites trouble.
- Line 2. The traveller reaches an inn, has money in hand and finds a loyal helper.
- Line 3. The inn burns down and the helper is lost. Arrogance on the road is dangerous.
- Line 4. The traveller finds a shelter and some means, even a tool for protection, but still isn't at ease.
- Line 5. One shot brings down a pheasant. A single well-judged act wins praise and a place.
- Line 6, at the top. Fire takes the bird's nest. The traveller laughs, then cries. Carelessness costs what was most needed.
Reading it for a question
Hexagram 56 says you're somewhere unfamiliar, or in transition. Travel light, be modest and keep your conduct clean. Don't settle in too deep or make enemies; you're passing through.