Also known as Inner Truth, Inner Sincerity, Centre Confirming.
The characters 中孚 mean trust or sincerity at the centre. 孚 shows a bird's claw over a young one, like a bird sitting on its eggs. Hexagram 61 is about the kind of truthfulness that's felt, not argued, and that can move even the most stubborn people.
The figure
Wind over Lake. Wind stirs the surface of the water and moves everything it touches. The two weak lines sit at the centre, open and empty, held by strong lines above and below. It is its own reverse: turned upside down, it stays the same.
The judgment
Even pigs and fish go well here. This is the moment for the big crossing, and it pays to hold.
In the old reading, pigs and fishes are the hardest creatures to reach. Real sincerity reaches even them, and carries you through big undertakings.
The image
Wind over the marsh, moving everything it touches. Argue the case again, and hold off the sentence.
To understand people, open yourself to them. Judgment given with understanding is milder and fairer.
The six lines
Counted from the bottom, the way the figure is built when you cast it.
- Line 1, at the bottom. Be ready in yourself. It goes well. Hidden schemes would only unsettle you.
- Line 2. A crane cries out in the shadows and its chick replies. 'There is a fine cup here; let us drink it together.' Sincerity calls up an answer.
- Line 3. You find a companion and your mood follows theirs: now drumming, now stopping, now crying, now singing. Your steadiness depends on someone else.
- Line 4. The moon is almost full. One horse of the pair breaks away. Letting go of a tie is no mistake.
- Line 5. Your sincerity binds others together. Not a mistake.
- Line 6, at the top. A rooster's cry reaches for the sky. Words that go beyond what's real end badly if you keep insisting.
Reading it for a question
Hexagram 61 says sincerity is your strength here. Be open and honest, listen first and let trust do the work. Don't overpromise, and don't let your mood swing on other people's.