Encyclopedia

The 64 hexagrams

Every hexagram has its own page. The first eight are fuller essays; the rest are short notes you can still sit with, then take to a cast.

  1. ䷀1乾 The CreativePure creative force. The work is not to push harder, but to aim the strength you already have.
  2. ䷁2坤 The ReceptivePure receptivity. Not weakness—the courage to hold, listen, and carry what is actually here.
  3. ䷂3屯 Difficulty at the BeginningBeginnings are messy. Zhun does not say quit—it says root first, then move.
  4. ䷃4蒙 Youthful FollyWhen you cannot see yet, honesty beats pretending. Meng asks you to learn, not to bluff.
  5. ䷄5需 WaitingWaiting with preparation—not idle delay, but letting the conditions ripen.
  6. ䷅6讼 ConflictWhen conflict appears, ask whether you need to win or to see clearly. Song warns against turning talk into war.
  7. ䷆7师 The ArmyShi is discipline and shared aim. Large work needs order, not only emotion.
  8. ䷇8比 Holding TogetherBi asks about closeness: whom you walk with shapes whether the path stays true.
  9. ䷈9小畜 Small TamingYou cannot spend all the force at once. Tame a little; steady the details.Brief note
  10. ䷉10履 TreadingHow you walk matters more than how loudly you arrive. Tread with care.Brief note
  11. ䷊11泰 PeaceThings are in flow. Tai’s work is to tend circulation, not assume it lasts forever.Brief note
  12. ䷋12否 StandstillCurrents are not meeting. Pi is not the end—it asks you to stop pushing a dead method.Brief note
  13. ䷌13同人 FellowshipLook for people who can share a real aim—not merely a pleasant group.Brief note
  14. ䷍14大有 Great PossessionWhen much is in hand, the question is how you hold and share it—not only how you display it.Brief note
  15. ䷎15谦 ModestyModesty is not self-erasure. It returns weight to what is real, and the path widens.Brief note
  16. ䷏16豫 EnthusiasmEnthusiasm is a gift. Yu asks you to join it to a rhythm others can share.Brief note
  17. ䷐17随 FollowingWhat you follow, you become. Choose the person and the principle with care.Brief note
  18. ䷑18蛊 Work on What Has SpoiledSomething spoiled needs work. Gu is not blame—it is a call to clean what was deferred.Brief note
  19. ䷒19临 ApproachAn approach is near. Lin asks you to meet arriving responsibility with presence.Brief note
  20. ䷓20观 ContemplationSee the whole before you act. Guan pulls the camera back until you are in the frame too.Brief note
  21. ䷔21噬嗑 Biting ThroughAn obstacle needs to be bitten through. Clear limits help more than vague endurance.Brief note
  22. ䷕22贲 GraceOrnament can reveal or hide. Bi asks beauty to serve what is true.Brief note
  23. ䷖23剥 Splitting ApartThe surface is peeling away. Painful—and sometimes the only way to drop what cannot hold you.Brief note
  24. ䷗24复 ReturnReturn begins underfoot. Fu is a small true turning, not a dramatic slogan of rebirth.Brief note
  25. ䷘25无妄 InnocenceDo not force what is not yours to force. Wu Wang returns you to a clean motive.Brief note
  26. ䷙26大畜 Great TamingGreat store needs a bridle. Da Xu keeps talent aimed at what is worthy.Brief note
  27. ䷚27颐 NourishmentNotice what you feed yourself—food, news, company. Nourishment starts with the mouth and the choice.Brief note
  28. ䷛28大过 Great ExceedingThe beam is bowed. Extraordinary times need extraordinary honesty, not extraordinary strain.Brief note
  29. ䷜29坎 The AbysmalThe gorge repeats. Kan does not ask you to dive for drama—it teaches breath while crossing.Brief note
  30. ䷝30离 The ClingingFire clings to what it burns. Li asks what you are attached to—clarity, or something that only flares.Brief note
  31. ䷞31咸 InfluenceWhen influence is mutual, you need not seize it. Xian is feeling that still keeps respect.Brief note
  32. ䷟32恒 DurationWhat lasts is not the spark. It is the willingness to return to the same principle.Brief note
  33. ䷠33遁 RetreatA timely retreat is not a loss. Dun withdraws strength from the wrong field.Brief note
  34. ䷡34大壮 Great PowerPower is already great. Da Zhuang’s risk is mistaking hardness for being right.Brief note
  35. ䷢35晋 ProgressAdvance with light. Jin is being seen—and becoming able to bear that seeing.Brief note
  36. ䷣36明夷 Darkening of the LightWhen light is covered, protect the inner lamp. Ming Yi is honesty that survives a dim season.Brief note
  37. ䷤37家人 The FamilyThe order close to home shapes the road outside. Jia Ren asks for clear speech nearby.Brief note
  38. ䷥38睽 OppositionTwo shores. Kui does not demand a forced reunion—only that the difference be admitted.Brief note
  39. ䷦39蹇 ObstructionThe way ahead is blocked. Jian suggests another path or help—not the same wall again.Brief note
  40. ䷧40解 DeliveranceThe knot is loosening. Xie asks you not to tie a new one in relief’s hurry.Brief note
  41. ䷨41损 DecreaseSome decrease makes room. Sun asks whether you are laying down a burden—or your core.Brief note
  42. ䷩42益 IncreaseWhen increase arrives, ask whom it serves. Yi is best when it flows toward what can grow.Brief note
  43. ䷪43夬 BreakthroughA time to decide. Guai asks for speech that is clear without becoming cruel.Brief note
  44. ䷫44姤 Coming to MeetAn unexpected meeting. Gou warns that temptation and opportunity can wear the same face.Brief note
  45. ䷬45萃 GatheringWhen people gather, watch the center. Cui fears a crowd with no honest heart.Brief note
  46. ䷭46升 Pushing UpwardRising can be slow. Sheng is growth by accumulation, not a single night’s climb.Brief note
  47. ䷮47困 OppressionName the constraint. Kun still leaves you a voice—do not spend yourself just to prove it.Brief note
  48. ䷯48井 The WellThe well remains as people come and go. Jing asks whether the source is clear or silted.Brief note
  49. ䷰49革 RevolutionChange when the old skin no longer fits. Ge is not revolt for its own heat.Brief note
  50. ䷱50鼎 The CauldronThe cauldron transforms. What you put in is what will be cooked.Brief note
  51. ䷲51震 The ArousingShock wakes you. After Zhen, ask whether you met fear—or a truth that was due.Brief note
  52. ䷳52艮 Keeping StillStop where stopping is right. Gen is not a frozen life—it is a mind allowed to reach shore.Brief note
  53. ䷴53渐 Gradual ProgressLike a bird taking branch by branch. Jian refuses to let anxiety replace the process.Brief note
  54. ䷵54归妹 The Marrying MaidenPlace and promise should match. Gui Mei warns against entering a bond by abandoning your standing.Brief note
  55. ䷶55丰 AbundanceAbundance casts a shadow. Feng asks for measure even at the brightest hour.Brief note
  56. ䷷56旅 The WandererTravel light and stay a respectful guest. Lu is a passing role—not a way to avoid home.Brief note
  57. ䷸57巽 The GentleThe gentle penetrates. Xun enters without a fight—yet you must know what you are entering.Brief note
  58. ䷹58兑 The JoyousJoy needs to be true. Dui is wary of cheer that was purchased with people-pleasing.Brief note
  59. ䷺59涣 DispersionDispersion is not always loss. Huan melts what froze, so speech can move again.Brief note
  60. ䷻60节 LimitationLimits can make freedom usable. Jie is not punishment—it is an edge you can breathe against.Brief note
  61. ䷼61中孚 Inner TruthTrust lives inside, not in performance. Zhong Fu asks for self-honesty before speech can carry weight.Brief note
  62. ䷽62小过 Small ExceedingA little extra is enough. Xiao Guo refuses both drama and paralysis.Brief note
  63. ䷾63既济 After CompletionCompletion is risky because attention drops. Ji Ji asks you to keep tending what just came into order.Brief note
  64. ䷿64未济 Before CompletionNot yet complete. Wei Ji is an honest ending: the road continues, and you may ask the heart again.Brief note