Takashima Ekidan · Hexagram 37 Wind over Fire, the Family: It is beneficial for the woman to maintain her proper determination.

37 Wind over Fire, the Family

The hexagram’s form is Wind above and Fire below. The wood of Wind gives rise to wind, while the sun of Fire gives rise to fire. Wood burns and produces fire, so wood and fire generate one another; the sun’s qi forms wind, so the sun and wind complete one another. All arise from the forging and stirring of a single qi, just as a human family is formed through birth and nurture. Fire is also taken for brightness, and wind for harmony; orderly relationships are clarified and the household is harmonious. This is the image it takes, hence “Wind over Fire, the Family.” Moreover, the Family comes after Brightness Wounded. Brightness Wounded belongs to the time when Zhou was rising and Shang was declining: Zhou’s rise began with Lady Tai Si, while Shang’s fall was caused by Da Ji. The rise and fall of a state’s fortune are rooted in family governance; this is why the Family follows Brightness Wounded.

The Family: It is beneficial for the woman to maintain her proper determination.

The two words “beneficial to maintain determination” are the key to the Family hexagram. Since ancient times, the success or failure of the family way has always begun with women. A worthy wife is called an inner assistant; only a virtuous woman can make a household harmonious. Worthy and virtuous means steadfast. Otherwise, “when the hen crows at dawn, the family is ruined”—this is something to guard against. In the entire I Ching, the Upper Classic begins with Qian and Kun. Qian is the father and Kun the mother, an elderly married couple; although the hexagrams embody the four virtues, the focus is not exclusively on the benefit of steadfastness. The Lower Classic begins with Influence and Duration. Influence is the beginning of the woman’s way, and Duration its end. The Tuan Commentary on Influence says, “Beneficial to maintain determination; marrying a woman is auspicious,” while the Tuan Commentary on Duration says, “Beneficial to maintain determination; no blame.” Thus we understand “following one to the end” and “for a woman, steadfastness is auspicious.” The fifth line of Duration explicitly reveals the intent of the Family hexagram: steadfastness brings good fortune; lack of steadfastness brings misfortune. The virtue of the Family hexagram places special emphasis on the husband’s steadfastness, while the auspicious image of steadfastness belongs particularly to the woman. Therefore the Tuan Commentary on the Family begins by declaring: “It is beneficial for the woman to maintain her proper determination.”

The Tuan Commentary says: In the Family, the woman holds the correct position within and the man holds the correct position without. The correctness of woman and man is the great meaning of Heaven and Earth. In the Family there is a strict ruler—that means the parents. Let fathers be fathers, sons sons, elder brothers elder brothers, younger brothers younger brothers, husbands husbands, and wives wives; then the family way is correct. When the family is set right, the world is settled.

The image is Wind and Fire: wind is compliant, fire is bright. Wind’s female image is yielding below; Fire’s female image is hollow within and bright. Bright and yielding together describe a worthy woman. The entire hexagram takes female images; the family way places foremost importance on a woman’s virtue. Therefore the Tuan Commentary says, “In the Family, the woman holds the correct position within and the man holds the correct position without.” It mentions the woman before the man, saying that in the Family, governing the inner sphere comes first. A man has a chamber and a woman has a household; this is the great human relationship, namely “the great meaning of Heaven and Earth.” When human relationships are correct, the great meaning is settled. A ruler is honored: in a state, the ruler is honored; in a family, the parents are honored. The father’s way may culminate in kindness, but the Classic of Filial Piety also calls him a strict father; discipline and chastisement are not discarded at home—that is what strictness means. Between mother and child, excesses often arise from indulgent love, so the sages specifically prescribe strict instruction, making the mother equal to the father. The yielding softness of wind must be brought to correctness; the fierce intensity of fire takes strictness. As Chengzi said, “Correct ethical relationships and deepen kindness and justice”—the way of the Family is complete in this. Within the Family there are only parent and child, brothers, and husband and wife. If one relationship is made correct, nothing remains incorrect. This is the way of correcting one’s person to correct one’s family, correcting one’s family to correct one’s state, and correcting one’s state to correct the world.

Applying this hexagram to human affairs, its name is the Family, and the judgment and line texts all speak of essential principles for governing a household; human affairs are entirely contained here. “The woman holds the correct position within and the man the correct position without” means, broadly, that the woman presides over inner household matters. Since ancient times, a truly worthy woman has been exceptionally rare. A woman’s nature is yin, and yin may flow into danger and harshness; a woman’s constitution is soft, and softness may sink into partiality and selfish affection. If the inner chambers are not carefully guarded, the resulting disaster may reach the point of ruin and death, beyond rescue. This is why the Tuan text first emphasizes benefit to the woman’s steadfastness. Yet a woman’s lack of steadfastness initially arises from lax family instruction. The Commentary on the Tuan says, “In the Family there is a strict ruler,” thereby placing special responsibility on the parents. In the first line, the girl is still young, so one must first establish her “barrier.” In the second, she is somewhat older and should be taught the preparation of food. In the third, she is grown, so she is warned against losing her chastity. In the three inner lines, the girl is still at home, and strict restraint is not considered excessive. The fourth says “compliance,” meaning she has attained correctness; the fifth says “assurance,” meaning “mutual love”; the sixth says “trust,” which must first be rooted in oneself. In the three outer lines, the woman has already established a household, and only “authority like a tiger” can attain “good fortune in the end.” As Mencius said, “When a woman marries, her mother instructs her,” saying, “Be reverent, be cautious, do not disobey your husband.” All this accords with the line texts. Strictness is taken from Fire: Fire is fierce, so family education should be based on strictness. Compliance is taken from Wind: Wind is gentle and harmonious, so the woman’s way is correctness through compliance. The Commentary on the Image says, “Wind emerges from fire.” Fire indeed blazes more fiercely because of wind, yet its flame can itself generate wind. The noble person models this in speech and conduct: speech has substance and no falsity; conduct has constancy and no shame. Whether speaking or silent, moving or still, everything serves as a major safeguard in human affairs. Without wind and fire, Heaven could not carry out its cycles; without speech and conduct, people likewise could not accomplish affairs. The woman is correct within—this means “speech does not leave the women’s quarters, conduct does not cross the threshold.” The man is correct without—this means “his speech fills the world without verbal fault, his conduct fills the world without resentment or hatred.” Human success and failure depend on the good or bad quality of speech and conduct; the rise and decline of family life depend on them as well. Thus the meaning of the Family hexagram takes man and woman, while the Commentary on the Image says “speech has substance” and “conduct has constancy”; its purport is profound.

Applying this hexagram to the state, cultivating the family becomes service to the court; family and state are fundamentally connected. The Family is also called “the strict ruler,” so ruler and father are fundamentally one. Thus, by reading the poem “The Ospreys,” we know that royal transformation begins in the women’s quarters; this is what the Tuan Commentary means by “the woman holds the correct position within.” Conversely, the Zhao and Yan of Han and Wu Zhao of Tang brought disorder and profanation to the palace quarters, damaged the laws of the state, brought death to themselves and danger to the country, and extended disaster to the ancestral temples. From ancient times, calamities caused by women have often been like this. The sages, concerned about danger, composed the I Ching; therefore, after Influence and Duration, they set forth the Family. The Family clarifies the way to regulate the household and correct the family in order to correct the world. When a noble person governs family and state, he ultimately does not go beyond speech and conduct. What can be trusted by one household can be trusted by the world; what can be seen in one household can be seen throughout the world. The court’s promulgation of regulations, teachings, policies, and commands is likewise so. The six lines of the hexagram divide into three lower lines concerning the work of ordering the family—the beginning of family instruction—and three upper lines concerning the completion of an ordered family—the end of family instruction. At the beginning one establishes defenses; at the end one seeks fulfillment. Taken to its utmost, the way is called “turning back to oneself.” As the Great Learning says, “From the Son of Heaven down to the common people, all alike take cultivation of the self as their root.” Thus the foundation of family and state lies entirely in this person.

Viewed as a whole, this hexagram is explained by the Explanation of the Trigrams: “The myriad things are brought into order in Wind and meet one another in Fire.” “Brought into order” is precisely what orders the family; “meet one another” can be extended to being seen throughout the world and state. The form of the Family hexagram is Fire below and Wind above, taking this meaning. The way of cultivation and ordering depends entirely on illuminating virtue, so its image takes Fire’s brightness. The transformation of the Jiang and Han regions began in the palace quarters, so its image takes the compliance of wind. This is why the hexagram is called Wind over Fire, the Family. In the lines, the eldest daughter of Wind is above, with the fourth line as Wind’s ruler following the fifth; the middle daughter of Fire is below, with the second line as Fire’s ruler following the third. Yin occupies yin places, each in its proper position; elder, upper, middle, and lower each follow their order; following the third and following the fifth, each finds its mate; yang outside and yin inside, each performs its proper role. The noble person takes wind and fire as models for speech and conduct, cultivating speech and conduct to benefit family and state. Within a family, the husband governs and the wife follows; inner brightness and outer compliance, kindness practiced and likes and dislikes made impartial—only then can the family be ordered and the world settled.

The Image says: Wind emerges from fire: the Family. The noble person makes speech substantial and conduct constant.

Xun is wind and Li is fire. Xun occupies the position of Si, and Li the position of Wu; both Si and Wu belong to fire, hence the image “wind emerges from fire.” According to the Separate Biography of Kang Cheng, when he saw a great wind rising, he went to the county magistrate and said, “On a certain day there will be a fire; broad preventive preparations should be made.” When the time came, a fire indeed broke out. What the Commentary of Zuo calls “the melting wind, the beginning of fire” is a sign of “wind emerging from fire.” Moreover, when wind arises, it spreads everywhere in an instant; when fire starts, it spreads by transmission and does not cease. This illustrates the movement of moral instruction from within outward, whose mechanism is extremely swift; hence “wind emerges from fire: the Family.” Examining the five phases in the Great Plan, fire corresponds to speech; in the hexagrams of Small Accumulation and the like, wind is always said to move. Thus the noble person takes wind and fire as his image for speech and conduct. “Substance” means affairs; “constancy” means permanence. Fire clings to things and produces light: speech with substance can serve as a model. Wind obtains Duration and does not change: conduct with constancy brings transformation to completion. Speech and conduct are the pivot of a noble person; wind and fire are the breath of Heaven and Earth. What begins near becomes visible far away; their principles are the same. Within the women’s quarters, when kindness conceals justice and emotion overrides ritual, the only means relied upon to awe and restrain the family is speech and conduct. Moral transformation comes from speech and conduct, and speech and conduct must in turn come from a sincere heart. Sincerity is sufficient to transform others; insincerity merely prepares the way for calamity. Therefore the noble person, in managing a family, is especially vigilant regarding speech and conduct.

　　[Divination]
○ Inquiring about current fortune: Wind gains fire and becomes wilder; fire gains wind and burns more fiercely. This is precisely a time when fortune is at its height. Yet if one enters crookedness, it becomes crookedness; if one enters goodness, it becomes goodness. One should make the greatest effort in speech and conduct.


○ Inquiring about business: The Erya says, “Wind and fire make a cluster.” “Cluster” means gathering, an image of stockpiling goods. The line text says “there is substance” and “there is constancy”: substance means merchandise, and constancy means lasting. This means the goods should not be sold hastily; after some time, a high price can be obtained.

○ Inquiring about rank and recognition: Wind travels far and fire flames upward, an image of rising high and reaching far. Speech and conduct are the means by which one enters society and benefits the people; success and distinction can therefore be expected.

○ Inquiring about the home: Guard against fire.

○ Inquiring about marriage: The Family hexagram takes its image from husband and wife. Both the Fire and Wind trigrams are female; it may signify an elder daughter as older sister and a middle daughter as younger wife, or a marriage alliance between two surnames. Auspicious.

○ Inquiring about illness: This is an upward-rising wind-fire condition, with abundant phlegm and wheezing; it cannot be cured immediately.

○ Question about pregnancy: A girl will be born.

First Nine: Establish barriers in the household; regret vanishes.

The Commentary on the Image says: Establish barriers in the household; the will has not yet changed.

The character “barrier” is composed of a gate and wood: placing wood within a gate is meant to guard against what comes from outside, so it is interpreted as a defense. The Literary Text of the I Ching says, “bar the deviant and preserve sincerity,” meaning to guard against deviant thoughts. The Analects says, “Great virtue does not overstep the barrier”; barrier means a gate or limit, preventing improper coming and going. All take the meaning of prohibition and prevention. The first line is at the beginning of the lower trigram, the beginning of the Family. “Having a family,” in Mencius’s words, “a woman has a family,” specifically refers to a woman. “Barrier” is like standards in the women’s quarters and admonitions for women, all intended for instruction and warning. At the beginning of womanhood, one must first establish her barrier, so she knows what to guard and does not dare fall or overstep—just as the Young and Inexperienced must first be nurtured in correctness. If one allows the household to become defiled and only afterward imposes strictness, or waits until the will has changed before governing it, there will be regret. The Commentary on the Image says, “the will has not yet changed,” meaning that her mind and intent are originally clear and have not yet turned toward deviant desires. If a barrier is established at the beginning, regret naturally disappears.

　　[Divination]
○ Inquiring about current fortune: Good luck is just beginning to arrive. One should now know to restrain oneself; then there will be no disaster or regret.


○ Inquiring about warfare: At the beginning of a campaign, one should properly arrange the marching formation and enforce the commands strictly; thus victory and no defeat can be achieved.

○ Inquiring about business: This is a first-time shipment for trade; one should strictly observe commercial rules.

○ Inquiring about rank and recognition: This is a first attempt to seek fame. One should follow public orders and must not recklessly force one’s way upward.

○ Asked about the household: This residence has sturdy enclosing walls, and its gates are solemn yet harmonious. The person managing the household is orderly and principled, with clear rules and restraints. After four years, prosperity and abundance can be achieved. Auspicious.

○ Asked about illness: The illness is just beginning. One should carefully take precautions and recuperate; there will certainly be no calamity. If it is not treated at first, it will surely develop into complications and then be difficult to cure.

○ Asked about marriage: The match was initially arranged well. The family is clearly of pure and upright customs, and the women’s quarters have always been properly guarded; it can succeed.

○ Asked about a lawsuit: If the lawsuit is ended at the outset, it will be auspicious.

○ Asked about pregnancy: This is the first pregnancy; a girl will be born.

【Case】 In the twelfth month of the twenty-third year, a friend came and asked for a divination on whether a commercial law would be enacted; the casting obtained Family changing to Gradual.

The judgment says: Wind moves against things and makes them sound; fire catches on things and burns. Thus both wind and fire are insubstantial and must rely on things to take form, just as commerce must depend on capital to accomplish anything. We now ask about commerce and obtain the first line; the first line marks the beginning of planning and organizing a business. Before our country opened its ports, foreign merchants had no access, and all merchants clung to old customs and could not travel far; hence there was cause for regret. Only recently have we begun trading with other countries. What should first be established is commercial regulation, together with a thorough understanding of the benefits of trading abroad. This is like a young woman’s first marriage: she must first learn the rules of the women’s quarters and understand the rites of being a wife. The way of a wife lies in putting the household in order; the benefit of commerce lies in enriching the country. Their principles are the same. If one does not learn these things at the outset but undertakes them blindly, how could profit be gained? The line text says, “Keep the household in order; regret disappears.” A household’s orderliness means taking care over what enters and leaves; a merchant’s orderliness means being prudent in receipts and disbursements. If one can preserve this order, good fortune comes naturally and regret is absent. The Commentary on the Image says, “The will has not yet changed.” At the beginning of opening trade, old bad habits have not yet changed. Commercial law will certainly be enacted and will have great practical use.

Nine in the second place: Nothing is successfully pursued; occupied with preparing food within the household, steadfastness is auspicious.

The Commentary on the Image says: The auspiciousness of the second line comes from yielding and compliant gentleness.

“Nothing is successfully pursued” means that the woman’s way is not to claim accomplishments or exercise sole authority. Lines two through four form the nuclear Water trigram; Water signifies wine and food, hence “occupied with preparing food within the household,” meaning attending morning and evening to preparing meals, the woman’s duty. The second line occupies the position of wife and woman, possesses the virtue of central correctness, and responds to the enlightened ruler of the fifth line’s Fire trigram. Thus she is able to be yielding, compliant, and correct, serving the centrally correct husband represented by the fifth line. The way of women lies only in attending to sacrifices and providing food and drink; they must not interfere in external affairs. The two poems “Gathering Duckweed” and “Gathering Artemisia” both praise women for sincerely conducting sacrifices, showing that a woman’s duty lies specifically in preparing food for the household. This is what the Rites means by “serving with broom and dustpan, handling the well and mortar.” The Tuan Commentary says, “The woman is correctly placed within,” referring precisely to this line. The Commentary on the Image says, “Yielding and compliant.” In the Commentary on the Image, the phrase “yielding and compliant” occurs three times: at the fifth line of Youthful Folly, it refers to the way of serving one’s teacher; at the fourth line of Gradual Progress, it refers to the way of serving one’s ruler; here it refers to the way of serving one’s husband. It is what Mencius meant by saying, “To take compliance as correctness is the way of a concubine and wife.”

　　[Divination]
○ Asked about current fortune: At present one is right in a major cycle of fortune, but the line image is weighted toward yin; one should accomplish things through others and cannot act independently or make all decisions alone.


○ Asked about warfare: This is a subordinate general, certainly not the supreme commander; perhaps he is in the rear camp, in charge of provisions and military pay, a position of the utmost importance. Take care not to lose them.

○ Asked about running a business: It seems to be a grain-trading and transport business. Auspicious.

○ Asked about rank and reputation: It will be difficult to achieve as desired.

○ Asked about the household: This residence faces south. Its head must be a woman; household affairs cannot be decided by one person alone. Only the kitchen foundation is most auspicious.

○ Asked about illness: Fortunately, the appetite and stomach are strong, so there will be no harm.

○ Question about pregnancy: A girl will be born.

【Case】 A certain gentleman of rank came and asked for a divination on his fortune; the casting obtained Family changing to Small Accumulation.

The judgment says: The second line is in the center of the lower trigram and is the ruler of the Fire trigram. Fire is empty within, signifying that authority is not exercised alone; Fire takes the image of a cauldron nourishing people, with the duty of seasoning the soup. The body of the line is yielding and the line is yin, so it is suitable for interior affairs, not exterior ones. Now, in asking about your fortune, you have obtained the second line of Family. This shows that your fortune is smooth and peaceful, but your abilities are gentle and weak, and you have not yet been able to wield great authority independently. You can only serve the public and work under direction; perhaps being assigned to an office within the palace or an internal ministry would suit you especially well. Auspicious.

【Case】 In the thirtieth year of the Meiji era, a divination was made on the fortune of the Ministry of Communications; the casting obtained Family changing to Small Accumulation.

The judgment says: Family is Wind over Fire. Wind signifies swiftness and Fire signifies rapidity; both speak of quick movement back and forth. Steamships and railways likewise draw their power from wind and fire, so the image of the hexagram clearly accords in broad principle with the work of the communications bureau. The second line of Family says, “Nothing is successfully pursued; occupied with preparing food within the household, steadfastness is auspicious.” “Nothing is successfully pursued” means that the communications service merely conveys messages and articles on behalf of others. “Occupied with preparing food within the household” means that in postal reports and railway transport, food supplies are regarded as paramount. Its operations extend throughout the countries and reach overseas; being correct within and correct without is likewise the case, hence “steadfastness is auspicious.”

Nine in the third place: The household is stern and severe［17］; regret, danger, and then auspiciousness. Wife and children giggle and chatter［18］; in the end, shame.

The Commentary on the Image says: When the household is stern and severe, nothing has yet been lost. When wife and children giggle and chatter, the household’s standards have been lost.

“Stern” means, according to the Expanded Rhymes, “the appearance of severity,” and according to the Jade Tablet, “a stern, loud voice.” The character combines mouth and high, meaning to raise one’s voice so that people feel awe and fear. “Giggle and chatter,” according to the Jade Tablet, means “a harmonious, joyful sound.” Its character combines mouth and joy, meaning to make one’s voice harmonious so as to delight people. The third line is yang in a yin place, at the extreme of the lower trigram, and is the head of the household. Its firmness and severity are excessive; excessive severity injures affection and cannot avoid danger—this is the fault of sternness. If there is giggling and chatter, however, harmony has no bounds; excessive harmony harms rightness and will surely end in shame. The way of governing a household may exceed the middle in strictness, but the essential point is that the family remains solemn and harmonious, and everyone knows reverence and fear; then they naturally do not fall into impropriety. Hence “danger, auspicious.” With harmony, although superiors and inferiors rejoice together, licentiousness and indulgent pleasure produce abuses too numerous to describe; hence “in the end, shame.” The Commentary on the Image contrasts losing and not losing, saying that harmony ending in shame is inferior to severity that gains auspiciousness.

　　[Divination]
○ Asked about current fortune: The fortune is mediocre. In the end, you must rely on self-exertion; be strict, cautious, and hardworking, and do not shrink from labor. Then you will certainly gain auspiciousness. If you seek pleasure single-mindedly, nothing will be accomplished.


○ Asked about warfare: Orders are strict and clear, and the entire army submits in fear. Although one may not avoid the danger of excessive killing, the matter asked about will itself achieve success.

○ Asked about running a business: It seems to be a shop in front and a residence behind; with both business and household kept orderly, household administration strict and shop rules careful, it can gain auspiciousness. Otherwise, if excessive harmony spills over, there will be grounds for questioning its reputation.

○ Asked about rank and reputation: The line image is devoted to making the household harmonious; official distinction must wait.

○ Asked about the household: This residence has strict and orderly household rules. Auspicious.

○ Asked about marriage: The third line responds to the top line, which says “There is trust.” Thus the two families will unite; auspicious.

○ Asked about illness: The third line belongs to the Fire trigram and signifies fire. A cooling medicine is advisable; although dangerous, recovery will come.

○ Asked about a lost object: Make a strict and urgent inquiry; it can be recovered. If one is lenient and slow, it will be lost.

○ Question about pregnancy: A girl will be born.

【Case】 A certain gentleman of rank came and asked for a divination on his fortune; the casting obtained Family changing to Increase.

The judgment says: The third line is yang in a yin place, a firm and severe line. At the extreme of the lower body, it is the head of the household; therefore it is firm and severe in supervising household affairs. Firm severity may not be free of regret, but compared with harmony that runs to laxity, it has many more advantages. In asking about your fortune, you have obtained this line. This shows that your natural disposition is strong and unyielding, and throughout life your conduct accords with the hexagram image. You hold administrative duties and govern everything with severity. Although your subordinates may suffer resentment for a time, all public affairs are kept in order, with none left disorganized or neglected; thus you may certainly be granted good fortune.

Six in the fourth place: Enrich the household; great auspiciousness.

The Commentary on the Image says: “Enrich the household, great auspiciousness”—yielding while in the proper place.

The Fire and Wind trigrams are the two daughters, both born from Earth. Earth signifies wealth, property, and also a household, giving the image of “an enriched household.” The fourth line is yin in a yin place, at the head of the upper trigram, and responds to the first line. The first says, “Keep the household in order”; by protecting the household according to rules and working diligently day after day, eventually the household becomes visibly wealthy on all sides. Hence “Enrich the household, great auspiciousness.” The Commentary on the Image says, “Yielding while in the proper place.” The second and fourth lines are both rulers of their trigrams. The second line says “occupied with preparing food within the household”; preparing food is the position of Fire. The fourth says “yielding while in the proper place”; yielding is the position of Wind. A wife, by obeying her husband, can bring about prosperity and thus naturally does not lose her position.

　　[Divination]
○ Asked about current fortune: At present one is in a flourishing cycle. Those already wealthy can preserve their households; those not yet wealthy will immediately develop their fortunes. It is an image of great auspiciousness.


○ Asked about warfare: The country is wealthy and its army strong, with ample provisions and military pay. It can advance or withdraw; nothing is unfavorable. Auspicious.

○ Asked about running a business: “Profit from the market threefold”—wealth will be attained at once; its auspiciousness is self-evident.

○ Asked about rank and reputation: Official position and wealth are often opposed; one must spend money before fame can be achieved.

○ Asked about the household: It must be the great mansion of an eminent lineage. Greatly auspicious.

○ Asked about a lawsuit: Money can move even the gods; there is no matter that cannot be settled.

○ Asked about illness: The body must be overweight, caused by excessive rich food; medicine will cure it at once.

○ Question about pregnancy: A girl will be born.

【Case】 Recently, a friend and I planned to establish a business. We asked how its success or failure, auspiciousness or inauspiciousness would be, and the casting obtained Family changing to Fellowship with Others.

The judgment says: Since my friend and I are planning a matter, the inner trigram Fire belongs to me and the outer trigram Wind belongs to my friend. Fire and Wind have corresponding positions, showing that my friend and I are united in spirit and purpose. The second and fourth lines are the rulers of the inner and outer trigrams, showing that my friend and I will each take charge of one function and combine them to accomplish the undertaking. Now we have obtained the fourth line. The fourth occupies the position of Wind; Wind signifies commerce and profit, taking its image from “Wind: near the market, profit threefold.” Profit threefold can bring wealth. This is a greatly auspicious image for the merchant; hence the line text says, “Enrich the household, great auspiciousness.”

Having obtained this divination text, we decided to establish the business, and indeed it brought good fortune and profit.

Nine in the fifth place: The king reaches his household; do not worry. Auspicious.

The Commentary on the Image says: “The king reaches his household”—mutual love is exchanged.

The fifth line is the royal position. The ruler regards all under Heaven as one family, so the statement is pushed to its utmost. “Reaches” is equivalent to “establishes contact,” meaning that one’s influence reaches and transforms others. The fifth line is firm, strong, centered, and correct, occupying the supreme position. It is close to the yielding fourth line and responds to the yielding second line. The fourth is yielding in its proper place, and the second follows with yielding; through yielding, their dispositions communicate, becoming entwined and firmly joined, and mutual love and delight arise. This is how the ruler reaches his household. Within one family, fathers and sons, brothers and husbands and wives share one affection. The ruler’s family is vast and its people numerous; extending this to the realm, everyone loves the elders as elders and the young as young. This is what “the king reaches his household” means: contact has reached its utmost. “Do not worry; auspicious” means that the ruler’s transforming influence is spiritual and effective; there is no need for anxious concern, and all will naturally be auspicious. The first line says “Keep the household in order,” using rules to regulate it; this is the beginning of the household way. By the fifth line it says “The king reaches his household,” which means taking the goodness of ordering the household. The ruler’s household transforms into the state, the state into the whole realm, and becomes the household of the ruler; this is the completion of the household way. One interpretation says “reaches” means “great.” Taking it from “Great indeed is Heaven’s mandate,” it means “How great is Heaven’s mandate.” “The king reaches his household” then means that the king is great and dwells in correctness, hence the family of Great Possession. This goes further than the fourth line’s “enrich the household,” and the explanation is also coherent.

　　[Divination]
○ Asked about current fortune: When fortune arrives, blessings follow and people’s hearts naturally respond to one another. Why worry that it will not be auspicious?


○ Asked about warfare: This is the ruler’s army; wherever it goes, it is invincible. Auspicious.

○ Asked about running a business: This business is probably conducted in service of the state, or involves supplying goods as tribute; it is an enterprise of the royal household. Auspicious.

○ Asked about rank and reputation: It is like Jiang Taigong at the Wei River, an image of a dream and divination communicating with the ruler. Auspicious.

○ Asked about the household: This is probably the grand mansion of a high official or noble. Auspicious.

○ Asked about illness: In the human body, the heart is the sovereign. The fifth line is Wood in the Wind trigram; the Liver-Wood is surely excessively strong, generating wind, while Heart-Fire generates heat. The medicine should extinguish fire and settle wind, allowing the heart energy to open and flow. There is no need to worry. Auspicious.

○ Asked about marriage: There is an image of being selected and brought into the palace.

○ Question about pregnancy: A girl will be born.

【Case】 A certain friend came and asked for a divination on his fortune; the casting obtained Family changing to Adornment.

The judgment says: In carrying out affairs, people rely entirely on fortune. If fortune is unfavorable, not only are many matters obstructed, but even within the family—father and son, brothers, husband and wife—there is no trust, as when Su Qin returned home after failing the examinations: his sister-in-law would not come down from the loom, his wife would not cook for him. When fortune opens, not only do ordinary people submit in trust, but there may also be dreams communicating with a worthy minister and divinations foretelling a bear, followed suddenly by a summons to serve the royal court. All this is brought about by fortune. Now you have obtained the fifth line, which occupies the honored position, hence “king.” “Reaches” means to establish contact, and “do not worry” means do not be anxious. This shows that your great fortune is flourishing and your talent and ambition are strong; within a year or so, an appointment will certainly be issued and you will be summoned from your home into service. The fifth responds to the second, whose text says “preparing food within the household”—food offerings and sacrifices. Perhaps you will be appointed a ritual official in charge of sacrifices, or serve the state by procuring provisions and military supplies. You need not worry; auspiciousness will come naturally. You may wait and see!

Nine at the top: There is trust; awe-inspiring dignity; in the end, auspicious.

The Commentary on the Image says: The auspiciousness of awe-inspiring dignity means turning back and examining oneself.

The top yang line occupies the extreme position of Xun. Xun consists of two yang lines and one yin line; at the top it receives the energy of Qian, and Qian signifies trust, hence “there is trustworthiness.” Qian also signifies authority, hence “authority manifested.” Moreover, the wind of Xun is skilled at penetrating, giving the meaning of authority accompanied by trust. The fire of Li is formidable, presenting an image of dignity and majesty. These two component trigrams are combined to form the line, showing that one may seek its meaning through its images. The top line corresponds with the third line. The third line’s “joyful laughter” is harmony without restraint; the top line’s “there is trustworthiness” is harmony and compliance capable of moving others. The third line’s “harsh cries” is severity approaching cruelty; the top line’s “authority manifested” is upright severity that inspires respect. Since the top is the end of the hexagram, and the way of instructing the family is completed at the highest point, it therefore says, “In the end, good fortune.” What is called putting the family in order does not begin with the family itself. The foundation of the family lies in one’s own person: first correct oneself, and there will be no family that is not orderly. A noble person wins trust without speaking and commands awe without anger; this too is achieved by communicating through the way of sincerity. The Commentary on the Image says “turn back to oneself,” which expresses the meaning in the Great Learning that ordering the family lies in cultivating one’s own person.

　　[Divination]
○ Divination for timing and fortune: You will win people’s trust and respect. Nothing will fail, and wherever you go will be advantageous. It can be pursued nearby or far away; everything is auspicious. Ten years of good fortune, ending after that.


○ Asked about warfare: The way of conducting a campaign is this: with trust, people will not deceive me; with authority, people will not treat me lightly. Rewards and punishments are impartial, and commands are always carried out—this is the army of a true king. Therefore, good fortune.

○ Asked about business: With trust, ten thousand pieces of gold may be entrusted; with authority, every undertaking will be properly managed. This is the upright way of commerce.

○ Divination for fame and rank: The top line occupies the highest position, so this surely signifies a great person holding high office, whose trustworthiness has long been recognized and whose prestige has long been established.

○ Divination for the home: This residence must be in an elevated position and be looked up to by the whole locality. Auspicious.

○ Divination for marriage: The two families willingly consent. Auspicious.

○ Question about pregnancy: A girl will be born.

【Example】 In the twentieth year of Meiji, divination was sought concerning the fortune of a certain eminent person; the resulting hexagram was Family Members changing to Before Completion.

Judgment: The line occupies the top position, aptly matching the image of an eminent person. The line statement says “trustworthiness” and “authority”; thus we know that trust and authority extend throughout the upper and lower realms, and that his prestige has long been established at court. He is one who wins trust without speaking and commands awe without anger, thereby attaining the way of the noble person. What good fortune could surpass this? The Tuan Commentary says, “When the family is set right, the world is settled”; this applies to the eminent person. The Image says, “This is called turning back to oneself.” The foundation of the state lies in the family, and the foundation of the family lies in the individual; an eminent person must therefore cultivate himself and bring his family into order. The good fortune of his fortunes is self-evident.