• Hexagram 50 (our 5)
• Hexagram 14 (our 6)
• Hexagram 38 (our 7)
• Hexagram 56 (our 8)

50. Ting - The Cauldron. Holding / Fit Means and Ends

Statement: The cauldron for a ruler's use stands as an intimation of great progress and success.

HEXAGRAM 50: Let all the details work together for beneficial ends - and sincerity builds up in such ways too.

Let the cauldron suggests nourishment and proper position-taking. (W)

In every way advantageous is truly great fortune. (L)

In a life we have to establish the proper habits and arrangements, not just the proper means and ends. (M)

Sincere ones often aim at goals that tend to work for their good. (M)

14. Ta Yu - Possession in Great Measure / Prosperity and Abundance

Statement: Owning supreme, private things is a form of success. (W)

HEXAGRAM 14: One should live to enjoy the prosperity on top of nature's abundance.

In a way, you are not the exclusive owner of your wealth, and it is your task to administer it wisely throughout life. (M).

You owe it to your position to develop independent judgement and to maintain a certain reserve and dignity most often. (M).

Let someone who is sincere and dignified enjoy his prosperity as a gift from heaven, grateful for the abundance of nature. (M)

Owning supreme, private things is a form of success. (W)

Inside you have to make a difference between yourself and your neighbour, but you may remain approachable without losing dignity and your own drive throughout life. (W).

38. K'uei - Opposition / Misunderstanding

Statement: Go forward and see a pig bearing on its back a load of mud. That is, in small matters there may be good success.

HEXAGRAM 38: Strangers that look ugly and evil at first, may be decent people underneath.

Where there is a general agreement, is still diversity. (M)

Perhaps you have got into the way of strange people and circumstances. (M).

People who share a common background or life experience may have a quite natural harmony among themselves. (M)

Go forward and see a pig bearing on its back a load of mud - oh no, it is not an assailant to injure, but a near relative. So there should be good fortune. (L)

When opposition takes the form of healthy competition, or when it is simply part of the natural order of things and is recognized as such, good fortune may be had (M).

In the middle of all fellowship the superior man retains his individuality. (W).

A sincere man reveals himself in his true character. (W).

56. Lü - The Wanderer / The Traveller

Statement: Success along the road of life tends to require readiness to defend oneself and one's home effectively and make a living and prosper perseveringly.

HEXAGRAM 56: Losing home, he understands he has nowhere to go and weeps. Favourable persons could help him advance later.

A wanderer has no fixed abode. Therefore he must take care to remain upright and steadfast, associating just with good people. (W)

The wanderer must be vigilant, ready to defend himself as needs be too.

Take care of your dear possessions as well as we can, and try to live on good terms with associates and neighbours, and thus manage to make a living. (M)

Losing one's resting-place or home is a deep misfortune. (W).

(B) Baynes, Cary F., tr. I Ching or Book of Changes: The Richard Wilhelm Translation. London: Penguin Books, 2003.

(H) Barrett, Hilary. I Ching: Walking Your Path, Creating Your Future. London: Arcturus, 2010.

(L) Legge, James, tr. The Yî King. Part II of The Texts of Confucianism. Sacred Books of the East Vol. 16. The Sacred Books of China. Vol. 2. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1882. - Online version.

(M) Markert, Christopher. I Ching. The No. 1 Success Formula. Wellingborough: Aquarian, 1988.

(R) Wing, R. L. I Ching arbejdsbogen (I Ching Workbook). Copenhagen: Borgen, 1988 (New York: Doubleday, 1979).