Hexagram 61: Zhōng Fú 中孚

What hexagram 61 means

Wind moves easily over the open surface of a Lake, nothing hidden between them. Trust this genuine tends to reach even people who are difficult to persuade by argument alone.

A question to sit with

Where would genuine sincerity reach further than argument could?

The six lines, bottom to top

A changing line is read on its own. These are original reflections written for this site, not a translation.

Line 1 · The beginning

Being inwardly prepared and settled is where sincerity begins. If your attention starts to split between other hidden aims, that steadiness can quietly slip away.

Line 2 · The inner position

A crane’s call carried across the shade is the image here. Feeling that is genuine reaches kindred people without being broadcast, and what you have to share can be offered plainly.

Line 3 · The threshold

Finding a partner or rival can send your mood lurching between exuberance and tears. Notice whether your steadiness depends on someone else.

Line 4 · Entering the outer

A moon that is nearly full, and a horse that leaves its pair, describe loyalty to a higher aim over a familiar bond. Entering wider responsibility, you may need to step apart from old companions to stay true.

Line 5 · The position of authority

Sincerity binds people together as firmly as a clasped hand. Trust that is genuinely held can draw the whole group into accord.

Line 6 · The end, and excess

A rooster’s cry is sent skyward, a voice reaching beyond what its wings can carry. Where words outrun what has actually been done, bring them back to earth.