The 64 Hexagrams of the I Ching 六十四卦
A complete reference for the 64 hexagrams of the Yi Jing — the Book of Changes — including the classical Chinese text, the six line readings, and the three derived hexagrams (互卦, 錯卦, 綜卦) for each.
The I Ching (易經, Yì Jīng — also romanized Yi Jing, Yijing, or in older spelling I King) is the oldest classical text in the Chinese metaphysical tradition. Its 64 hexagrams (六十四卦) describe a complete map of change — every situation a person can face, classified by the interaction of two trigrams.
Each hexagram is built from six horizontal lines (爻), each either yang (a solid line, ━━━) or yin (a broken line, ━ ━). Read top to bottom, the upper three lines form one of the eight trigrams (八卦); the lower three form another. Their pairing produces the hexagram.
Reading every hexagram in three layers
Each page on this reference goes deeper than just the King Wen judgment. For every hexagram you will find:
— The classical text: the Judgment (彖辭) and the Image (大象傳) in classical Chinese with English translation.
— The six line readings (爻辭) — what each line says when it is the changing line of your reading.
— The three derived hexagrams that classical practitioners always read alongside the primary one:
互卦 (Hù Guà) — the Nuclear hexagram, formed from lines 2-3-4 and 3-4-5. It reveals the inner pattern hidden inside the situation.
錯卦 (Cuò Guà) — the Inverse hexagram, formed by flipping every line. It shows the polar opposite — what would result if every yin became yang and every yang became yin.
綜卦 (Zōng Guà) — the Reverse hexagram, formed by turning the whole hexagram upside down. It shows the situation seen from the opposite side — the same event from your counterpart's perspective.
These three derived hexagrams are the way a classical practitioner reads around a primary hexagram, not just at it. They are not optional ornaments; they are how the I Ching answers questions in three dimensions.
The 64 hexagrams in King Wen sequence
The Creative
Pure creative force.
The Receptive
Pure receptivity.
Difficulty at the Beginning
The chaotic beginnings of any new venture.
Youthful Folly
Inexperience meets the unknown.
Waiting
Strength held in reserve in the face of danger.
Conflict
Two strong sides in collision.
The Army
Disciplined collective force led by a single experienced commander.
Holding Together (Union)
The right people coalescing around a worthy center.
The Taming Power of the Small
Strong forces are held back by something small but well-placed.
Treading (Conduct)
Walking carefully where there is real danger.
Peace
Heaven and earth united — the rare moment when the small departs and the great approaches.
Standstill (Stagnation)
Heaven and earth fail to meet — the world has gone out of communication with itself.
Fellowship with Men
Open, principle-based fellowship that transcends factions.
Possession in Great Measure
Great possession — material, social, or spiritual abundance — held with humility.
Modesty
A mountain hidden inside the earth — vast capacity, no display.
Enthusiasm
Released energy and momentum — thunder bursting from the earth.
Following
Following — leading by adapting to what is true.
Work on What Has Been Spoiled (Decay)
Inherited rot — old systems and family patterns that were left to decay.
Approach
A great power approaches.
Contemplation (View)
Looking and being looked at.
Biting Through
Something obstructs the union — there is something between the jaws.
Grace
Form and beauty matter — but only in surface decisions.
Splitting Apart
Five yin lines pushing out the last yang at the top.
Return (The Turning Point)
The single yang line returning at the bottom — the winter solstice of the cycle.
Innocence (The Unexpected)
Acting from a place of inner alignment with what is, not what one wants.
The Taming Power of the Great
Great power held in restraint — heaven contained inside a mountain.
The Corners of the Mouth (Providing Nourishment)
What you put into the jaws — words, food, ideas — becomes what you are.
Preponderance of the Great
The roof beam is buckling under the weight — extraordinary times demand extraordinary action.
The Abysmal (Water)
Danger upon danger.
The Clinging (Fire)
Light clings to what it burns.
Influence (Wooing)
Mutual attraction — lake on mountain, the male yielding so the female may speak.
Duration
Long-married pair — thunder and wind moving together.
Retreat
The right retreat at the right moment.
The Power of the Great
Great strength at the peak of growth.
Progress
Sunrise — light rising over the earth.
Darkening of the Light
The light has sunk into the earth — a corrupt power above; the wise must veil their brightness.
The Family (The Clan)
Right ordering of the inner unit — family, team, household — by clear roles, substantive words, and durable conduct.
Opposition
Two opposing tendencies — fire flames upward, lake settles downward.
Obstruction
Water on the mountain — climbing meets blocked passage.
Deliverance
The storm has broken — tension releases as thunder and rain.
Decrease
Decrease that nourishes — taking from below to give above.
Increase
Increase from above to below — the ruler reduces themselves to enrich the people.
Breakthrough (Resoluteness)
Five yang lines pushing up against the last yin at the top.
Coming to Meet
A single yin line returns at the bottom — the unwanted arrives quietly.
Gathering Together (Massing)
People gather around a worthy center — a temple, a leader, a shared offering.
Pushing Upward
Slow steady ascent — wood growing through earth.
Oppression (Exhaustion)
Lake without water — the resource you need to draw on has run dry.
The Well
The well never moves.
Revolution (Molting)
Fire in the lake — incompatible elements force change.
The Cauldron
The ritual cauldron — civilization itself, transformed food shared with heaven and ancestors.
The Arousing (Shock, Thunder)
Thunder upon thunder — sudden shock that resets the world.
Keeping Still (Mountain)
Mountain on mountain — stillness compounding.
Development (Gradual Progress)
The wild goose moves stage by stage from shore to cloud-heights.
The Marrying Maiden
An irregular union — the maiden marries below her station.
Abundance (Fullness)
Abundance at high noon — the peak.
The Wanderer
The wanderer in a strange land — modest, carrying their own resources.
The Gentle (The Penetrating, Wind)
Wind on wind — penetration through gentleness.
The Joyous (Lake)
Lake on lake — joy that nourishes through fellowship.
Dispersion (Dissolution)
Dispersion as healing — the wind dissolving rigid ice on the water.
Limitation
Like the lake holding only what its banks can contain.
Inner Truth
Inner truth that reaches even pigs and fishes — the most distant beings.
Preponderance of the Small
A time of slight excess — small things matter more than usual.
After Completion
After Completion.
Before Completion
Before Completion — nothing yet in its right place.
Cast a hexagram for your own question
Hold a question in mind and throw the classical three-coin oracle. The cast comes back with full classical interpretation, the changing lines that are speaking to your question, and the second hexagram showing the trajectory.
Cast a hexagram →Get a personal Yi Jing reading from Master Sean Chan
A reference is a starting point. For a real question — a job decision, a relationship, a launch — Master Sean Chan reads the I Ching alongside your BaZi or ZWDS chart so the symbols speak directly to your circumstances.
Book a consultation →