中孚

61. Inner truth

zhōngfú · Lake ☱ over Wind ☴

A truth that reaches deeper than words alone.

The Noble One's Path

Wind above a lake. The highest form of benevolence (Ren) is sincerity joined with discernment — gentleness of heart even toward those who have done wrong.

The Lesson

Speak and act in accordance with what you truly feel. A truth that flows from within needs no compulsion.

A question to sit with

Are my actions consistent with what I truly believe, or am I just playing a role?

Related hexagrams

In the I Ching no hexagram stands alone. Each one enters into relationships with others, and those relationships show the situation seen from the other side, in its opposite, and in its hidden tendency.

易

The classical deep dive for this hexagram — the Judgment and the Image after Richard Wilhelm — along with the texts of all six changing lines, is in the book. Get the book

卦

Want to ask your own question? Cast a hexagram in your browser, or download the free app and cast by shaking your phone. Cast now