Hexagram 61 · 中孚 · Zhōng Fú
Inner Truth
- Element:
- Wind over Lake
- Key themes:
- truth, integrity, trust, sincerity, authenticity
Image
Wind over a lake, symbolizing the clarity and sincerity of inner truth.
Overall message
Hexagram 61 symbolizes inner truth and integrity. It encourages sincerity, authenticity, and trust in the power of truth to guide you. Success comes from cultivating and sharing inner truth.
Cultivate inner truth and integrity. Be sincere and authentic in your actions, and trust in the power of truth to guide you.
Classical text (Legge, 1882)
Judgment. Kung Fû (moves even) pigs and fish, and leads to good fortune. There will be advantage in crossing the great stream. There will be advantage in being firm and correct.
Image. (The trigram representing the waters of) a marsh and that for wind above it form Kung Fû. The superior man, in accordance with this, deliberates about cases of litigation and delays (the infliction of) death.
From James Legge's translation of the I Ching (Sacred Books of the East, vol. XVI, 1882). Public domain.
The six lines
Line 6 · Completion of Truth
Inner truth has reached its peak, and it is time to reflect.
Reflect on the power of truth and prepare for the next phase.
Line 5 · Leading with Truth
You are in a position to lead with inner truth and integrity.
Set an example of sincerity and authenticity.
Line 4 · Sharing Truth
Inner truth is shared with others, creating trust and harmony.
Be open and sincere in your interactions.
Line 3 · Overcoming Doubt
Doubt arises, but it can be overcome with inner truth.
Trust in your inner truth and stay authentic.
Line 2 · Deepening Truth
Inner truth deepens, and you begin to act with authenticity.
Stay true to yourself and act with sincerity.
Line 1 · Beginning of Truth
The journey toward inner truth begins, but it is still fragile.
Be sincere and focus on cultivating integrity.
Related hexagrams
Opposite: If every line of this hexagram were inverted (yang to yin and vice versa), you would have Hexagram 62 · 小过 · Xiǎo Guò. This is the hexagram's structural counterpart — the situation it could become if every dynamic flipped.
Nuclear: The hexagram hidden inside this one, built from lines 2-3-4 and 3-4-5, is Hexagram 27 · 颐 · Yí. The nuclear hexagram describes the inner pattern that produced this situation — what is going on underneath.
If only one line of this hexagram changed in your cast, you would arrive at:
- Line 1 changing → Hexagram 59 · 涣 · Huàn
- Line 2 changing → Hexagram 42 · 益 · Yì
- Line 3 changing → Hexagram 9 · 小畜 · Xiǎo Chù
- Line 4 changing → Hexagram 10 · 履 · Lǚ
- Line 5 changing → Hexagram 41 · 损 · Sǔn
- Line 6 changing → Hexagram 60 · 节 · Jié