Hexagram 24

復 Fù

Return

☷ Earth above ☳ Thunder

Judgment 卦辭

亨。出入无疾。朋來无咎。反復其道。七日來復。利有攸往。

Commentary

Success. Going out and coming in without error. Friends come without blame. To and fro goes the way. On the seventh day comes return. It furthers one to have somewhere to go. After decay, the turning point. The light returns.

Classical Text

復震下坤上復，亨。出入无疾，朋來无咎。反復其道，七日來復，利有攸往。

Fu (Return). Zhen below, Kun above. Return. Success. Going out and coming in without affliction. Companions come without blame. Turning back and returning to one's way, in seven days comes the return. It is beneficial to have somewhere to go.

Image 象

雷在地中，復。先王以至日閉關，商旅不行，后不省方。

Thunder within the earth. Ancient kings closed the passes at solstice—merchants and strangers did not travel, the ruler did not tour. The turning point requires stillness, not action. Let the return establish itself.

Lines 爻辭

不遠復無祇悔元吉

不bù(it is) not (being); no

遠yuǎnfar; (a) distant; far (away, removed) from

復fù(to) return(ing); renewal, recovery

無wú(there is) nothing; (with) no, without

祇zhīworthy (of); respectable; need for

悔huǐregret(s); remorse, contrition; repenting

元yuánmost, supremely; excellent, outstanding

吉jípromising, fortunate; promise, opportunity

Return from not far. No need for remorse. Supreme good fortune. You haven't strayed far; the return is easy. Catching the error early enables the best outcome.

Classical commentary

初九，不遠復，无祗悔，元吉。

Initial Nine. Not far away, one returns. There is no deep regret. Supremely auspicious.

休復吉

休xiū(be) content, resigned; happy, glad, quiet(ly)

復fùto return, come(ing) back, home; for renewal

吉jípromising, auspicious, timely, hopeful

Quiet return. Good fortune. Coming back in stillness and humility—this is the right way. No drama, just correction.

Classical commentary

六二，休復，吉。

Six in the Second. Beautiful return. Auspicious.

頻復厲無咎

頻pínrepeated, frequent(ly); insistent, pressing

復fùreturn(s, ing), renewal, recovery

厲lìdifficult(y), hard, harsh, troublesome; a grind

無wú(but) no; not; nothing; no (is) done

咎jiùblame; (is) wrong; (a) mistake(s); harm

Repeated return. Danger, but no blame. Returning again and again—you keep straying and correcting. The pattern is unstable, but the effort itself is not blameworthy.

Classical commentary

六三，頻復，厲无咎。

Six in the Third. Anxious return. Danger, but no blame.

中行獨復

中zhōngbalanced (in); in the middle; mid/half(way)

行xíngaction, conduct; go, walk(ing)

獨dú(all) alone, solitary, separate, by oneself

復fù(to, in) return(ing); renewal, recovery

Walking in the middle, returning alone. You return to the right path while others continue wrongly. Solitary correction, no companions in the turn.

Classical commentary

六四，中行獨復。

Six in the Fourth. Walking in the middle, one returns alone.

敦復無悔

敦dūnhonest, authentic, genuine, earnest(ly)

復fùreturn(ing), coming back; renewal, recovery

無wúno; without, with no; regardless of

悔huǐregret(s), remorse, repentance

Generous return. No remorse. Returning with nobility, magnanimously acknowledging the need to change. Nothing to regret in this.

Classical commentary

六五，敦復，无悔。注云：居厚而履中，居厚則无怨，履中則可以自考，雖不足以及休復之吉，守厚以復，悔可免也。

Six in the Fifth. Earnest return. No regret. The note says: Dwelling in richness and treading the center. Dwelling in richness, there is no resentment. Treading the center, one can examine oneself. Although it is not sufficient to reach the auspiciousness of the beautiful return, by guarding richness in one's return, regret can be avoided.

迷復凶有災眚用行師終有大敗以其國君凶至于十年不克征

迷mí(a, too) lost, missed, confused, deluded

復fù(to) return, come back; renewal, recovery

凶xiōngunfortunate, ominous; misfortune, failure

有yǒuthere is, will be; one has, will have

災zāicalamity, disaster, misery, suffering

眚shěng(and) injury, grave error, blunder(s); suffering

用yòng(if, where, when) used, applied; trying

行xíngto move, advance, march, conduct, deploy

師shī(a, an, the) militia, army, military; militarily

終zhōng(then) in the end, eventually, ultimately

有yǒuthere will be; one will have

大dà(a) great, major, complete, crucial

敗bàidefeat, destruction, ruin, failure

以yǐfor, (extending) to; reaching (both); visiting

其qíone's (own)

國guódomain, country, state, territory

君jūn(and) (its) nobility, leaders, sovereign(ty)

凶xiōng(with) misfortune, adversity, failure, misery

至zhìeven; reaching, extending; as long, much

于yúin, for, after; across, over; as

十shíten

年niányears, harvests

不bùwithout, with no; no; not; (of) in-, un-

克kèability; able, capable, competent

征zhēng(to, of) campaign, go boldly, advance(ing)

Confused return. Misfortune. Disaster and blunder. Using armies leads to great defeat in the end—the ruler's misfortune. Even after ten years, unable to attack. Lost on the way back, you make everything worse. The return that fails is catastrophic.

Classical commentary

上六，迷復，凶，有災眚。用行師，終有大敗。以其國君凶，至于十年不克征。

Top Six. Confused return. Misfortune. There are calamities and afflictions. If one employs this to march an army, in the end there will be a great defeat. Applied to one's state and its ruler—misfortune. For up to ten years one will be unable to mount a campaign.