Hexagram 61
中孚 Zhōng Fú
Inner Truth
☴ Wind above ☱ Lake
Judgment 卦辭
豚魚吉。利涉大川。利貞。
Commentary
Pigs and fishes. Good fortune. It furthers one to cross the great water. Persistence furthers. Pigs and fishes are the least intelligent of all animals and therefore the most difficult to influence. The force of inner truth must grow great indeed before its influence can extend to such creatures. The whole secret of success depends on finding the right way of approach. First rid yourself of all prejudice and let the psyche of the other person act on you without restraint. Then you will establish contact, understand, and gain power. But this force is not identical with simple intimacy or a secret bond. Association on the basis of common interests holds only up to a certain point. Only when the bond is based on what is right, on steadfastness, will it remain so firm that it triumphs over everything.
Classical Text
中孚兌下巽上 中孚，豚魚吉。利涉大川，利貞。
Inner Sincerity (Zhong Fu), Dui below, Xun above. Inner Sincerity: piglets and fish — auspicious. It is beneficial to cross a great river. Beneficial to be correct.
Image 象
澤上有風，中孚。君子以議獄緩死。
Wind over lake. Discuss criminal cases in order to delay executions. When obliged to judge the mistakes of others, try to penetrate their minds with understanding, in order to gain sympathetic appreciation of circumstances. A deep understanding that knows how to pardon was considered the highest form of justice. This sprang not from weakness but from a superior clarity.
Lines 爻辭
虞吉有他不燕
Being prepared brings good fortune. If there are secret designs, it is disquieting. The force of inner truth depends chiefly on inner stability and preparedness. From this state of mind springs the correct attitude toward the outer world. But if you try to cultivate secret relationships of a special sort, it would deprive you of inner independence. The more reliance you place on the support of others, the more uneasy and anxious you become as to whether these secret ties are really tenable.
Classical commentary
初九，虞吉，有它不燕。
Initial Nine: being watchfully devoted brings good fortune. If there is something else, there will be no peace.
鳴鶴在陰其子和之我有好爵吾與爾靡之
A crane calling in the shade. Its young answers it. I have a good goblet. I will share it with you. This refers to the involuntary influence of inner being upon persons of kindred spirit. The crane need not show itself on a high hill—it may be quite hidden when it sounds its call, yet its young will hear its note and give answer. Whenever a feeling is voiced with truth and frankness, whenever a deed is the clear expression of sentiment, a mysterious and far-reaching influence is exerted. The root of all influence lies in one's own inner being.
Classical commentary
九二，鳴鶴在陰，其子和之。我有好爵，吾與爾靡之。
Nine in the Second: a calling crane in the shade — its young harmonize with it. 'I have a fine goblet; I will share it with you.'
得敵或鼓或罷或泣或歌
He finds a comrade. Now he beats the drum, now he stops. Now he sobs, now he sings. Here the source of strength lies not in yourself but in your relation to other people. No matter how close to them you may be, if your center of gravity depends on them, you are inevitably tossed to and fro between joy and sorrow. Rejoicing to high heaven, then sad unto death—this is the fate of those who depend upon an inner accord with other persons whom they love.
Classical commentary
六三，得敵，或鼓或罷，或泣或歌。
Six in the Third: encountering a rival — now drumming, now exhausted; now weeping, now singing.
月幾望馬匹亡無咎
The moon nearly at the full. The team horse goes astray. No blame. To intensify the power of inner truth, always turn to your superior, from whom you can receive enlightenment as the moon receives light from the sun. However, this requires a certain humility, like that of the moon when not yet quite full. Only by pursuing your course like a horse that goes straight ahead without looking sidewise at its mate can you retain the inner freedom that helps you onward.
Classical commentary
六四，月幾望，馬匹亡，无咎。
Six in the Fourth: the moon nearly full, the paired horse lost — no blame.
有孚攣如無咎
He possesses truth, which links together. No blame. This describes the ruler who holds all elements together by the power of their personality. Only when the strength of character is so ample that it can influence all who are subject to you, is the person as they need to be. The power of suggestion must emanate from the ruler. Without this central force, all external unity is only deception and breaks down at the decisive moment.
Classical commentary
九五，有孚攣如，无咎。
Nine in the Fifth: having sincerity that binds together — no blame.
翰音登于天貞凶
Cockcrow penetrating to heaven. Persistence brings misfortune. The cock is dependable. It crows at dawn. But it cannot itself fly to heaven. It just crows. One may count on mere words to awaken faith. This may succeed now and then, but if persisted in, it will have bad consequences.
Classical commentary
上九，翰音登于天，貞凶。
Top Nine: soaring sounds ascend to heaven — even with correctness, misfortune.