恆Constancy
héngAlso known as “Duration” (Wilhelm/Baynes) and “Hăng” (Legge)
In plain words
Thunder and wind moving together without end: the lasting. Success and no blame for persevering in the right way; constancy is not standing still but moving reliably.
The attitude it asks for
Keep your direction and your commitments; change your methods, not your principles.
Structure
卦辭 The Judgment
恆：亨，无咎，利貞，利有攸往。Hăng indicates successful progress and no error (in what it denotes). But the advantage will come from being firm and correct; and movement in any direction whatever will be advantageous.
恆，久也。剛上而柔下，雷風相與，巽而動，剛柔皆應，恆。恆亨无咎，利貞；久於其道也，天地之道，恆久而不已也。利有攸往，終則有始也。日月得天，而能久照，四時變化，而能久成，聖人久於其道，而天下化成；觀其所恆，而天地萬物之情可見矣！Hăng denotes long continuance. The strong (trigram) is above, and the weak one below; (they are the symbols of) thunder and wind, which are in mutual communication; (they have the qualities of) docility and motive force; their strong and weak (lines) all respond, each to the other:—these things are all found in Hăng. (When it is said that) 'Hăng indicates successful progress and no error (in what it denotes); but the advantage will come from being firm and correct,' this indicates that there must be long continuance in its way of operation. The way of heaven and earth is to be long continued in their operation without stopping. (When it is said that) 'Movement in any direction whatever will be advantageous,' this implies that when (the moving power) is spent, it will begin again. The sun and moon, realising in themselves (the course of Heaven), can perpetuate their shining. The four seasons, by their changing and transforming, can perpetuate their production (of things). The sages persevere long in their course, and all under the sky are transformed and perfect. When we look at what they continue doing long, the natural tendencies of heaven, earth, and all things can be seen.
雷風，恆；君子以立不易方。(The trigram representing) thunder and that for wind form Hăng. The superior man, in accordance with this, stands firm, and does not change his method (of operation).
爻辭 The six lines
When one line moves, the hexagram becomes another:
- 上六Six at the top
振恆，凶。
The topmost line, divided, shows its subject exciting himself to long continuance. There will be evil.
Its symbolism 振恆在上，大无功也。
'The subject of the topmost line is exciting himself to long continuance:'—far will he be from achieving merit.
- 六五Six in the fifth place
恆其德，貞，婦人吉，夫子凶。
The fifth line, divided, shows its subject continuously maintaining the virtue indicated by it. In a wife this will be fortunate; in a husband, evil.
Its symbolism 婦人貞吉，從一而終也。夫子制義，從婦凶也。
'Such firm correctness in a wife will be fortunate:'—it is hers to the end of life to follow with an unchanged mind. The husband must decide what is right, and lay down the rule accordingly:—for him to follow (like) a wife is evil.
- 九四Nine in the fourth place
田无禽。
The fourth line, undivided, shows a field where there is no game.
Its symbolism 久非其位，安得禽也。
(Going) for long to what is not his proper place, how can he get game?
- 九三Nine in the third place
不恆其德，或承之羞，貞吝。
The third line, undivided, shows one who does not continuously maintain his virtue. There are those who will impute this to him as a disgrace. However firm he may be, there will be ground for regret.
Its symbolism 不恆其德，无所容也。
'He does not continuously maintain his virtue:'—nowhere will he be borne with.
- 九二Nine in the second place
悔亡。
The second line, undivided, shows all occasion for repentance disappearing.
Its symbolism 九二悔亡，能久中也。
'All occasion for repentance on the part of the subject of the second line, undivided, disappears:'—he can abide long in the due mean.
- 初六Six at the beginning
浚恆，貞凶，无攸利。
The first line, divided, shows its subject deeply (desirous) of long continuance. Even with firm correctness there will be evil; there will be no advantage in any way.
Its symbolism 浚恆之凶，始求深也。
'The evil attached to the deep desire for long continuance (in the subject of the first line)' arises from the deep seeking for it at the commencement (of things).
Shown in the classical Chinese with James Legge's English (1882).
Read 恆 Constancy for a question about
古籍
From the classics
Two of the Ten Wings speak of every hexagram: the Sequence (Xù Guà) says why it follows the one before, the Miscellany (Zá Guà) sums it up in a phrase. Here is what they say of 恆 héng · Constancy.
夫婦之道，不可以不久也，故受之以恆；恆者久也。The way of husband and wife must last; therefore Héng follows. Héng means lasting.
iching.tools translation (from the Chinese)
咸速也，恒久也。Xián is swift; Héng is lasting.
iching.tools translation (from the Chinese)
The classical Chinese is the authoritative text. Translations are iching.tools' own from the Chinese unless another translator is named; several attributions are traditional rather than historical (託名).
Questions about this hexagram
- What does Hexagram 32, Constancy, mean?
- Thunder and wind moving together without end: the lasting. Success and no blame for persevering in the right way; constancy is not standing still but moving reliably.
- Which trigrams form Constancy?
- 震 above 巽 — thunder over wind. Its nuclear hexagram (lines 2–5) is 夬 Decisiveness.
- What happens when a line of Constancy changes?
- A moving line turns the hexagram into another one; the list above shows all six. With several moving lines, the guide to changing lines explains which text to read.
- How do I get Constancy in a reading?
- Build six lines from the bottom up with three coins or yarrow stalks; the pattern - - — — — - - - - is Constancy. You can also cast a reading here — the lines are decided by code, the text is this page's.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).