家人Household
jiā rénAlso known as “The Family” (Wilhelm/Baynes) and “Kiâ Zăn” (Legge)
In plain words
Wind coming out of fire: the household. Favourable for steadfastness within the home; when the roles in a family are right, the wider world is set right.
The attitude it asks for
Keep order and warmth at home — clear roles, consistent words, affection with structure.
Structure
卦辭 The Judgment
家人：利女貞。For (the realisation of what is taught in) Kiâ Zăn, (or for the regulation of the family), what is most advantageous is that the wife be firm and correct.
家人，女正位乎內，男正位乎外，男女正，天地之大義也。家人有嚴君焉，父母之謂也。父父，子子，兄兄，弟弟，夫夫，婦婦，而家道正；正家而天下定矣。In Kiâ Zăn the wife has her correct place in the inner (trigram), and the man his correct place in the outer. That man and woman occupy their correct places is the great righteousness shown (in the relation and positions of) heaven and earth. In Kiâ Zăn we have the idea of an authoritative ruler;—that, namely, represented by the parental authority. Let the father be indeed father, and the son son; let the elder brother be indeed elder brother, and the younger brother younger brother; let the husband be indeed husband, and the wife wife:—then will the family be in its normal state. Bring the family to that state, and all under heaven will be established.
風自火出，家人；君子以言有物，而行有恆。(The trigram representing) fire, and that for wind coming forth from it, form Kiâ Zăn. The superior man, in accordance with this, orders his words according to (the truth of) things, and his conduct so that it is uniformly consistent.
爻辭 The six lines
When one line moves, the hexagram becomes another:
- 上九Nine at the top
有孚威如，終吉。
The topmost line, undivided, shows its subject possessed of sincerity and arrayed in majesty. In the end there will be good fortune.
Its symbolism 威如之吉，反身之謂也。
'The good fortune connected with the display of majesty' describes (the result of) the recovery of the true character.
- 九五Nine in the fifth place
王假有家，勿恤，吉。
The fifth line, undivided, shows the influence of the king extending to his family. There need be no anxiety; there will be good fortune.
Its symbolism 王假有家，交相愛也。
'The influence of the king extends to his family:'—the intercourse between them is that of mutual love.
- 六四Six in the fourth place
富家，大吉。
The fourth line, divided, shows its subject enriching the family. There will be great good fortune.
Its symbolism 富家大吉，順在位也。
'The family is enriched, and there is great good fortune:'—this is due to the docility (belonging to the subject of the line), and its being in its correct place.
- 九三Nine in the third place
家人嗃嗃，悔厲吉；婦子嘻嘻，終吝。
The third line, undivided, shows its subject (treating) the members of the household with stern severity. There will be occasion for repentance, there will be peril, (but) there will (also) be good fortune. If the wife and children were to be smirking and chattering, in the end there would be occasion for regret.
Its symbolism 家人嗃嗃，未失也；婦子嘻嘻，失家節也。
When 'the members of the household are treated with stern severity,' there has been no (great) failure (in the regulation of the family). When 'wife and children are smirking and chattering,' the (proper) economy of the family has been lost.
- 六二Six in the second place
无攸遂，在中饋，貞吉。
The second line, divided, shows its subject taking nothing on herself, but in her central place attending to the preparation of the food. Through her firm correctness there will be good fortune.
Its symbolism 六二之吉，順以巽也。
'The good fortune attached to the second line, divided,' is due to the docility (of its subject), operating with humility.
- 初九Nine at the beginning
閑有家，悔亡。
The first line, undivided, shows its subject establishing restrictive regulations in his household Occasion for repentance will disappear.
Its symbolism 閑有家，志未變也。
'He establishes restrictive regulations in his household:'—(he does so), before any change has taken place in their wills.
Shown in the classical Chinese with James Legge's English (1882).
Read 家人 Household 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 家人 jiā rén · Household.
傷於外者，必反其家，故受之以家人。One hurt abroad is sure to return home; therefore Jiā Rén follows.
iching.tools translation (from the Chinese)
睽外也，家人內也。Kuí is outside; Jiā Rén is inside.
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 37, Household, mean?
- Wind coming out of fire: the household. Favourable for steadfastness within the home; when the roles in a family are right, the wider world is set right.
- Which trigrams form Household?
- 巽 above 離 — wind over fire. Its nuclear hexagram (lines 2–5) is 未濟 Not Yet Crossed.
- What happens when a line of Household 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 Household in a reading?
- Build six lines from the bottom up with three coins or yarrow stalks; the pattern — - - — - - — — is Household. 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).