中孚Inner Sincerity
zhōng fúAlso known as “Inner Truth” (Wilhelm/Baynes) and “Kung Fû” (Legge)
In plain words
Wind over the lake: inner truth that moves even pigs and fishes. Good fortune, favourable to cross the great river — sincerity at the centre reaches what force cannot.
The attitude it asks for
Let trust come from genuine inner alignment; it persuades the hardest audience, and it is wrecked by a single false note.
Structure
Related hexagrams
Nuclear27 · 頤 Jaws / NourishmentyíInverse: its own inverse
Opposite62 · 小過 Small Excessxiǎo guòPaired with62 · 小過 Small Excessxiǎo guò卦辭 The Judgment
中孚：豚魚吉，利涉大川，利貞。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.
中孚，柔在內而剛得中。說而巽，孚，乃化邦也。豚魚吉，信及豚魚也。利涉大川，乘木舟虛也。中孚以利貞，乃應乎天也。In Kung Fû we have the (two) weak lines in the innermost part (of the figure), and strong lines occupying the central places (in the trigrams). (We have the attributes) of pleased satisfaction and flexible penetration. Sincerity (thus symbolled) will transform a country. 'Pigs and fish (are moved), and there will be good fortune:'—sincerity reaches to (and affects even) pigs and fishes. 'There will be advantage in crossing the great stream:'—(we see in the figure) one riding on (the emblem of) wood, which forms an empty boat. In (the exercise of the virtue denoted by) Kung Fû, (it is said that) 'there will be advantage in being firm and correct:'—in that virtue indeed we have the response (of man) to Heaven.
澤上有風，中孚；君子以議獄緩死。(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.
爻辭 The six lines
When one line moves, the hexagram becomes another:
- 上九Nine at the top
翰音登于天，貞凶。
The topmost line, undivided, shows its subject in chanticleer (trying to) mount to heaven. Even with firm correctness there will be evil.
Its symbolism 翰音登于天，何可長也。
'Chanticleer (tries to) mount to heaven:'—but how can (such an effort) continue long?
- 九五Nine in the fifth place
有孚攣如，无咎。
The fifth line, undivided, shows its subject perfectly sincere, and linking (others) to him in closest union. There will be no error.
Its symbolism 有孚攣如，位正當也。
'He is perfectly sincere, and links others to him in closest union:'—the place (of the line) is the correct and appropriate one.
- 六四Six in the fourth place
月幾望，馬匹亡，无咎。
The fourth line, divided, shows its subject (like) the moon nearly full, and (like) a horse (in a chariot) whose fellow disappears. There will be no error.
Its symbolism 馬匹亡，絕類上也。
'A horse the fellow of which disappears:'—he breaks from his (former) companions, and mounts upwards.
- 六三Six in the third place
得敵，或鼓或罷，或泣或歌。
The third line, divided, shows its subject having met with his mate. Now he beats his drum, and now he leaves off. Now he weeps, and now he sings.
Its symbolism 可鼓或罷，位不當也。
'Now he beats his drum, and now he leaves off:'—the position (of the line) is the appropriate one for it.
- 九二Nine in the second place
鳴鶴在陰，其子和之，我有好爵，吾與爾靡之。
The second line, undivided, shows its subject (like) the crane crying out in her hidden retirement, and her young ones responding to her. (It is as if it were said), 'I have a cup of good spirits,' (and the response were), 'I will partake of it with you.'
Its symbolism 其子和之，中心願也。
'Her young ones respond to her:'—from the (common) wish of the inmost heart.
- 初九Nine at the beginning
虞吉，有他不燕。
The first line, undivided, shows its subject resting (in himself). There will be good fortune. If he sought to any other, he would not find rest.
Its symbolism 初九虞吉，志未變也。
'The first line, undivided, shows its subject resting (in himself). There will be good fortune:'—no change has yet come over his purpose.
Shown in the classical Chinese with James Legge's English (1882).
Read 中孚 Inner Sincerity 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 中孚 zhōng fú · Inner Sincerity.
節而信之，故受之以中孚。Kept within measure, one is trusted; therefore Zhōng Fú follows.
iching.tools translation (from the Chinese)
小過過也，中孚信也。Xiǎo Guò is going beyond; Zhōng Fú is trust.
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 61, Inner Sincerity, mean?
- Wind over the lake: inner truth that moves even pigs and fishes. Good fortune, favourable to cross the great river — sincerity at the centre reaches what force cannot.
- Which trigrams form Inner Sincerity?
- 巽 above 兌 — wind over lake. Its nuclear hexagram (lines 2–5) is 頤 Jaws / Nourishment.
- What happens when a line of Inner Sincerity 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 Inner Sincerity in a reading?
- Build six lines from the bottom up with three coins or yarrow stalks; the pattern — — - - - - — — is Inner Sincerity. 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).