Hexagram 11 as yes or no
Hexagram 11 Prosperity as a yes-or-no answer
To a yes-or-no question Tai says yes, plainly: 'the small goes, the great comes; good fortune and success.' Heaven and earth are in communication, and whatever you are asking about has the channels it needs. Few judgments are this unconditional; the right stance is to act in a time of openness as the Great Image describes — shaping and helping, not hoarding.
The changing line tells you where in the good time you are standing. One, two, four and five are all yes, differing only in role: advance with your kind, govern broadly, come down to meet the other side, make the alliance. Three is yes with the reminder that every plain has a slope — proceed, but build steadiness into it. Six is the exception: the wall is already in the moat, force will not restore it, and the honest answer to 'should I push on' is no. A changing line in the lower trigram means the opening is still growing; in the upper trigram it is full and will not last forever.
The hexagram in brief
Earth above and heaven below, their energies meeting and mingling. The small departs, the great arrives: open communication, prosperity, a flourishing time.
Enjoy it, share it and tend it: good times last longer when you stay humble and keep the channels open.
The judgment
泰：小往大來，吉亨。In Thâi (we see) the little gone and the great come. (It indicates that) there will be good fortune, with progress and success.
Which line changed?
A changing line sharpens the answer. Each line of 泰 Prosperity has its own page:
- 初九Nine at the beginninggrass with its roots · rising together · aim outward
- 九二Nine in the second placebearing the rough · fording the river · no cliques
- 九三Nine in the third placeno plain without slope · the turning point · enjoy with care
- 六四Six in the fourth placefluttering down · not rich · sincere neighbours
- 六五Six in the fifth placeDi Yi marries his sister · ruler humbles himself · central wish
- 上六Six at the topwall into the moat · do not use force · orders in disorder
The same hexagram for
Questions
- Does hexagram 11, Prosperity, mean yes or no?
- To a yes-or-no question Tai says yes, plainly: 'the small goes, the great comes; good fortune and success.' Heaven and earth are in communication, and whatever you are asking about has the channels it needs. Few judgments are this unconditional; the right stance is to act in a time of openness as the Great Image describes — shaping and helping, not hoarding.
- What does Hexagram 11, 泰 Prosperity, mean?
- Earth above and heaven below, their energies meeting and mingling. The small departs, the great arrives: open communication, prosperity, a flourishing time.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).