Hexagram 50, line 1
初六Line 1 of Cauldron
Six at the beginning · 鼎 dǐng
爻辭 The line text
鼎顛趾，利出否，得妾以其子，无咎。The first line, divided, shows the caldron overthrown and its feet turned up. (But) there will be advantage in its getting rid of what was bad in it. (Or it shows us) the concubine (whose position is improved) by means of her son. There will be no error.
鼎顛趾，未悖也。利出否，以從貴也。'The caldron is overturned, and its feet turned upwards:'—but this is not (all) contrary (to what is right). 'There will be advantage in getting rid of what was bad:'—thereby (the subject of the line) will follow the more noble (subject of the fourth line).
In plain words
The bottom line is the cauldron's feet, and here the vessel is tipped over, feet in the air. That looks wrong, but the text says it is 'advantageous for getting the bad out' — a cauldron is turned upside down to empty the old scraps before new food goes in. The second image is a concubine who gains standing through her son: a lowly start that becomes something worthwhile. Line one is yin in a yang place, the lowest and weakest line, but it corresponds to the yang line at four, so it has somewhere to go. The small Image: 未悖也, nothing contrary in this, and 以從貴也, it follows what is noble.
If this line is changing
A situation that looks upside down is the right moment to clear out what has gone stale; do not be embarrassed by a humble starting point when it leads toward something better.
Where the line stands
- A broken line, yin — written 六 (six), the number of an old yin line that moves when cast.
- It is not in its correct place (不當位): a yang line in an even position or a yin line in an odd one, which the tradition reads as a line under some strain — often the reason a text sounds a warning.
- It belongs to the lower trigram 巽 Xun (the Gentle) (wind).
- It corresponds (應) with line 4: one yin and one yang, the two lines answer each other across the hexagram.
之卦 When this line moves
鼎 Cauldron becomes ䷍ 14 大有 Great Holdings
Fire above heaven: the sun lighting everything. Great holdings and supreme success — one yielding line at the centre holds the respect of all the strong ones.
What it becomes14 · 大有 Great Holdingsdà yǒuThe six lines of 鼎 Cauldron
- 初六Six at the beginningoverturned · clearing out · humble beginnings
- 九二Nine in the second placesubstance within · envy at a distance · guard your steps
- 九三Nine in the third placehandles changed · blocked · rain at last
- 九四Nine in the fourth placebroken leg · spilled offering · beyond one's strength
- 六五Six in the fifth placeyellow ears · the centre · firmness
- 上九Nine at the topjade bar · tempered strength · great fortune
Read 鼎 Cauldron for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Six at the beginning of hexagram 50, Cauldron, mean?
- The bottom line is the cauldron's feet, and here the vessel is tipped over, feet in the air. That looks wrong, but the text says it is 'advantageous for getting the bad out' — a cauldron is turned upside down to empty the old scraps before new food goes in. The second image is a concubine who gains standing through her son: a lowly start that becomes something worthwhile. Line one is yin in a yang place, the lowest and weakest line, but it corresponds to the yang line at four, so it has somewhere to go. The small Image: 未悖也, nothing contrary in this, and 以從貴也, it follows what is noble.
- What does hexagram 50 become when line 1 changes?
- Cauldron becomes hexagram 14, 大有 Great Holdings: Fire above heaven: the sun lighting everything. Great holdings and supreme success — one yielding line at the centre holds the respect of all the strong ones.
- Is line 1 of Cauldron in its correct place?
- It is not in its correct place (不當位): a yang line in an even position or a yin line in an odd one, which the tradition reads as a line under some strain — often the reason a text sounds a warning.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).