Hexagram 64, line 5
六五Line 5 of Not Yet Crossed
Six in the fifth place · 未濟 wèi jì
爻辭 The line text
貞吉，无悔，君子之光，有孚，吉。The fifth line, divided, shows its subject by firm correctness obtaining good fortune, and having no occasion for repentance. (We see in him) the brightness of a superior man, and the possession of sincerity. There will be good fortune.
君子之光，其暉吉也。'(We see) the brightness of a superior man:'—the diffusion of that brightness tends to good fortune.
In plain words
Line five is the ruler of Wei Ji, a weak line in the central place of the fire — the 'yielding line in the centre' that the Tuan says is the reason the hexagram promises success at all. Its text piles up the good words: steadiness, good fortune, no regret, 'the light of the superior person', sincerity, good fortune again. A yin ruler at the heart of Li is brightness that does not force; it corresponds to the strong line two and trusts it to act, and what it radiates is credibility. The small Image says 'its glow is auspicious' (其暉吉也). Of the six lines of the unfinished hexagram, this is the one that already shines.
If this line is changing
Lead by being clear and trustworthy rather than by doing everything yourself; the light you give off now is what draws the task to completion.
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 is central (中): the middle line of its trigram, the position the commentaries read as balanced and most favourable.
- It belongs to the upper trigram 離 Li (the Clinging) (fire).
- It corresponds (應) with line 2: one yin and one yang, the two lines answer each other across the hexagram.
之卦 When this line moves
未濟 Not Yet Crossed becomes ䷅ 6 訟 Dispute
Heaven above and water below, moving apart: contention. Sincerity is obstructed; a dispute may be won partway but ends badly if pushed to the finish.
What it becomes6 · 訟 DisputesòngThe six lines of 未濟 Not Yet Crossed
- 初六Six at the beginningwet tail · setting out too soon · not knowing limits
- 九二Nine in the second placeholding the wheel · steadiness · central and correct
- 六三Six in the third placenot yet across · advance is evil · yet cross the river
- 九四Nine in the fourth placerousing to the campaign · three years · will carried out
- 六五Six in the fifth placethe gentleman's light · sincerity · no regret
- 上九Nine at the topconfident feasting · head under water · losing measure
Read 未濟 Not Yet Crossed for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Six in the fifth place of hexagram 64, Not Yet Crossed, mean?
- Line five is the ruler of Wei Ji, a weak line in the central place of the fire — the 'yielding line in the centre' that the Tuan says is the reason the hexagram promises success at all. Its text piles up the good words: steadiness, good fortune, no regret, 'the light of the superior person', sincerity, good fortune again. A yin ruler at the heart of Li is brightness that does not force; it corresponds to the strong line two and trusts it to act, and what it radiates is credibility. The small Image says 'its glow is auspicious' (其暉吉也). Of the six lines of the unfinished hexagram, this is the one that already shines.
- What does hexagram 64 become when line 5 changes?
- Not Yet Crossed becomes hexagram 6, 訟 Dispute: Heaven above and water below, moving apart: contention. Sincerity is obstructed; a dispute may be won partway but ends badly if pushed to the finish.
- Is line 5 of Not Yet Crossed 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. It is central (中): the middle line of its trigram, the position the commentaries read as balanced and most favourable.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).