乾 The Creative
Upper trigram: Heaven (the sky) · Lower trigram: Heaven (the sky)
Pure creative force — initiative, leadership, and the courage to act.
Modern interpretation
Heaven's energy is behind bold, principled action. Lead visibly, stay the course, and do not hide your ambition. The only real danger now is arrogance — strength used without humility turns against itself.
The Judgment · 卦辞
元，亨，利，贞。
“Khien (represents) what is great and originating, penetrating, advantageous, correct and firm.” — James Legge, The Yî King (1882)
The six lines · 爻辞
Read from the bottom line upward. Each line pairs the received Chinese text with Legge's English translation.
潜龙，勿用。
“In the first (or lowest) line, undivided, (we see its subject as) the dragon lying hid (in the deep). It is not the time for active doing.”
见龙在田，利见大人。
“In the second line, undivided, (we see its subject as) the dragon appearing in the field. It will be advantageous to meet with the great man.”
君子终日乾乾，夕惕若厉，无咎。
“In the third line, undivided, (we see its subject as) the superior man active and vigilant all the day, and in the evening still careful and apprehensive. (The position is) dangerous, but there will be no mistake.”
或跃在渊，无咎。
“In the fourth line, undivided, (we see its subject as the dragon looking) as if he were leaping up, but still in the deep. There will be no mistake.”
飞龙在天，利见大人。
“In the fifth line, undivided, (we see its subject as) the dragon on the wing in the sky. It will be advantageous to meet with the great man.”
亢龙，有悔。
“In the sixth (or topmost) line, undivided, (we see its subject as) the dragon exceeding the proper limits. There will be occasion for repentance.”
见群龙无首，吉。
“(The lines of this hexagram are all strong and undivided, as appears from) the use of the number nine. If the host of dragons (thus) appearing were to divest themselves of their heads, there would be good fortune.”
About changing lines
In a real I Ching reading, hexagrams are built by casting coins or yarrow stalks six times, bottom line first. Some lines come out “old” (unstable) — an old yin or old yang flips into its opposite, producing a second hexagram that shows where the situation is heading. The changing lines are the moving parts of your answer: read their individual line statements above, and they point to the direction of change.
Ask a question and cast the coins — free, with a plain-English interpretation grounded in the classical text.
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