Hexagram 30 of 64
離
The Clinging
Lí
Upper Trigram
離
Fire
Clinging, Brilliant
Fire · Middle Daughter
Lower Trigram
離
Fire
Clinging, Brilliant
Fire · Middle Daughter
The Judgment
The Clinging. Perseverance furthers. It brings success. Care of the cow brings good fortune.
Fire clings to what it burns; its brilliance depends on what it attaches to. The image is doubled, intensifying both the light and the need for proper nourishment. Tend the inner light carefully — what you cling to determines what you illuminate.
The Image
That which is bright rises twice — the image of Fire. Thus the great person, by perpetuating this brightness, illuminates the four quarters of the world.
The person of genuine wisdom does not hoard their inner light but allows it to radiate outward, illuminating those around them simply by the constancy of their own clarity.
The Six Lines
Line 1
The footprints run crisscross. If one is seriously intent, no blame.
At the beginning of clarity, one may be pulled in many directions. Serious commitment to one direction prevents waste.
Line 2
Yellow light. Supreme good fortune.
Yellow — the color of the mean, of balance — gives light without excess. This is the finest kind of illumination.
Line 3
In the light of the setting sun, men either beat the pot and sing or loudly bewail the approach of old age. Misfortune.
Responding to life's inevitable decline with either forced gaiety or bitter lamentation is equally mistaken. Inner peace is the correct response.
Line 4
Its coming is sudden; it flames up, dies down, is thrown away.
The fire that blazes without nourishment burns itself out quickly. Brilliance without substance is fleeting.
Line 5
Tears in floods, sighing and lamenting. Good fortune.
Genuine grief, honestly expressed, is not weakness. The person who can mourn sincerely remains open to life's depth.
Line 6
The king uses him to march forth and chastise. Then it is best to kill the leaders and take captive the followers. No blame.
Clarity used in decisive, discriminating action — targeting the source of harm, not punishing the misled — brings resolution without blame.
For contemplation and self-reflection only. Not a substitute for professional advice.