Hexagram 56 of 64
旅
The Wanderer
Lǚ
Upper Trigram
離
Fire
Clinging, Brilliant
Fire · Middle Daughter
Lower Trigram
艮
Mountain
Keeping Still, Resting
Mountain · Youngest Son
The Judgment
The Wanderer. Success through smallness. Perseverance brings good fortune to the wanderer.
The fire on the mountain does not settle; it burns and moves on. The wanderer is away from home, in strange lands, without established position. In this condition, small successes — maintained with consistent integrity — are the right measure. Grand ambitions are inappropriate.
The Image
Fire on the mountain — the image of the Wanderer. Thus the superior person is clear-minded and cautious in imposing penalties, and protracts no lawsuits.
Fire on a mountain moves quickly and does not linger. The wanderer-administrator is likewise swift and definitive — not dragging out disputes in a place where they do not permanently belong.
The Six Lines
Line 1
If the wanderer busies himself with trivial things, he draws down misfortune upon himself.
The stranger who focuses on small indulgences rather than their actual situation invites trouble in an unfamiliar land.
Line 2
The wanderer comes to an inn, has his property with him, and wins the steadfastness of a young servant. Good fortune.
Finding safe lodging, keeping what is essential, and making one genuine ally in the new place — these modest achievements are auspicious.
Line 3
The wanderer's inn burns down. He loses the steadfastness of his young servant. Danger.
Loss of shelter and the one relationship that grounded the wanderer. This is a serious crisis requiring immediate humility and caution.
Line 4
The wanderer rests in a shelter. He obtains his property and an ax. My heart is not glad.
Safety and resources secured — but the wanderer's heart knows this is still not home. The material comfort does not resolve the inner displacement.
Line 5
He shoots a pheasant. It drops with the first arrow. In the end this brings both praise and office.
A precise, skilled action in the right moment earns recognition even for the outsider. True ability speaks across all boundaries.
Line 6
The bird's nest burns up. The wanderer laughs at first, then must needs lament and weep. Through carelessness he loses his cow. Misfortune.
Overconfidence in a temporary dwelling — laughing at what should have been protected — leads to the loss of what was most essential.
For contemplation and self-reflection only. Not a substitute for professional advice.