Anonymous (traditionally attributed to King Wen, the Duke of Zhou and Confucius) · Complete work
Hexagram 30 · Lí ䷝
Hexagram 30 · Lí ䷝ of 69. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal Classical Chinese
離：利貞。亨。畜牝牛，吉。
初九：履錯然，敬之无咎。
六二：黃離，元吉。
九三：日昃之離，不鼓缶而歌，則大耋之差，凶。
九四：突如其來如，焚如，死如，棄如。
六五：出涕沱若，戚嗟若，吉。
上九：王用出征，有嘉折首，獲匪其醜，无咎。
彖曰：離，麗也；日月麗乎天，百穀草木麗乎土，重明以麗乎正，乃化成天下。柔麗乎中正，故亨；是以畜牝牛吉也。
象曰：明兩作離，大人以繼明照于四方。
履錯之敬，以辟咎也。
黃離元吉，得中道也。
日昃之離，何可久也。
突如其來如，无所容也。
六五之吉，離王公也。
王用出征，以正邦也。
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the classical Chinese, passage for passage, covering all 64 hexagrams with their judgments, line statements and attached commentaries, and the remaining Wings (the Great Commentary, the Discussion of the Trigrams, the Sequence and the Contrasts of the Hexagrams), 1,204 passages in all.
Li (Fire): Steadfastness is favorable. Success. Raising a cow brings good fortune.
Nine at the beginning: Footsteps are tangled. Be reverent, and there is no blame.
Six in the second place: Yellow light. Supreme good fortune.
Nine in the third place: Light as the sun declines: if one does not beat an earthen jar and sing, there will be the lament of extreme old age. Misfortune.
Nine in the fourth place: Suddenly it comes; it burns, dies, and is cast aside.
Six in the fifth place: Tears stream down; mourning and sighs. Good fortune.
Nine at the top: The king sends an army on campaign. It is excellent to cut down the leaders and capture the others, not their whole host. No blame.
The Judgment Commentary says: Li means clinging: sun and moon cling to heaven; the hundred grains, grasses, and trees cling to earth. Twofold brightness clings to what is right and thereby transforms and completes all under heaven. The yielding clings to the center and to uprightness, and so succeeds. Therefore raising a cow brings good fortune.
The Image Commentary says: Brightness rising twice: Li. Thus the great person perpetuates the light to illuminate the four quarters.
Reverence amid tangled footsteps is to avoid blame.
Yellow light, supreme good fortune: it attains the middle way.
Light as the sun declines: how could it last?
Suddenly it comes: there is nowhere to receive it.
The good fortune of six in the fifth place: it clings to kings and lords.
The king sends an army on campaign to set the realm right.
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the classical Chinese, covering all 64 hexagrams with their judgments, line statements and attached commentaries, and the remaining Wings (the Great Commentary, the Discussion of the Trigrams, the Sequence and the Contrasts of the Hexagrams), 1,204 passages in all.
Li (Fire): Staying steady is favorable. Success. Raising a cow brings good fortune.
Nine at the beginning: Footsteps are confused. Treat the situation with respect and there will be no blame.
Six in the second place: Yellow brightness. Supreme good fortune.
Nine in the third place: The brightness of the setting sun. If you do not beat a pot and sing, you will sigh over old age. Misfortune.
Nine in the fourth place: It comes suddenly; it burns, dies, and is thrown away.
Six in the fifth place: Tears pour out and there are sad cries. Good fortune.
Nine at the top: The king goes out to war. He does well to cut off the leaders and capture the others who are not their kind. No blame.
The Judgment Commentary says: Li means attachment. The sun and moon are attached to the sky; grain and plants are attached to the earth. Double brightness is attached to what is right and thereby transforms and shapes the world. The yielding line is attached to the central and proper position, so there is success. That is why raising a cow brings good fortune.
The Image Commentary says: Two bright lights rise: this is Li. The great person therefore continues the light and shines on all four directions.
Respect amid confused footsteps prevents blame.
Yellow brightness brings supreme good fortune because it has found the balanced way.
How could the brightness of the setting sun last long?
When it comes suddenly, there is no room for it.
The good fortune of the six in the fifth place comes from its attachment to the king and dukes.
The king goes out to war to put the state in order.