Anonymous (traditionally attributed to King Wen, the Duke of Zhou and Confucius) · Complete work
Hexagram 50 · Dǐng ䷱
Hexagram 50 · Dǐng ䷱ of 69. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
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鼎：元吉，亨。
初六：鼎顛趾，利出否，得妾以其子，无咎。
九二：鼎有實，我仇有疾，不我能即，吉。
九三：鼎耳革，其行塞，雉膏不食，方雨虧悔，終吉。
九四：鼎折足，覆公餗，其刑渥，凶。
六五：鼎黃耳金鉉，利貞。
上九：鼎玉鉉，大吉，无不利。
彖曰：鼎，象也。以木巽火，亨飪也。聖人亨以享上帝，而大亨以養聖賢。巽而耳目聰明，柔進而上行，得中而應乎剛，是以元亨。
象曰：木上有火，鼎；君子以正位凝命。
鼎顛趾，未悖也。利出否，以從貴也。
鼎有實，慎所之也。我仇有疾，終无尤也。
鼎耳革，失其義也。
覆公餗，信如何也。
鼎黃耳，中以為實也。
玉鉉在上，剛柔節也。
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.
Ding (The Cauldron): Supreme good fortune and success.
Six at the beginning: The cauldron turns over on its legs. It is favorable to empty out the bad. A concubine is taken for the sake of her son. No blame.
Nine in the second place: The cauldron holds food. My adversary is ill and cannot come near me. Good fortune.
Nine in the third place: The cauldron's handles are changed; its movement is blocked. The rich pheasant broth goes uneaten. When rain comes, regret lessens. Good fortune in the end.
Nine in the fourth place: The cauldron breaks a leg and spills the duke's meal. Its bearer is soaked in disgrace. Misfortune.
Six in the fifth place: The cauldron has yellow handles and a golden carrying bar. Steadfastness is favorable.
Nine at the top: The cauldron has a jade carrying bar. Great good fortune; nothing is unfavorable.
The Judgment Commentary says: Ding is an image. Wood is set beneath fire to cook food. Sages cook offerings for the Supreme Deity and prepare great feasts to nourish the wise and worthy. Gentle, with ears and eyes keen and clear, the yielding advances upward, attains the center, and answers the firm. Hence supreme success.
The Image Commentary says: Fire above wood: Ding. Thus the noble person sets positions right and secures the mandate.
The cauldron turns over on its legs: this is not yet a violation. It is favorable to empty out the bad in order to follow what is noble.
The cauldron holds food: take care where you go. My adversary is ill: in the end there is no fault.
The cauldron's handles are changed: it loses its proper function.
Spilling the duke's meal: what becomes of trust?
The cauldron's yellow handles: the center supplies its substance.
The jade carrying bar is above: firm and yielding are in balance.
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.
Ding (The Cauldron): Supreme good fortune and success.
Six at the beginning: The cauldron is tipped over on its legs. It is favorable to empty out what is bad. Taking a concubine for the sake of her son brings no blame.
Nine in the second place: The cauldron has food in it. My rival is ill and cannot come near me. Good fortune.
Nine in the third place: The cauldron's handles have been altered, so it cannot be carried. The rich pheasant meat is not eaten. Rain is about to fall and regret diminishes. Good fortune in the end.
Nine in the fourth place: The cauldron breaks a leg and spills the duke's food. His punishment is severe. Misfortune.
Six in the fifth place: The cauldron has yellow handles and a metal carrying bar. Staying the course is favorable.
Nine at the top: The cauldron has a jade carrying bar. Great good fortune. Nothing is unfavorable.
The Judgment Commentary says: Ding (The Cauldron) is an image. Wood goes into fire to cook food. The wise person cooks an offering for the Supreme Lord and cooks a great feast to nourish the wise and worthy. He is gentle, with keen ears and sharp eyes. The yielding advances upward, gains the middle, and responds to the firm. So there is supreme success.
The Image Commentary says: Fire above wood: this is Ding (The Cauldron). So the noble person puts his position in order and makes his mandate secure.
Tipping the cauldron onto its legs is not wrong. Emptying out what is bad is favorable because it serves what is valued.
The cauldron has food: be careful where you go. My rival is ill, so in the end there is no fault.
The cauldron's handles have been altered, losing their purpose.
Spilling the duke's food: how can he be trusted?
The cauldron's yellow handles mean that the middle is solid.
The jade carrying bar is at the top: firm and yielding are properly balanced.