The Sequence of the Hexagrams

Once there are heaven and earth, the myriad beings are born.

What fills the space between heaven and earth is the myriad beings. Therefore Zhun (Difficulty at the Beginning) follows; Zhun means fullness, the first arising of beings.

Beings newly born are necessarily ignorant. Therefore Meng (Youthful Folly) follows; Meng means ignorance, the immaturity of beings.

Immature beings must be nourished. Therefore Xu (Waiting) follows; Xu is the way of food and drink.

Food and drink inevitably bring conflict. Therefore Song (Conflict) follows.

Conflict inevitably raises a multitude. Therefore Shi (The Army) follows; Shi means a multitude.

A multitude must join together. Therefore Bi (Holding Together) follows; Bi means joining.

Joining together must lead to gathering and restraint. Therefore Xiao Xu (Small Taming) follows.

When things have been gathered, there is ritual. Therefore Lu (Treading) follows.

Treading brings peace, and only then security. Therefore Tai (Peace) follows; Tai means free passage.

Things cannot pass freely forever. Therefore Pi (Stagnation) follows.

Things cannot remain stagnant forever. Therefore Tong Ren (Fellowship with Others) follows.

When people join together, things come to them. Therefore Da You (Great Possession) follows.

Those who possess great things must not fill themselves to excess. Therefore Qian (Modesty) follows.

Possessing much yet able to be modest, one surely feels glad. Therefore Yu (Enthusiasm) follows.

Gladness must have followers. Therefore Sui (Following) follows.

When others follow with gladness, there is work to be done. Therefore Gu (Repairing Decay) follows; Gu means an affair.

After work is undertaken, greatness becomes possible. Therefore Lin (Approach) follows; Lin means greatness.

Once things are great, they can be contemplated. Therefore Guan (Contemplation) follows.

What can be contemplated then can be joined. Therefore Shi Ke (Biting Through) follows; Ke means joining.

Things cannot merely join haphazardly. Therefore Bi (Adornment) follows; Bi means ornament.

When adornment is taken to its utmost, flourishing is exhausted. Therefore Bo (Stripping Away) follows; Bo means stripping away.

Things cannot remain exhausted forever. Once stripping reaches its limit above, it returns below. Therefore Fu (Return) follows.

Once one returns, one acts without falsehood. Therefore Wu Wang (Innocence) follows.

Only with innocence can one gather and restrain. Therefore Da Xu (Great Taming) follows.

Once things are gathered, they can be nourished. Therefore Yi (Nourishment) follows; Yi means nourishing.

Without nourishment, things cannot move. Therefore Da Guo (Great Excess) follows.

Things cannot exceed their bounds forever. Therefore Kan (The Repeated Abyss) follows; Kan means falling into a pit.

What has fallen must cling to something. Therefore Li (Fire) follows; Li means clinging.

Once there are heaven and earth, there are the myriad beings; once beings exist, there are males and females; once males and females exist, there are husbands and wives; once husbands and wives exist, there are fathers and sons; once fathers and sons exist, there are rulers and ministers; once rulers and ministers exist, there are high and low; once high and low exist, ritual proprieties find their place.

The way of husband and wife must endure. Therefore Heng (Duration) follows; Heng means enduring.

Things cannot dwell forever in one place. Therefore Dun (Retreat) follows; Dun means withdrawing.

Things cannot retreat forever. Therefore Da Zhuang (Great Power) follows.

Things cannot remain strong forever. Therefore Jin (Progress) follows; Jin means advancing.

Advancing inevitably brings injury. Therefore Ming Yi (Darkening of the Light) follows; Yi means injury.

Those injured outside must return home. Therefore Jia Ren (The Family) follows.

When the household way is exhausted, division follows. Therefore Kui (Opposition) follows; Kui means division.

Division inevitably brings difficulty. Therefore Jian (Obstruction) follows; Jian means difficulty.

Things cannot remain difficult forever. Therefore Xie (Deliverance) follows; Xie means easing.

Easing inevitably entails some loss. Therefore Sun (Decrease) follows.

If decrease continues without end, increase must follow. Therefore Yi (Increase) follows.

If increase continues without end, a breakthrough must come. Therefore Guai (Breakthrough) follows; Guai means decision.

Decision must bring an encounter. Therefore Gou (Coming to Meet) follows; Gou means meeting.

Only once things meet can they gather. Therefore Cui (Gathering Together) follows; Cui means gathering.

Gathering and rising is called Sheng (Ascending). Therefore Sheng follows.

Ascending without cease inevitably brings oppression. Therefore Kun (Oppression) follows.

What is oppressed above must return below. Therefore Jing (The Well) follows.

The way of the well cannot remain unchanged. Therefore Ge (Revolution) follows.

Nothing transforms things as the cauldron does. Therefore Ding (The Cauldron) follows.

None is better fitted to preside over the vessels than the eldest son. Therefore Zhen (Thunder) follows; Zhen means movement.

Things cannot keep moving forever; they stop. Therefore Gen (Keeping Still) follows; Gen means stopping.

Things cannot remain stopped forever. Therefore Jian (Gradual Progress) follows; Jian means advancing.

Advancing must lead somewhere to belong. Therefore Gui Mei (The Marrying Maiden) follows.

One who finds where one belongs must grow great. Therefore Feng (Abundance) follows; Feng means greatness.

Greatness taken to its limit must lose its dwelling. Therefore Lu (The Traveler) follows.

A traveler who finds no welcome must enter gently. Therefore Xun (The Gentle Wind) follows; Xun means entering.

Only after entering can there be delight. Therefore Dui (Joy) follows; Dui means delight.

After delight comes dispersal. Therefore Huan (Dispersion) follows; Huan means parting.

Things cannot remain parted forever. Therefore Jie (Limitation) follows.

Restraint brings trust. Therefore Zhong Fu (Inner Trust) follows.

Those who have trust must act on it. Therefore Xiao Guo (Small Excess) follows.

When things surpass their bounds, they must cross over. Therefore Ji-ji (After Completion) follows.

Things cannot be brought to an absolute end. Therefore Wei Ji (Before Completion) follows, and here it ends.

Once heaven and earth exist, all things are born.

All things fill the space between heaven and earth. So Zhun (Difficulty at the Beginning) comes next. Zhun means filling up, the first growth of things.

Things newly born must be immature, so Meng (Youthful Folly) comes next. Meng means being unformed, the immaturity of things.

Immature things must be nourished, so Xu (Waiting) comes next. Xu concerns the need for food and drink.

Food and drink bring disputes, so Song (Conflict) comes next.

Disputes cause groups of people to rise up, so Shi (The Army) comes next. Shi means a multitude.

A multitude must find groups to join, so Bi (Holding Together) comes next. Bi means joining together.

Joining together leads to gathering things, so Xiao Xu (Small Taming) comes next.

Once things are gathered, proper conduct can begin, so Lü (Conduct) comes next.

With proper conduct comes peace, and then security; so Tai (Peace) comes next. Tai means an open path.

Things cannot stay open forever, so Pi (Standstill) comes next.

Things cannot stay blocked forever, so Tong Ren (Fellowship with Others) comes next.

Things come to people who join with others, so Da You (Great Possession) comes next.

Those with great possessions must not become too full of themselves, so Qian (Modesty) comes next.

Those who have much yet remain modest will find pleasure, so Yu (Enthusiasm) comes next.

Pleasure leads to following, so Sui (Following) comes next.

People who gladly follow others will have work to do, so Gu (Repairing What Has Spoiled) comes next. Gu means work to be done.

Once there is work to do, greatness can follow, so Lin (Approach) comes next. Lin means greatness.

When things become great, they can be observed, so Guan (Contemplation) comes next.

Once they can be observed, they can come together, so Shi He (Biting Through) comes next. He means joining together.

Things cannot merely come together without care, so Bi (Adornment) comes next. Bi means decoration.

Once decoration reaches its height, success is exhausted, so Bo (Stripping Away) comes next. Bo means peeling away.

Things cannot remain exhausted forever. When stripping away reaches its limit at the top, it returns to the bottom, so Fu (Return) comes next.

Returning prevents recklessness, so Wu Wang (Without Error) comes next.

Once there is no recklessness, things can be stored, so Da Xu (Great Taming) comes next.

Once things are stored, they can be used for nourishment, so Yi (Nourishment) comes next. Yi means nourishment.

Without nourishment nothing can move, so Da Guo (Great Excess) comes next.

Things cannot remain in excess forever, so Kan (the Abyss) comes next. Kan means falling into a pit.

Something that has fallen into a pit must attach itself to something, so Li (Fire) comes next. Li means attachment.

Once heaven and earth exist, there are all things. Once there are all things, there are women and men. Then there are wives and husbands, then mothers, fathers, and children, then rulers and servants. Then there are ranks above and below, and rules of proper behavior can be put in place.

The relationship between husband and wife must last, so Heng (Duration) comes next. Heng means lasting.

Things cannot stay in one place forever, so Dun (Retreat) comes next. Dun means drawing back.

Things cannot keep retreating forever, so Da Zhuang (Great Strength) comes next.

Things cannot remain strong forever, so Jin (Progress) comes next. Jin means moving forward.

Moving forward is bound to cause injury, so Ming Yi (Darkening of the Light) comes next. Yi means injury.

Someone hurt outside will return home, so Jia Ren (The Family) comes next.

When the family's way runs out, its members separate, so Kui (Opposition) comes next. Kui means parting ways.

Parting ways brings difficulty, so Jian (Obstruction) comes next. Jian means difficulty.

Things cannot remain in difficulty forever, so Xie (Release) comes next. Xie means easing.

Easing things leads to some loss, so Sun (Decrease) comes next.

If decrease continues without stopping, increase must follow, so Yi (Increase) comes next.

If increase continues without stopping, a decision must follow, so Guai (Breakthrough) comes next. Guai means deciding.

A decision leads to an encounter, so Gou (Coming to Meet) comes next. Gou means meeting.

After things meet, they gather, so Cui (Gathering) comes next. Cui means gathering.

A gathering that moves upward is called Sheng (Rising), so Sheng comes next.

If rising continues without stopping, exhaustion is bound to follow, so Kun (Exhaustion) comes next.

What reaches an impasse above must return below, so Jing (The Well) comes next.

The way of the well cannot remain unchanged, so Ge (Change) comes next.

Nothing changes things better than a cauldron, so Ding (The Cauldron) comes next.

No one is better suited to take charge of the ritual vessels than the eldest son, so Zhen (Thunder) comes next. Zhen means movement.

Things cannot keep moving forever; they must stop. So Gen (Keeping Still) comes next. Gen means stopping.

Things cannot remain still forever, so Jian (Gradual Progress) comes next. Jian means moving forward.

Those who move forward must arrive somewhere, so Gui Mei (The Marrying Maiden) comes next.

Those who arrive where they belong will become great, so Feng (Abundance) comes next. Feng means greatness.

Someone whose greatness reaches its limit will lose their home, so Lü (The Traveler) comes next.

Travelers without a place to stay must enter somewhere, so Xun (Gentle Penetration) comes next. Xun means entering.

After entering, one finds joy, so Dui (Joy) comes next. Dui means pleasure.

After joy comes scattering, so Huan (Dispersion) comes next. Huan means separating.

Things cannot stay separate forever, so Jie (Limits) comes next.

When limits are accepted in trust, Zhong Fu (Inner Sincerity) comes next.

Someone with trust is bound to act on it, so Xiao Guo (Small Excess) comes next.

When one goes beyond things, one must cross over, so Jiji (Already Across) comes next.

Things cannot reach a final end, so Wei Ji (Not Yet Across) comes next. This ends the sequence.