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The 64 I Ching Hexagrams

The I Ching hexagrams are 64 figures, each built from six lines that are either solid (yang) or broken (yin). Together they map the basic situations people move through: beginnings and endings, conflict and peace, waiting, growth, loss, and return. Every hexagram has a name, a judgment, an image, and six line texts, and this page gathers all 64 in the traditional King Wen order so you can find yours in seconds.

The I Ching, or Book of Changes, opens with Qian, The Creative (hexagram 1), and Kun, The Receptive (hexagram 2): pure yang and pure yin. It closes with Ji Ji, After Completion (63), and Wei Ji, Before Completion (64), a quietly brilliant choice, since the sequence ends on something not yet finished, the way life does. Each hexagram links to its own page with the original Chinese text, a plain-English explanation, notes on love and career, and what every changing line means.

64 Hexagrams

  1. #1Qian, The Creative
  2. #2Kun, The Receptive
  3. #3Zhun, Difficulty at the Beginning
  4. #4Meng, Youthful Folly
  5. #5Xu, Waiting
  6. #6Song, Conflict
  7. #7Shi, The Army
  8. #8Bi, Holding Together
  9. #9Xiao Chu, Taming Power of the Small
  10. #10Lü, Treading
  11. #11Tai, Peace
  12. #12Pi, Standstill
  13. #13Tong Ren, Fellowship
  14. #14Da You, Great Possession
  15. #15Qian, Modesty
  16. #16Yu, Enthusiasm
  17. #17Sui, Following
  18. #18Gu, Repairing What Is Spoiled
  19. #19Lin, Approach
  20. #20Guan, Contemplation
  21. #21Shi He, Biting Through
  22. #22Bi, Grace
  23. #23Bo, Splitting Apart
  24. #24Fu, Return
  25. #25Wu Wang, Innocence
  26. #26Da Chu, Taming Power of the Great
  27. #27Yi, Nourishment
  28. #28Da Guo, Great Excess
  29. #29Kan, The Abysmal
  30. #30Li, The Clinging Fire
  31. #31Xian, Influence
  32. #32Heng, Duration
  33. #33Dun, Retreat
  34. #34Da Zhuang, Great Power
  35. #35Jin, Progress
  36. #36Ming Yi, Darkening of the Light
  37. #37Jia Ren, The Family
  38. #38Kui, Opposition
  39. #39Jian, Obstruction
  40. #40Jie, Deliverance
  41. #41Sun, Decrease
  42. #42Yi, Increase
  43. #43Guai, Breakthrough
  44. #44Gou, Coming to Meet
  45. #45Cui, Gathering Together
  46. #46Sheng, Pushing Upward
  47. #47Kun, Oppression
  48. #48Jing, The Well
  49. #49Ge, Revolution
  50. #50Ding, The Cauldron
  51. #51Zhen, The Arousing Thunder
  52. #52Gen, Keeping Still
  53. #53Jian, Gradual Progress
  54. #54Gui Mei, The Marrying Maiden
  55. #55Feng, Abundance
  56. #56Lü, The Wanderer
  57. #57Xun, The Gentle Wind
  58. #58Dui, The Joyous Lake
  59. #59Huan, Dispersion
  60. #60Jie, Limitation
  61. #61Zhong Fu, Inner Truth
  62. #62Xiao Guo, Small Excess
  63. #63Ji Ji, After Completion
  64. #64Wei Ji, Before Completion

The eight trigrams and how they combine

Every hexagram is two trigrams stacked one on top of the other. A trigram is a figure of three lines, and there are exactly eight: Qian (Heaven), Kun (Earth), Zhen (Thunder), Kan (Water), Gen (Mountain), Xun (Wind), Li (Fire), and Dui (Lake). Each has its own character. Heaven is strong and creative, Earth receptive and yielding, and Thunder stirs things into motion; Water stands for depth and danger, Mountain for stillness, Wind for gentle, steady influence, Fire for clarity, and Lake for joy and openness.

The lower trigram (lines 1 to 3) describes the inner side of a situation, the ground you're standing on, while the upper trigram (lines 4 to 6) shows the outer side: what's coming toward you, or what other people can see. Eight trigrams times eight gives the 64 hexagrams, and the pairing often explains a hexagram at a glance. Earth above Heaven makes Tai, Peace, because heaven's energy rises and earth's sinks, so the two meet; flip them and you get Pi, Standstill, where they drift apart. In the same way, Water above Fire is Ji Ji, After Completion, while Fire above Water is Wei Ji, Before Completion.

  • 乾 · Heaven
  • 兌 · Lake
  • 離 · Fire
  • 震 · Thunder
  • 巽 · Wind
  • 坎 · Water
  • 艮 · Mountain
  • 坤 · Earth

How to use this list after a casting

After a casting, start with your primary hexagram: find it by number or name in the list and open its page. Read the overview and the judgment first, then jump to your changing lines, if you have any, since those carry the most personal part of the answer. Next, look up the relating hexagram and read it as the direction your situation is moving in, rather than as a fixed outcome.

Don't try to absorb everything in one sitting. Read with your question in mind, notice the phrase that catches you, and come back to it over the next few days; hexagrams have a way of making more sense on the second read. If you haven't cast yet, toss the coins with the online tool first, and if you'd like help tying the hexagram to your own situation, ask Geumeum for a personalized reading.

Cast the I Ching online

I Ching hexagrams FAQ

How many hexagrams are in the I Ching?

There are 64. Each one has six lines, and since every line can be either yang or yin, there are two to the sixth power, or 64, possible combinations. You get the same number by pairing each of the eight trigrams with all eight, itself included.

How do I know which hexagram I cast?

Build six lines from the bottom up with three coins or another traditional method, then find the hexagram whose lower and upper trigrams match yours. The simplest route is the online coin toss, which builds the hexagram for you and also shows your changing lines and relating hexagram.

Are some hexagrams lucky and others unlucky?

Not really. Hexagrams like Tai, Peace (11), or Da You, Great Possession (14), describe favorable conditions, while ones like Pi, Standstill (12), or Bo, Splitting Apart (23), describe harder stretches, but every hexagram comes with advice on how to act well. Changing lines can shift the tone a lot, too, and a "difficult" hexagram that warns you in time is often the most useful one you can get.

What's the difference between the primary and the relating hexagram?

The primary hexagram is the one you cast, and it describes your situation as it stands. The relating hexagram only appears when you have changing lines: flip each 6 and 9 to its opposite, and you get the direction things are moving in. Read the primary first, then the relating, and pay attention to how one turns into the other.