The Zhou Yi Core

Here are the core hexagram statements of the Zhou Yi.

The Zhou Yi is what emerged of the text from the Zhou Dynasty, before the Ten Wings added commentaries. With those commentaries added, the Zhou Yi (Changes of the Zhou) became known as the Yi Jing (Classic of Change).

Starting off, it may be beneficial for those new to Yi stuides to simply explore this core text cleansed of any commentaries or addons. This can be helpful for revealing just how codified the Yi is.

Considering them as 64 environments of change, these hexagram statements describe what to expect in these environments and how to navigate them to their strengths while mitigating their weaknesses.

The Hexagrams

1 ䷀ 乾 Qian:
Yang-ness: Primal Origination Pervasive Development Advantageous Culmination Aligning Toward Completion

2 ䷁ 坤 Kun: 牝馬之。君子有攸往,先迷後得主,西南得朋,東北喪朋。安,吉。
Yin-ness: Primal Origination Pervasive Development and Advantageous Culmination in the mare's Aligning Toward Completion. Noble People have something to advance going toward; in taking the lead one goes astray, from behind one obtains the dominant and presiding position. Advantageous Culmination to the SouthWest obtaining one's equal; to the NorthEast renouncing one's equal. Securing Advantageous Culmination Aligning Toward Completion auspicious.

3 ䷂ 屯 Zhen: ,勿用有攸往,建侯。
Difficulty Beginning Again: Primal Origination Pervasive Development, Advantageous Culmination Aligning Toward Completion, Do not use having something to advance going toward, Advantageous Culmination in establishing the goal.

4 ䷃ 蒙 Meng: 。匪我求童蒙,童蒙求我。初筮告,再三瀆,瀆則不告。
Incubation: Pervasive Development. It is not our seeking out childlike innocence and inexperience on our own, it is childlike innocence and inexperience that seeks out us. The first yarrow stalk divination beseeches; a second and third inundate, inundating the standard is not beseeching; Advantageous Culmination Aligning Toward Completion.

5 ䷄ 需 Xu: 有孚,光吉。涉大川。
Awaiting: Having Captivation, brightness Pervasively Develops, Aligning Toward Completion auspicious. Advantageous Culmination crossing a great river.

6 ䷅ 訟 Song: 有孚,窒。惕中吉。終凶。見大人,不涉大川。
Contention: Having Captivation, stopped and held up. Being on guard and centered is auspicious. Seeing things all the way through to completion inauspicious. Advantageous Culmination perceiving the Great Person, No Advantageous Culmination crossing a great river.

7 ䷆ 師 Shi: ,丈人,吉无咎。
Gathered Power / The Army: Aligning Toward Completion, Men, Auspicious without misfortune.

8 ䷇ 比 Bi: 吉。原筮,无咎。不寧方來,後夫凶。
Resonance / Accord With: Auspicious. Beginning with yarrow stalk divination Primal Origination completely through to Aligning Toward Completion, without misfortune. Lacking a peaceful and grounded coming together, second husband inauspicious.

9 ䷈ 小畜 Xiao Xu: 。密雲不雨,自我西郊。
Minor Domestication: Pervasive Development. Dense clouds without rain, oneself western suburbs.

10 ䷉ 履 Lu: 履虎尾,不咥人,
Treading: Treading on the tiger's tail, not bitten, Pervasive Development.

11 ䷊ 泰 Tai: 小往大來,吉
Serenity: Minor goings major comings, auspicious Pervasive Development.

12 ䷋ 否 Pi: 否之匪人,不君子,大往小來。
Stagnation: Stagnation's inferior people, No Advantageous Culmination in the Noble Person Aligning Toward Completion, Major goings minor comings.

13 ䷌ 同人 Tong Ren: 同人于野,涉大川,君子
Sameness with Others: Sameness with Others beyond the suburbs out in the countryside, Pervasive Development. Advantageous Culmination in crossing a great river, Advantageous Culmination in the Noble Person Aligning Toward Completion.

14 ䷍ 大有 Da You:
Great Possession: Primal Origination Pervasive Development.

15 ䷎ 謙 Qian: ,君子有終。
Modesty: Pervasive Development, Noble People have occasion to reach completion.

16 ䷏ 豫 Yu: 建侯,行師。
Pleased: Advantageous Culmination in establishing a target, and engaging the army.

17 ䷐ 隨 Sui: ,无咎。
Following Along With: Primal Origination Pervasive Development Advantageous Culmination Aligning Toward Completion, without incurring misfortune.

18 ䷑ 蠱 Gu: 涉大川。先甲三日,後甲三日。
Corrosion: Primal Origination Pervasive Development Advantageous Culmination in crossing a great river. Before Jia 3 days, after Jia 3 days.

19 ䷒ 臨 Lin: 。至于八月有凶。
Overseeing: Primal Origination, Pervasive Development, Advantageous Culmination, Aligning Toward Completion. By the 8th month there is misfortune.

20 ䷓ 觀 Guan: 盥而不薦,有孚顒若。
Contemplation: Bowing but not making the sacrifice, having captivation and a magnitude of approval.

21 ䷔ 噬嗑 Shi He: 用獄。
Biting Through: Pervasive Development. Advantageous Culmination in the application of punishment.

22 ䷕ 賁 Bi: 。小有攸往。
Refinement: Pervasive Development. Small Advantageous Culmination in having something to advance going toward.

23 ䷖ 剝 Bo:有攸往。
Exploiting, Peeling Away: No Advantageous Culmination in having something to advance going toward.

24 ䷗ 復 Fu: 。出入无疾,朋來无咎。反復其道,七日來復,有攸往。
Returning: Pervasive Development. Giving and receiving without troubles, binding to and arriving at without incurring misfortune.

25 ䷘ 无妄 Wu Wang: 。其匪正有眚,不有攸往。
Faultless-ness: Primal Origination Pervasive Development Advantageous Culmination Aligning Toward Completion. Not conforming to their standards and there is imperfection, NO Advantageous Culmination in having something to advance going toward.

26 ䷙ 大畜 Da Xu: ,不家食吉,涉大川。
Great Domestication: Advantageous Culmination and Aligning Toward Completion. Not eating at home auspicious. Advantageous Culmination crossing a great river.

27 ䷚ 頤 Yi: 吉。觀頤,自求口實。
Nourishment: Aligning Toward Completion auspicious. Manifesting nourishment, aspiring to fill one's mouth.

28 ䷛ 大過 Da Guo: 棟橈,有攸往,
Great Excess: The ridgepole bends, Advantageous Culmination in having something to advance going toward, Pervasive Development.

29 ䷜ 坎 Kan: 習坎,有孚,維心,行有尚。
Pit/Hole: Repeated Pits. Having captivation, bracing the heart-mind, Pervasive Development. Moving forward has precedence.

30 ䷝ 離 Li: 。畜牝牛,吉。
Separation/Clinging: Advantageous Culmination Aligning Toward Completion, Pervasive Development. Raising a cow auspicious.

31 ䷞ 咸 Xian: 咸,,取女吉。
Integration: Integration, Pervasive Development, Advantageous Culmination and Aligning Toward Completion, Reaching to the feminine auspicious.

32 ䷟ 恆 Heng: ,无咎,有攸往。
Perpetuation: Pervasive Development, Without incurring misfortune, Advantageous Culmination and Aligning Toward Completion, Advantageous Culmination in having something to advance going toward.

33 ䷠ 遯 Dun: ,小
Holding Back: Pervasive Development, Small Advantageous Culmination and Aligning Toward Completion.

34 ䷡ 大壯 Da Zhuang:
Great Strength: Advantageous Culmination Aligning Toward Completion.

35 ䷢ 晉 Jin: 康侯用錫馬蕃庶,晝日三接。
Advancing: Bringing peace of mind to the nobility by bestowing numerous foreign horses, the entire day making many connections.

36 ䷣ 明夷 Ming Yi:
Brightness Diminished: Advantageous Culmination in demanding and arduous affairs Aligning Toward Completion.

37 ䷤ 家人 Jia Ren:
Family Relations: Advantageous Culmination in the women Aligning Toward Completion.

38 ䷥ 睽 Kui: 小事吉。
Differring: Minor matters auspicious.

39 ䷦ 蹇 Jian: 西南,不東北;見大人,吉。
Rough Going: Advantageous Culmination to the SouthWest, No Advantageous Culmination to the NorthWest; Advantageous Culmination in perceiving the great person, Aligning Toward Completion auspicious.

40 ䷧ 解 Jie: 西南,无所往,其來復吉。有攸往,夙吉。
Release/solve: Advantageous Culmination to the SouthWest, without a place to go, it comes back auspicious. Having something to advance going toward, early morning auspicious.

41 ䷨ 損 Sun: 有孚,吉,无咎,可有攸往。曷之用,二簋可用享。
Restrain: Having captivation, Primal Origination auspicious, without incurring misfortune, permissible Aligning Toward Completion, Advantageous Culmination in having something to advance going toward. How this is done, two containers permit making use for offering.

42 ䷩ 益 Yi: 有攸往,涉大川。
Augment: Advantageous Culmination in having something to advancing going toward, Advantageous Culmination in crossing a great river.

43 ䷪ 夬 Guai: 揚于王庭,孚號,有厲,告自邑,不即戎,有攸往。
Decisiveness: Raising it up in the royal court, captivation is commanded, there is unrelenting pressing, reporting personally to the capital, no Advantageous Culmination in taking up weapons, Advantageous Culmination in something to advance going toward.

44 ䷫ 姤 Guo: 女壯,勿用取女。
Encounter: The feminine is at its prime potency, do not avail oneself 'taking it to wife'.

45 ䷬ 萃 Cui: 。王假有廟,見大人,。用大牲吉,有攸往。
Assembly: Pervasive Development. The King depending on having an ancestral temple, Advantageous Culmination perceiving the Great Person, Pervasive Development Advantageous Culmination Aligning Toward Completion. Making large sacrifices auspicious, Advantageous Culmination in having something to advance going toward.

46 ䷭ 升 Sheng: ,用見大人,勿恤,南征吉。
Ascend/Rise Up: Primal Origination Pervasive Development, Making use of perceiving the Great Person, Do not have sympathy, a southerly campaign auspicious.

47 ䷮ 困 Kun: ,大人吉,无咎,有言不信。
Stranded: Pervasive Development, Aligning Toward Completion, the Great Person auspicious, not incurring misfortune, there is talk that is not captivating.

48 ䷯ 井 Jing: 改邑不改井,无喪无得,往來井井。汔至,亦未繘井,羸其瓶,凶。
Well: The capital changes without changing the well, without loss or gain, coming and going clear and regular. Running dry completely, in case of not having a well rope, emptying their bottles, inauspicious.

49 ䷰ 革 Ge: 巳日乃孚,,悔亡。
Molt: Si day then captivation, Primal Origination Pervasive Development Advantageous Culmination Aligning Toward Completion, misfortune ends.

50 ䷱ 鼎 Ding: 吉,Cauldron: Primal Origination auspicious, Pervasive Development.

51 ䷲ 震 Zhen: 。震來虩虩,笑言啞啞。震驚百里,不喪匕鬯。
Thunder: Pervasive Development. Thunder claps and terror terror, then happily exclaiming oh oh, thunder startling for 100 li, not losing steadiness of the spoon of ceremonial wine.

52 ䷳ 艮 Gen: 艮其背,不獲其身,行其庭,不見其人,无咎。
Mountain: Keeping still one's back, not capturing one's body, implementing one's courtyard, not perceiving one's person, not having misfortune.

53 ䷴ 漸 Jian: 女歸吉,
Gradual Advance: A woman taking refuge is auspicious, Advantageous Culmination Aligning Toward Completion.

54 ䷵ 歸妹 Gui Mei: 征凶,无攸
Committing one's younger sister to marriage: Forcing advantage is inauspicious, not advancing has Advantageous Culmination.

55 ䷶ 豐 Feng: ,王假之,勿憂,宜日中。
Fullness: Pervasive Development, A King leverages this, do not be concerned, appropriate for the middle of the day.

56 ䷷ 旅 Lu:,旅吉。
Traveler: Small Pervasive Development, a traveler Aligning Toward Completion auspicious.

57 ䷸ 巽 Xun:攸往,見大人。
Wind: Small Pervasive Development, Advantageous Culmination advancing forward, Advantageous Culmination perceiving the great person.

58 ䷹ 兌 Dui:
Lake: Pervasive Development, Advantageous Culmination Aligning Toward Completion.

59 ䷺ 渙 Huan: 。王假有廟,涉大川,
Spreading Into / Diffusion: Pervasive Development. The King using possession of the ancestral temple, Advantageous Culmination crossing a great river, Advantageous Culmination Aligning Toward Completion.

60 ䷻ 節 Jie: 。苦節,不可
Temperance: Pervasive Development. Suffering in temperance, must not be permitted for Aligning Toward Completion.

61 ䷼ 中孚 Zhong Fu: 豚魚吉,涉大川,
Inner Captivation: River shoat auspicious, Advantageous Culmination in crossing a great river, Advantageous Culmination Aligning Toward Completion.

62 ䷽ 小過 Xiao Guo: ,可小事,不可大事。飛鳥遺之音,不宜上,宜下,大吉。
Minor Excess: Pervasive Development, Advantageous Culmination Aligning Toward Completion, permittable for minor matters, not permittable for major matters. A flying bird leaves behind this song, not appropriate above, appropriate below, greatly auspicious.

63 ䷾ 既濟 Ji Ji: ,小,初吉終亂。
Fully Crossed Over: Pervasive Development, minor Advantageous Culmination Aligning Toward Completion, the beginning auspicious the end is disordered.

64 ䷿ 未濟 Wei Ji: ,小狐汔濟,濡其尾,无攸
Not Yet Crossed Over: Pervasive Development, a small fox nearly across, drenched its tail, not advancing Advantageous Culmination.