Ding · The Cauldron

Judgment

元吉，亨。

Sublime good fortune. Success.

The Chinese above is the received classical text. The English below it is a plain-language rendering written for this site — not a scholarly translation. The classical wording is terse and genuinely open to more than one reading, so where interpretations diverge we follow the mainstream one.

The Image (Da Xiang)

木上有火，鼎，君子以正位凝命。

木上燃着火（烹饪之象），这是鼎卦，革故鼎新、建立新秩序的卦象，君子应当端正自身职位，稳固所受之命。

The Six Lines

• First line鼎颠趾，利出否，得妾以其子，无咎。初六 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Second line鼎有实，我仇有疾，不我能即，吉。九二 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Third line鼎耳革，其行塞，雉膏不食，方雨亏悔，终吉。九三 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Fourth line鼎折足，覆公餗，其形渥，凶。九四 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Fifth line鼎黄耳金铉，利贞。六五 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Top line鼎玉铉，大吉，无不利。上九 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.

Modern Interpretive Reference

Quality: Auspicious

Tendency: The cauldron; establishing new order after transformation.

Guidance: Build lasting structures and develop capable people. Highly favourable.

This section is editorial reflection written for this site, not classical commentary. Hexagram qualities are not fixed outcomes — context and response matter more than the label. For cultural reflection only; not a basis for any decision.