I Ching hexagram 27

I Ching hexagram 27: Nourishment

颐 yí · a mountain above thunder

An open mouth between two jaws: watch what you feed yourself and others, and what you seek to put in your mouth.

The judgment: Staying true brings good fortune. Watch how people are fed, and what each seeks to fill their own mouth.
"Î indicates that with firm correctness there will be good fortune (in what is denoted by it). We must look at what we are seeking to nourish, and by the exercise of our thoughts seek for the proper aliment."
James Legge's translation, 1882
What it says to you: The figure is a mouth: solid jaws at top and bottom, open lines between. Thunder moves below while the mountain holds still above, just as the lower jaw works against the fixed upper one. The hexagram is about feeding, what you take in and what you give, of food, words, attention, ideas. The judgment says watch the mouth. See what people feed on and what they feed others, and that tells you who they are. Turn the same eye on yourself. The first line is the sharp one: you leave your magic tortoise, your own self-sufficient wisdom, to gape at someone else's full jaws. The top line is the provider who feeds everyone. So check your intake this week, the news, the company, the meals, and make sure what you hand to others is worth eating.

Matter by matter

Love: Notice how you nourish each other. Give care and attention freely; don't hunger after what others have.
Work: Feed the right projects and people. Seek honest sources of income, never someone else's plate.
Money: Earn your own keep honestly. Avoid envy and dependence; steady, proper earning brings good fortune.
A yes or no question: Yes, with a condition. Proceed if it truly nourishes you and others; otherwise reconsider.

The six lines of Nourishment

A hexagram is built from the bottom up, so the first line is the lowest. You read a line's text only when your cast made it a moving line.

Bottom line, solid

You let go of your magic tortoise and watch me, jaw hanging. Misfortune.

You already have what you need, inner resources as steady as a sacred tortoise, yet you stare with envy at someone else's meal. Stop comparing. Go back to what actually sustains you.
Second line, broken

Seeking food upside down, against the norm; seeking it from the hill. Going on brings misfortune.

You look for support in the wrong place: from below, from those who rely on you, or from someone distant who owes you nothing. Pushing that way goes badly. Learn to feed yourself.
Third line, broken

Going against nourishment. Even persisting brings misfortune. For ten years, do not act. Nothing benefits.

You are feeding on what harms you, chasing pleasure or empty comfort. No amount of willpower redeems that path. Stop it entirely, for as long as it takes; the text's ten years means a long time.
Fourth line, broken

Seeking food from below brings good fortune. Staring like a tiger, desire chasing on and on. No harm.

You need help from those below you to do good work, and you seek it hungrily, with a tiger's stare. Since it serves others, that intensity is fine. Go after the help you need.
Fifth line, broken

Against the norm. Staying put and true brings good fortune. You cannot cross the great river.

You are in charge but not strong enough to provide alone, so you lean on a wiser helper. That is fine. Keep steady, rely on them, and do not attempt anything huge by yourself yet.
Top line, solid

The source of nourishment. Danger, then good fortune. It pays to cross the great river.

Others depend on you for what sustains them, and that is a heavy load. Feel the weight of it, stay careful, and you can take on large ventures. Feeding many people is worth the risk.

About hexagram 27

What does I Ching hexagram 27 mean?

Hexagram 27, Nourishment, puts a mountain above thunder. An open mouth between two jaws: watch what you feed yourself and others, and what you seek to put in your mouth. Its judgment reads: Staying true brings good fortune. Watch how people are fed, and what each seeks to fill their own mouth.

Is hexagram 27 a yes or a no?

Yes, with a condition. Proceed if it truly nourishes you and others; otherwise reconsider.

What does hexagram 27 mean for love?

Notice how you nourish each other. Give care and attention freely; don't hunger after what others have.

What does hexagram 27 mean for work?

Feed the right projects and people. Seek honest sources of income, never someone else's plate.

Cast the coins for a new question , or for a straight yes or no, throw the moon blocks

The I Ching reads a moment. For the years of your own life, cast your birth chart; on your chart page you can ask three questions of your own, answered against it, for $2.99.

The judgment and lines are rendered from the Chinese text; the quoted judgment is Legge's 1882 translation, and every other English line is Jade Almanac's own. A cast is a prompt for reflection, not advice about health, money or the law.