I Ching hexagram 30

I Ching hexagram 30: Fire

离 lí · fire above fire

Fire clinging to wood, flame on flame: brightness depends on what it holds on to, so attach yourself to something good.

The judgment: It pays to stay true. Success. Raising a cow brings good fortune.
"Lî indicates that, (in regard to what it denotes), it will be advantageous to be firm and correct, and that thus there will be free course and success. Let (its subject) also nourish (a docility like that of) the cow, and there will be good fortune."
James Legge's translation, 1882
What it says to you: Flame on flame, the sun rising twice. Fire is bright, but it has no body of its own; it must cling to wood or oil to burn at all. So this hexagram is about clarity and about what you attach yourself to, since here the two are one. The judgment asks you to stay true and to raise a cow, the gentlest, most patient animal on the farm. Brilliance needs docility underneath it, or it burns out. The lines run through the life of a day. Confused steps at dawn, taken carefully. Yellow light at noon, the best. Then the setting sun, where you can drum on a clay pot and sing or moan about growing old, your choice. Pick what you hold on to with care, keep your light steady rather than flaring, and tend something patiently.

Matter by matter

Love: Attachment is the theme. Choose someone who steadies you; patient warmth outlasts sudden flare-ups.
Work: Clarity and visibility. Be bright but humble; rely on a sound base and steady habits.
Money: Patient tending beats flashy moves. Hold on to sound assets and avoid sudden spikes.
A yes or no question: Yes, with a condition. Proceed if you can stay steady and gentle, without rushing.

The six lines of Fire

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

Footsteps crisscross in confusion. Treat them with respect, and no harm.

It is early, and a lot is happening at once. Don't rush in. Take the first steps with care and attention, and the confusion sorts itself out without any mistakes.
Second line, broken

Yellow light. Supreme good fortune.

This is the noon sun: warm, centered, golden. You hold the middle path, neither too much nor too little. This is the best fortune in the hexagram. Stay just where you are.
Third line, solid

The light of the setting sun. If you do not drum on a clay pot and sing, you will sigh like the very old. Misfortune.

Something is winding down. You can mourn its passing or enjoy what is left of the day. Moaning about the decline is what makes this unlucky. Sing while there is still light.
Fourth line, solid

Suddenly it comes: blazing, dying, thrown away.

A flare-up that burns fast and burns out. Sudden brilliance or sudden anger consumes itself and leaves nothing behind. Don't be the flash, and if one arrives in your life, don't build on it.
Fifth line, broken

Tears pour down in floods, sighing in grief. Good fortune.

Real sorrow, fully felt and shown. Strange that it is lucky, but heartfelt grief means you understand what is at stake. That clarity changes things for the better, and the text calls it good fortune.
Top line, solid

The king sends him out to campaign. He wins praise by striking down the leader, and does not seize the followers. No harm.

You have the authority to fix a problem. Remove its root and spare those who merely went along. Firmness at the head, mercy below: that combination keeps you clear of any mistake.

About hexagram 30

What does I Ching hexagram 30 mean?

Hexagram 30, Fire, doubles the trigram for fire. Fire clinging to wood, flame on flame: brightness depends on what it holds on to, so attach yourself to something good. Its judgment reads: It pays to stay true. Success. Raising a cow brings good fortune.

Is hexagram 30 a yes or a no?

Yes, with a condition. Proceed if you can stay steady and gentle, without rushing.

What does hexagram 30 mean for love?

Attachment is the theme. Choose someone who steadies you; patient warmth outlasts sudden flare-ups.

What does hexagram 30 mean for work?

Clarity and visibility. Be bright but humble; rely on a sound base and steady habits.

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.