I Ching hexagram 50
I Ching hexagram 50: The Cauldron
鼎 dǐng · fire above wind
Wood feeds the fire under a bronze cauldron: something worthy is being cooked, offered, and shared.
- The judgment
- Supreme good fortune. Success.
"Ting gives the intimation of great progress and success."
- What it says to you
- Wood below, fire above: kindling feeds a flame that heats a bronze cauldron. The cauldron cooked the offering for the ancestors and the meal for honored guests, so this figure is about feeding what matters and giving it a worthy vessel. The judgment is short and among the best in the book: supreme good fortune, success. For you, the question is what you are cooking and whether the vessel is sound. Check the legs. Line four shows a cauldron asked to carry more than it can bear, and the duke's dinner ends up on the floor. Check the ears and carrying rings too, the parts that let it be lifted and moved. Empty out anything spoiled first, as line one does. Then get the structure right, keep the fire steady, and what you make can feed more people than you.
Matter by matter
- Love
- A nourishing, settled bond. Tend it like a meal cooked with care, and it feeds you both.
- Work
- Strong for building lasting structures, mentoring, and taking a role worthy of your skill.
- Money
- Steady growth through sound structures. Do not overload what is holding it up.
- A yes or no question
- Yes. Supreme good fortune, provided the vessel can bear the load.
The six lines of The Cauldron
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.
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Bottom line, broken
The cauldron turned upside down, feet in the air: good for emptying out what has spoiled. Taking a concubine for the sake of her son. No mistake.
Clear out the old before you start. An upset that dumps out stale contents is useful. Something that looks irregular or second-best can still lead to a fine outcome; judge it by what comes of it.
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Second line, solid
The cauldron is full. My rival is ill and cannot come near me. Good fortune.
You have real substance now, and it draws envy. Keep your contents to yourself and stay focused on your work. Those who resent you cannot touch you while you stay steady.
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Third line, solid
The cauldron's ears are altered, so it cannot be carried. The fat pheasant goes uneaten. When the rain comes, regret fades. Good fortune in the end.
You have something good to offer, but no one can pick it up yet; the handle is missing. Be patient. When conditions soften, like rain after heat, your value will be recognized.
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Fourth line, solid
The cauldron's leg breaks, the duke's stew spills, and he is drenched with it. Misfortune.
You are carrying more than you can hold, or have trusted helpers who are too weak. Admit the limit before the leg snaps. Lighten the load or find stronger support now, while you still can.
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Fifth line, broken
The cauldron has yellow ears and bronze carrying rings. Firmness pays.
You are the handle that lets something valuable be lifted and used. Stay open, modest, and steady, and the right people will come to you. Keep your integrity firm; it is what holds the weight.
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Top line, solid
The cauldron has carrying rings of jade. Great good fortune. Nothing that does not go well.
Strength and gentleness are in balance, hard as jade and as smooth. Your work is reaching its finest form, and everything you touch turns out well. Give freely from what you have built.
About hexagram 50
What does I Ching hexagram 50 mean?
Hexagram 50, The Cauldron, puts fire above wind. Wood feeds the fire under a bronze cauldron: something worthy is being cooked, offered, and shared. Its judgment reads: Supreme good fortune. Success.
Is hexagram 50 a yes or a no?
Yes. Supreme good fortune, provided the vessel can bear the load.
What does hexagram 50 mean for love?
A nourishing, settled bond. Tend it like a meal cooked with care, and it feeds you both.
What does hexagram 50 mean for work?
Strong for building lasting structures, mentoring, and taking a role worthy of your skill.
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.