Hexagram 55 of 64
豐 Fēng · Abundance
上 震 Thunder (Zhèn) over 下 離 Fire (Lí)
At the full, write it down.
Judgment
Zhouyi, hexagram 55, judgment. English translation in preparation.
Image
In short: thunder and lightning come.
Zhouyi, hexagram 55, Great Image. Short gloss by Koyonari; full translation in preparation.
Commentary
Fēng is thunder and lightning arriving together: light and sound both reaching their greatest fullness. Fēng speaks of remembering to record when at the peak: the fullest moment cannot be held; in days to come, all you can bring forth is what you wrote or captured back then. Today is worth spending a few extra minutes to preserve this moment as something tangible.
Koyonari commentary.
The Six Lines
“Meeting his peer lord: though equal, no blame. Advancing earns esteem.” One meets someone who is a fitting match. Xún here means “equal.” Although both are equally strong and vigorous, there is still “no blame,” meaning no fault. “Going forward earns esteem” means that proceeding will bring approval. The emphasis is on cooperating with one another.
Zhouyi, hexagram 55, line 1. Koyonari translation.
“Though matched, there is no blame; exceeding the match brings disaster.” Although parity in strength and yang virtue entails no blame, crossing the boundary of equality and acting rashly beyond one’s measure will invite disaster.
Zhouyi, hexagram 55, line 2. Koyonari translation.
“Making abundant his canopy, seeing the Big Dipper at midday: advancing earns suspicion and distrust. Sincerity opening forth brings good fortune.” Bù means a covering. It is so dense that the Big Dipper can be seen even at noon, an image of light being obscured. Going forward at this time brings suspicion and resentment. Fú means sincerity and trustworthiness. If these can move the other person and dispel the obscurity, the judgment is “good fortune,” meaning a favorable outcome.
Zhouyi, hexagram 55, line 3. Koyonari translation.
“Possessing sincerity, he is stirred; sincerity rouses the will.” Holding sincerity to activate one’s resolve means using truthfulness to inspire the will. In a time of darkness and suspicion, six in the second place relies on sincerity to move six in the fifth place; another interpretation holds that one mobilizes one’s own will through sincerity, remaining untrapped by obscurity.
Zhouyi, hexagram 55, line 4. Koyonari translation.
“Making abundant his screen, seeing tiny stars at midday; breaking his right forearm: no blame.” The screen is so thick that small stars can be seen even at noon, indicating deeper obscurity. Pèi is read as “screen” and mèi as “small stars.” It is also like having a broken right arm, making action difficult. This is an obstruction in one’s circumstances, not a personal fault, hence “no blame,” meaning no grounds for reproach. Another interpretation takes the broken arm to mean not being employed: one withdraws and preserves one’s integrity, and thus has no fault.
Zhouyi, hexagram 55, line 5. Koyonari translation.
“Increasing his screen, he cannot undertake great matters. Breaking his right arm, in the end it cannot be used.” Enlarging the light-blocking curtain to the extreme (pèi means a banner or curtain used to obscure light) prevents undertaking great endeavors; breaking the right arm means losing capable assistance, rendering it ultimately unusable.
Zhouyi, hexagram 55, line 6. Koyonari translation.
“Making abundant his canopy, seeing the Big Dipper at midday; meeting his kindred lord: good fortune.” Bù means a covering. It is so dense that the Big Dipper can be seen even at noon; light remains obscured. At this point one meets a yízhǔ, someone of equal standing who can offer help. Mutual cooperation brings an outcome of “good fortune,” meaning that the situation turns favorable.
Zhouyi, hexagram 55, line 7. Koyonari translation.
“Enlarging the screen; the position is improper. Seeing the Dipper at midday; dark and dim. Meeting his equal lord brings good fortune; he proceeds.” Making the screen (bù, something obscuring light) excessively thick to block the light is because nine in the fourth place is improperly positioned as yang upon yin; seeing the Dipper at midday reflects darkness; meeting an equal master (initial nine) brings good fortune because one can proceed.
Zhouyi, hexagram 55, line 8. Koyonari translation.
“Luster arrives: blessings and praise come, good fortune.” Bringing in people of ability and virtue who can make brightness manifest brings blessings and praise. Zhāng carries the meanings of brightness and making something evident. A person in the leading position who can welcome the worthy receives the judgment “good fortune,” meaning a favorable outcome.
Zhouyi, hexagram 55, line 9. Koyonari translation.
“The good fortune of six in the fifth place brings celebration.” Six in the fifth place achieves good fortune through blessings. It summons talented and worthy people, thereby attaining celebration.
Zhouyi, hexagram 55, line 10. Koyonari translation.
“Making abundant his house, screening his dwelling: peering through the door, silent with no one there, unseen for three years. Misfortune.” The house is built tall and grand, yet the home is screened into darkness. Looking through the doorway reveals silence and no one in sight; for three years, there is no meeting with others. Qù means silence, and dí means meeting. This depicts grandeur reaching its extreme while shutting oneself away. Hence “misfortune,” meaning an unfavorable situation.
Zhouyi, hexagram 55, line 11. Koyonari translation.
“Enlarging the house, soaring to heaven’s edge. Peering through the door, quiet without anyone; he conceals himself.” Building a vast house like a bird soaring at heaven’s edge indicates placing oneself aloft. Looking inside the doorway finds stillness without anyone, as six at the top conceals itself. One view holds that soaring at heaven’s edge depicts hiding profoundly deep.
Zhouyi, hexagram 55, line 12. Koyonari translation.