The I Ching (Book of Changes) contains 64 hexagrams. Each one is a six-line figure built from two trigrams: three lines below it and three above. Traditionally they are used as symbolic frameworks for reflection on change, not as predictions of what will happen. This page lists all 64 in the traditional King Wen order so you can browse them by number, name, or shape.
All 64 hexagrams
Listed in the traditional King Wen order. Search by number (1-64), English name, or Chinese name.
Showing 64 of 64 hexagrams
1. Creative Force
乾 - Heaven over Heaven
Sustained effort and clear direction are available now; the risk is pushing so hard that nothing is left to respond.
2. Receptive Earth
坤 - Earth over Earth
Support and patient follow-through matter more than initiative; let the situation develop and respond to it well.
3. Initial Hardship
屯 - Water over Thunder
Beginnings are tangled; small careful steps are more useful than forcing a plan you cannot yet see.
4. Inexperience
蒙 - Mountain over Water
Something here is still unlearned; asking a good question is more productive than guessing.
5. Waiting
需 - Water over Heaven
The next move is not ready; use the delay to prepare rather than to worry, and act when conditions change.
6. Conflict
訟 - Heaven over Water
Positions are hardening; check whether the dispute is worth its cost and look for the narrower, fairer claim.
7. Organised Force
師 - Earth over Water
Coordination beats individual effort here; define the goal, name who leads, and keep discipline visible.
8. Closeness
比 - Water over Earth
Alliances and honest loyalty matter now; choose your company deliberately rather than drifting into association.
9. Small Restraint
小畜 - Wind over Heaven
Hold back a little rather than a lot; modest restraint and small accumulations build something for later.
10. Careful Steps
履 - Heaven over Lake
Tread carefully around a sensitive area; precise footing carries you further than confidence alone.
11. Peaceful Flow
泰 - Earth over Heaven
Things are moving together easily; keep the routines that produced this and avoid assuming it will hold by itself.
12. Standstill
否 - Heaven over Earth
Communication has stalled; withdraw effort rather than pushing, and preserve what is sound until the position shifts.
13. Shared Purpose
同人 - Heaven over Fire
A shared aim can widen what is possible; be explicit about the purpose rather than assuming agreement.
14. Great Abundance
大有 - Fire over Heaven
Resources are plentiful; the question is whether they are being used with purpose or simply accumulated.
15. Modesty
謙 - Earth over Mountain
Understatement is a strength here; let the work speak instead of the claim, and keep your footing steady.
16. Enthusiasm
豫 - Thunder over Earth
Momentum is available; give it structure or it will spend itself on nothing in particular.
17. Following
隨 - Lake over Thunder
Join an existing rhythm rather than imposing your own; follow what is actually working.
18. Repairing Decay
蠱 - Mountain over Wind
Something has spoiled through neglect; name the damage, fix what caused it, and rebuild deliberately.
19. Approaching
臨 - Earth over Lake
A favourable window is opening; move closer while remaining alert to what the approach is costing.
20. Contemplation
觀 - Wind over Earth
Step back and look at what is really going on; observation and example do more than instruction.
21. Biting Through
噬嗑 - Fire over Thunder
A stubborn obstacle needs decisive handling; address the cause directly rather than working around it again.
22. Adornment
賁 - Mountain over Fire
Presentation matters, but form without substance fades; use the surface to clarify, not to disguise.
23. Falling Away
剝 - Mountain over Earth
Things are being stripped back; let go of what is already going and protect what still has roots.
24. Return
復 - Earth over Thunder
A turning back toward the starting point; return quietly to basics rather than announcing a new direction.
25. Natural Integrity
無妄 - Heaven over Thunder
Act from what is plainly true rather than from calculation; unnecessary cleverness is the risk.
26. Great Accumulation
大畜 - Mountain over Heaven
What you need is built up slowly; accumulate quietly and commit decisively once the ground is ready.
27. Nourishment
頤 - Mountain over Thunder
Pay attention to what is feeding you and whom you are feeding; intake matters now.
28. Great Exceeding
大過 - Lake over Wind
You are carrying more than this can support; act on the important part and be willing to bend.
29. Repeated Water
坎 - Water over Water
Danger recurs in familiar shapes; move by small safe steps and stop trying to race through it.
30. Clinging Fire
離 - Fire over Fire
Clarity comes from something you depend on; check that the attachment is not constraining you.
31. Mutual Influence
咸 - Lake over Mountain
Influence is already working, often unspoken; notice what is being communicated before words.
32. Enduring
恆 - Thunder over Wind
Consistency matters more than intensity; the situation rewards whatever you can keep doing.
33. Withdrawal
遯 - Heaven over Mountain
Strategic distance is sensible now; withdraw without bitterness and keep your options intact.
34. Great Power
大壯 - Thunder over Heaven
Power is available here, and it needs direction; the risk is acting simply because you can.
35. Advance
晉 - Fire over Earth
Progress is supported; move forward visibly and keep the reasons clear.
36. Darkened Light
明夷 - Earth over Fire
It is hard to see where you stand right now; protect your ability to see clearly rather than showing everything.
37. Household
家人 - Wind over Fire
What happens closest to you sets the tone; attend to order, roles and care in your immediate circle.
38. Divergence
睽 - Fire over Lake
Things are pulling apart; check whether the underlying aim is still shared before pressing the difference.
39. Obstruction
蹇 - Water over Mountain
The direct path is blocked; stopping to reconsider the route beats forcing the same attempt.
40. Release
解 - Thunder over Water
Pressure is easing; return to normal step by step and keep only the obligations you actually need.
41. Decrease
損 - Mountain over Lake
Reduction is the way forward; subtract what is not essential rather than adding more.
42. Increase
益 - Wind over Thunder
Add in the direction of what already works; effort invested in support pays back more than display.
43. Breakthrough
夬 - Lake over Heaven
A decisive move is possible; make it clean, state it plainly, and avoid vindictiveness.
44. Meeting
姤 - Heaven over Wind
Something unexpected has arrived; meet it with attention rather than immediate commitment.
45. Gathering
萃 - Lake over Earth
People or resources are coming together; give the gathering a clear purpose or it will disperse.
46. Rising
升 - Earth over Wind
Gradual advance is available; push upward steadily rather than in one leap.
47. Confinement
困 - Lake over Water
You are boxed in; hold your ground, say less, and wait rather than fighting the constraint.
48. The Well
井 - Water over Wind
The resource is shared and already there; attend to access and upkeep rather than to ownership.
49. Change
革 - Lake over Fire
A change is genuine and overdue; get the timing right and make sure the reason is credible.
50. The Vessel
鼎 - Fire over Wind
Change needs something to hold it in place; set up the process or agreement that will hold it.
51. Thunder
震 - Thunder over Thunder
A shock resets the situation; steady yourself first, then notice what it revealed.
52. Stillness
艮 - Mountain over Mountain
Stopping is the correct action; let things come to rest before deciding anything further.
53. Gradual Progress
漸 - Wind over Mountain
Development is real but slow; respect the sequence and avoid making the final step the first.
54. Marriage
歸妹 - Thunder over Lake
An arrangement is made with mixed feelings; name the imbalance rather than papering over it.
55. Abundance
豐 - Thunder over Fire
Fullness brings visibility; take the opportunity, and shorten the moment before it overextends.
56. The Wanderer
旅 - Fire over Mountain
You are a visitor here; travel light and behave carefully rather than assuming a home advantage.
57. Gentle Wind
巽 - Wind over Wind
Steady gentle persistence works better than force; influence the direction rather than the outcome.
58. Joyful Lake
兌 - Lake over Lake
Openness and exchange lift the situation; keep the conversation honest and light rather than strategic.
59. Dissolving
渙 - Wind over Water
What was fixed is loosening; stop rebuilding what has already come apart and start with something simpler.
60. Limitation
節 - Water over Lake
Clear limits improve the situation; say what they are and hold to them rather than renegotiating constantly.
61. Inner Trust
中孚 - Wind over Lake
Honesty from the inside outward is the strongest place to stand; trust built this way survives pressure.
62. Small Exceeding
小過 - Thunder over Mountain
Small exceptions are acceptable; large ambition is not, so keep the deviation modest and visible.
63. Completion
既濟 - Water over Fire
Achievement is present and maintenance has begun; the risk is letting the standard slip now that it is reached.
64. Unfinished
未濟 - Fire over Water
The cycle is not closed; keep working through the detail rather than declaring the ending early.
What is a hexagram?
A hexagram is six lines stacked one above the other. Each line is either solid (yang) or broken (yin), which gives 64 possible six-line figures. The lower three lines form one trigram and the upper three form another, so every hexagram can also be read as a pair of trigrams. A hexagram is not a sentence with one fixed meaning: it is a framework for thinking about a situation, and the reader brings the question.
How the 64 hexagrams are formed
There are eight trigrams, each a three-line figure. Putting one trigram above another gives 8 x 8 = 64 hexagrams, and the King Wen sequence numbers them 1 to 64 in the traditional order used here: number 1 is all six lines solid, and number 2 is all six lines broken. Every hexagram listed below shows its number, both names, the two trigrams it is made from, and a drawing of its six lines.
Primary and changing hexagrams
A cast produces a primary hexagram, and any changing lines in it produce a second, resulting hexagram. An old yang line is changing into yin, and an old yin line is changing into yang, so the second figure shows where the situation may be heading. Browsing the 64 here is reference reading; if you want a reading for a specific question, use the free I Ching reading, which casts the coins for you.
Frequently asked questions
How many I Ching hexagrams are there?
Sixty-four. Each one is made by putting one of the eight trigrams above one of the same eight trigrams, which gives 8 x 8 combinations.
What do the six lines mean?
Each line is either solid (yang) or broken (yin), and its position matters: the bottom line is the earliest part of a situation and the top line is the most exposed. Lines that are changing are the ones in motion.
What is the difference between a trigram and a hexagram?
A trigram is three lines, and there are eight of them. A hexagram is six lines: two trigrams stacked, one above the other, which is where the 64 come from.
What is a changing hexagram?
It is the second hexagram produced when one or more lines in a cast are changing. The first hexagram describes the situation as it stands; flipping the changing lines shows where it may go next.
Do hexagrams predict the future?
No. The I Ching is a traditional framework for reflection. It does not predict what will happen, and it is not a substitute for your own judgement.
Browsing is reference reading. A cast gives you a reading for one specific question.