# Hexagram 1: The Creative

Canonical page: https://thefreeiching.com/library/1
Last updated: 2026-10-07

```
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━━━━━━━
━━━━━━━
```

- **Upper trigram:** [Qian 乾](https://thefreeiching.com/trigrams/qian), Heaven, the creative, strong
- **Lower trigram:** [Qian 乾](https://thefreeiching.com/trigrams/qian), Heaven, the creative, strong
- **Lines, bottom to top:** 111111 (1 = solid yang, 0 = broken yin)

## Contemporary judgment

The creative principle is at its strongest. A time of originating, beginning, and sustained power. What arises from you now has the force to shape what follows for a long time. Align yourself with what is great and true; the moment supports genuine ambition.

## Image

Heaven above Heaven. The dragon rises through six stages of its power. The superior person draws strength from this tireless motion and works without ceasing.

## Counsel

Act from your highest understanding. Do not compromise principle for short-term gain; it will cost you far more than it earns. Move with confidence, but never with force. The creative flows through those who stay true.

## The six lines

*Numbered from the bottom upward. These line texts are read when that line is changing in a cast.*

### Line 1

> A nine at the beginning means:
> A hidden dragon. Do not act!

### Line 2

> A nine in the second place means:
> A dragon appearing in the field.
> It is favorable to see the great man.

### Line 3

> A nine in the third place means:
> The noble one is creatively active the whole day.
> Evening still finds them full of inner concern.
> Danger. No blame.

### Line 4

> A nine in the fourth place means:
> Wavering flight over the deep.
> No blame.

### Line 5

> A nine in the fifth place means:
> A flying dragon in the sky.
> It is favorable to see the great man.

### Line 6

> A nine at the top means:
> An arrogant dragon will have cause to regret.

## Related hexagrams

- **Nuclear (lines 2 to 5):** [1 The Creative](https://thefreeiching.com/library/1)
- **Inverse (turned upside down):** itself
- **Opposite (every line flipped):** [2 The Receptive](https://thefreeiching.com/library/2)

## If one line changes

| Changing line | Relating hexagram |
| --- | --- |
| Line 1 | [44 Coming to Meet](https://thefreeiching.com/library/44) |
| Line 2 | [13 Fellowship](https://thefreeiching.com/library/13) |
| Line 3 | [10 Treading](https://thefreeiching.com/library/10) |
| Line 4 | [9 Small Taming](https://thefreeiching.com/library/9) |
| Line 5 | [14 Great Possession](https://thefreeiching.com/library/14) |
| Line 6 | [43 Breakthrough](https://thefreeiching.com/library/43) |

Previous: none. Next: [2 The Receptive](https://thefreeiching.com/library/2). [All sixty-four hexagrams](https://thefreeiching.com/library).

*The judgment, image and counsel are original contemporary paraphrases written for The Free I Ching. The line text is the CC0 translation from [jesshewitt/i-ching](https://github.com/jesshewitt/i-ching), derived from Richard Wilhelm's 1924 German edition.*

## Cite this page

The Free I Ching. "Hexagram 1: The Creative." https://thefreeiching.com/library/1 (updated 2026-10-07).

*The I Ching is a tool for reflection, not a prediction. Nothing here forecasts events or replaces professional advice. Short quotations with a link back are welcome. Please do not republish a page in full. The open data files at [/data](https://thefreeiching.com/data) are licensed CC BY 4.0.*

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Source: The Free I Ching (https://thefreeiching.com/library/1). The I Ching is a tool for reflection, not a prediction. Nothing here forecasts events or replaces professional advice.