# Hexagram 37: The Family

Canonical page: https://thefreeiching.com/library/37
Last updated: 2026-10-07

```
━━━━━━━
━━━━━━━
━━━  ━━━
━━━━━━━
━━━  ━━━
━━━━━━━
```

- **Upper trigram:** [Xun 巽](https://thefreeiching.com/trigrams/xun), Wind, the gentle, penetrating
- **Lower trigram:** [Li 離](https://thefreeiching.com/trigrams/li), Fire, the clinging, clarity
- **Lines, bottom to top:** 101011 (1 = solid yang, 0 = broken yin)

## Contemporary judgment

The family: or any close-knit group. A circle thrives when each person holds their proper role with sincerity. This is not hierarchy for its own sake; it is the recognition that clarity of relationship makes love and work sustainable. Muddled roles breed resentment; clean ones set everyone free.

## Image

Wind rising from fire. The superior person's words have substance, and their conduct is consistent.

## Counsel

Look at the close relationships in your life. Where are the roles unclear, the expectations unspoken, the boundaries slipping? Address these gently and directly. The strength of anything larger in your life depends on the health of this inner circle. Tend it well.

## 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:
> Firm seclusion within the family. Remorse vanishes.

### Line 2

> A six in the second place means:
> She should not follow her whim.
> She should see to providing food within.
> Perseverance brings good fortune.

### Line 3

> A nine in the third place means:
> When things go heatedly in the family,
> remorse arises over too great severity.
> Yet good fortune!
> When wife and child dally and laugh,
> that leads in the end to humiliation.

### Line 4

> A six in the fourth place means:
> She is the wealth of the house.
> Great good fortune!

### Line 5

> A nine in the fifth place means:
> As a king he approaches his clan; do not be afraid.
> Good fortune!

### Line 6

> A nine at the top means:
> His work is awe-inspiring.
> In the end good fortune comes.

## Related hexagrams

- **Nuclear (lines 2 to 5):** [64 Before Completion](https://thefreeiching.com/library/64)
- **Inverse (turned upside down):** [38 Opposition](https://thefreeiching.com/library/38)
- **Opposite (every line flipped):** [40 Deliverance](https://thefreeiching.com/library/40)

## If one line changes

| Changing line | Relating hexagram |
| --- | --- |
| Line 1 | [53 Development](https://thefreeiching.com/library/53) |
| Line 2 | [9 Small Taming](https://thefreeiching.com/library/9) |
| Line 3 | [42 Increase](https://thefreeiching.com/library/42) |
| Line 4 | [13 Fellowship](https://thefreeiching.com/library/13) |
| Line 5 | [22 Grace](https://thefreeiching.com/library/22) |
| Line 6 | [63 After Completion](https://thefreeiching.com/library/63) |

Previous: [36 Darkening of the Light](https://thefreeiching.com/library/36). Next: [38 Opposition](https://thefreeiching.com/library/38). [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 37: The Family." https://thefreeiching.com/library/37 (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/37). The I Ching is a tool for reflection, not a prediction. Nothing here forecasts events or replaces professional advice.