Hexagram 56
The Wanderer
旅
Upper
Fire · 離
the clinging, clarity
Lower
Mountain · 艮
keeping still
Contemporary judgment
The wanderer. You are moving through territory that is not your home. Travel lightly, treat others with respect, take nothing you cannot carry. Strangers are watching how you conduct yourself; your behavior here establishes who you are in a place where your reputation does not precede you.
Image
Fire on the mountain, not lingering. The superior person is clear-minded and cautious in imposing penalties and does not prolong lawsuits.
Counsel
Stay modest in your claims. Be courteous to those whose support is not guaranteed. Do not try to establish deep roots here; this is a transit, not a destination. What you carry out of it, the refinements of character made under unfamiliar conditions, is what matters.
The six lines
Numbered from the bottom upward; displayed here from first to sixth.
Line 1
A six at the beginning means: If the wanderer busies themself with petty things, they draw misfortune upon themself by this.
Line 2
A six in the second place means: The wanderer comes to the inn. They have their possessions with them. They gain the perseverance of a young servant.
Line 3
A nine in the third place means: The wanderer's inn burns down. They lose the perseverance of their young servant. Danger.
Line 4
A nine in the fourth place means: The wanderer rests at a place of shelter. They gain their possessions and an axe. My heart is not glad.
Line 5
A six in the fifth place means: They shoot a pheasant; with the first arrow it falls. In the end, praise and office come through this.
Line 6
A nine at the top means: The bird's nest burns. The wanderer first laughs, then must they lament and weep. They lose the cow through frivolity. Misfortune!
Contemporary sections are original app interpretations. Line text comes from the CC0 translation in jesshewitt/i-ching.