 | The Cauldron | |
| Upper Trigram: | Li, Clinging Brightness, Fire | |
| Lower Trigram: | Sun, Gentle Penetration, Mildness, Wind, Wood | |
| Governing Rulers: | Six in the fifth place Top-most nine | |
The Image
Fire above wood: the image of Ting. The superior man, in accordance with this, keeps his every position correct, and maintains the secure appointment of heaven.
Miscellaneous Signs
Ting takes what's new; the old is left by Ko.
The Judgement
Ting gives the intimation of great progress and success.
Commentary
In Ting we have the figure of a cauldron. We see wood entering into the fire, which suggests the idea of cooking. The sages cooked their offerings in order to present them to God, and made great feasts to nourish their wise and able ministers. We have the trigram representing flexible obedience, and that which denotes ears quick of hearing and eyes clear-sighted. We have, also, the weak line advanced and acting above, in the central place, and responded to by its strong correlate below. All these things give the idea of 'great progress and success'.
In Ting we have the figure of a cauldron. We see wood entering into the fire, which suggests the idea of cooking. The sages cooked their offerings in order to present them to God, and made great feasts to nourish their wise and able ministers. We have the trigram representing flexible obedience, and that which denotes ears quick of hearing and eyes clear-sighted. We have, also, the weak line advanced and acting above, in the central place, and responded to by its strong correlate below. All these things give the idea of 'great progress and success'.
The Lines and commentaries
Bottom six
A cauldron overthrown, and its feet turned up. There will be advantage in its getting rid of what was bad in it. Or a concubine whose position is improved by means of her son. There will be no error.
'The cauldron is overthrown, and its feet turned upwards': but this is not entirely contrary to what is right.
'There will be advantage in getting rid of what was bad': thereby the subject of the line will follow his apparently noble correlate.
Nine in the second placeA cauldron with food in it. If its subject can say: 'My enemy glares at me, but he cannot approach me', there will be good fortune.
'There is the cauldron, and the food in it': let the subject of this line be careful where he goes.
'My enemy glares at me': but there will in the end be no fault to which he can point.
Nine in the third place'My enemy glares at me': but there will in the end be no fault to which he can point.
A cauldron with the places of its ears changed. The progress of its subject is stopped. The fat flesh of the pheasant inside will not be eaten. But the genial rain will come, and the grounds for repentance will disappear. There will be good fortune in the end.
'There is the cauldron with its ears changed': its subject has failed to see what was required of him.
Nine in the fourth placeA cauldron with its feet broken, and its contents, designed for the ruler's use, overturned and spilt. Its subject will be made to blush for shame. There will be evil.
See also: Ta Chuan - Section 2, Chapter V-10.
'The contents, designed for the ruler's use, are overturned and spilt': how can this line's subject be trusted?
Six in the fifth placeThe cauldron with yellow ears and rings of metal in them. There will be advantage through being firm and correct.
'The cauldron has yellow ears': the central position of the line is taken as a proof of the solid virtue of its subject.
Top-most nineThe cauldron with rings of jade. There will be great good fortune, and action taken will be in every way advantageous.
'The rings of jade' are at the very top: the strong and the weak line meet in their due proportions.
 1. Ch'ien Creative Principle |  2. K'un Passive Principle |  3. Chun Initial Difficulties |  4. Meng Youthful Inexperience |  5. Hsü Delay |  6. Sung Conflict |  7. Shih The Army |  8. Pi Seeking Unity |  9. Hsiao Ch'u Minor Restraint |  10. Lü Treading carefully |  11. T'ai Peace |  12. P'i Stagnation |  13. T'ung Jen Companionship |  14. Ta Yu Great Possessions |  15. Ch'ien Modesty |  16. Yü Enthusiasm |  17. Sui Allegiance |  18. Ku Arresting Decay |  19. Lin Approaching |  20. Kuan Contemplation |  21. Shih Ho Biting through |  22. Pi Grace |  23. Po Disintegration |  24. Fu The Turning Point |  25. Wu Wang Innocence |  26. Ta Ch'u Restraining Force |  27. I Nourishment |  28. Ta Kuo Excess |  29. K'an The Abyss |  30. Li Clinging Brightness |  31. Hsieh Influence |  32. Heng Endurance |  33. Tun Withdrawal |  34. Ta Chuang Strength of Greatness |  35. Chin Progress |  36. Ming I Sinking Light |  37. Chia Jen The Family |  38. K'uei Opposition |  39. Chien Obstacles |  40. Hsieh Deliverance |  41. Sun Decrease |  42. I Increase |  43. Kuai Resolution |  44. Kou Coming on |  45. Ts'ui Congregation |  46. Sheng Moving upward |  47. K'un Exhaustion |  48. Ching The Well |  49. Ko Revolution | 50. Ting The Cauldron |  51. Chen Thunderclap |  52. Ken Inaction |  53. Chien Gradual Progress |  54. Kuei Mei Marriageable Maiden |  55. Feng Abundance |  56. Lü The Wanderer |  57. Sun Gentle Penetration |  58. Tui Joy |  59. Huan Dispersal |  60. Chien Restraint |  61. Cung Fu Inner Truth |  62. Hsiao Kuo Small Excess |  63. Chi Chi Completion and After |  64. Wei Chi Before Completion |