Hexagram 30
The Clinging Fire
離 · 리
Fire over Fire
The Judgment
Fire gives light only while resting upon what sustains it. Human understanding likewise needs a worthy attachment: truth, right conduct, and relationships that nourish rather than consume. Steadfastness in such attachment brings success, while indiscriminate dependence scatters the brightness. Cultivate the quiet receptivity of a well-tended cow, joining illumination with gentleness. Clear sight becomes beneficial when it is neither proud of its brilliance nor careless of the conditions that keep it alive.
The Image
Brightness rises upon brightness, as fire renews its light through another flame. The noble one carries this illumination outward, making inherited understanding fruitful in the affairs of the world. Knowledge is not hoarded as a private possession; it becomes a steady light by which others may discern their way.
In the light of the Dao
Flame appears free, yet it lives through relationship. Its lesson is not to cling anxiously, but to recognize dependence without shame. Let awareness rest upon what is simple and sustaining. When brightness is softened by receptivity, it illuminates without scorching and responds without demanding mastery.
The two trigrams
Upper · outer
☲Fire
Clinging, clarity · Middle daughter
Lower · inner
☲Fire
Clinging, clarity · Middle daughter
The six lines
Read from the bottom up. A line speaks only when it moves — when the cast gives it as 6 or 9.
First line · the beginning · yang, nine
At the outset, footsteps cross and purposes are confused. Before the day's activity gathers force, establish a reverent attention to what you are doing. Such care is not timidity; it prevents small disorder from becoming harm and keeps the beginning free from blame.
Second line · the inner centre · yin, six
The flame shines with the yellow hue of the center, neither deficient nor excessive. Understanding is joined to balance and modesty. This is great good fortune: one sees enough to act rightly without needing to dazzle others or claim the whole field of light.
Third line · the threshold · yang, nine
The sun declines, and the passing of one's season becomes unmistakable. If ordinary joy cannot be received, grief over age may swallow the heart. Neither frantic pleasure nor lamentation restores the afternoon. Misfortune lies in resisting the proper rhythm of completion.
Fourth line · the minister · yang, nine
A sudden blaze leaps up, burns fiercely, and is quickly extinguished, leaving nothing fit to preserve. Brilliant arrival without roots or rightful support cannot endure. Beware the force that demands immediate recognition; what consumes its own foundation soon loses both place and continuity.
Fifth line · the ruler · yin, six
Tears flow, and sorrow is expressed without concealment. Yet this grief brings good fortune, for it shows that awareness has penetrated beneath pride. Recognizing the seriousness of one's position, one becomes humble enough to receive help and careful enough to preserve what matters.
Top line · the end · yang, nine
The ruler goes forth to correct disorder, removing its chief source while sparing those whose involvement is lesser. Decisive action is justified when judgment distinguishes responsibility rather than spreading punishment everywhere. Such measured correction restores order without the blame of indiscriminate severity.