Hexagram 50
The Cauldron
鼎 · 정
Fire over Wind
The Judgment
The cauldron signifies the shaping of nourishment into a worthy offering. What is raw becomes sustaining through a vessel rightly made, a fire rightly tended, and an intention directed beyond appetite. Great prosperity is possible when able people are welcomed and their gifts put to fitting use. The work is both practical and sacred: establish sound forms, refine what they contain, and nourish the community so that cultivated virtue may take root.
The Image
Fire rises above wind and wood, as flame is fed beneath a cooking vessel. The noble one makes the position of responsibility secure by correcting personal conduct and attending to the charge received. A stable vessel and a living flame together turn provision into nourishment.
In the light of the Dao
The cauldron is useful because its hollow receives what it does not possess. Wood yields itself to flame, and ingredients surrender their separate hardness. In Daoist terms, refinement is not self-display but a patient transformation through emptiness, proportion, and service to the whole.
The two trigrams
Upper · outer
☲Fire
Clinging, clarity · Middle daughter
Lower · inner
☴Wind
Gentle, penetrating · Eldest 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 · yin, six
The cauldron is turned over so that its stale contents may be emptied. An apparent inversion can therefore begin renewal. As a secondary union may gain acknowledgment through a child, an unconventional beginning is defensible when it produces genuine nourishment rather than disorder.
Second line · the inner centre · yang, nine
The vessel contains real food, while companions are troubled by afflictions that cannot reach it. Guard the substance of your work without contempt for others. When inward resources are sound and harmful entanglements kept at a distance, the undertaking can prosper.
Third line · the threshold · yang, nine
The cauldron's means of being lifted are obstructed, and its rich food cannot yet be served. Ability exists, but access and recognition fail. Do not confuse this hindrance with worthlessness. When the tension breaks like weather turning to rain, regret diminishes and usefulness returns.
Fourth line · the minister · yang, nine
The cauldron's legs give way, spilling the meal intended for the ruler and staining the person entrusted with it. Responsibility has exceeded capacity or care. This is not a harmless accident of appearance: inadequate support has betrayed a serious charge and brings disgrace.
Fifth line · the ruler · yin, six
The cauldron has balanced fittings and strong carrying supports, suggesting a receptive center joined to dependable assistance. Worthy service is now possible through the right relationship between responsibility and ability. Remain steadfast; favorable equipment and good counsel still require an unwavering purpose.
Top line · the end · yang, nine
Jade fittings crown the completed vessel, uniting strength with a gentle and cultivated bearing. At this height, refinement no longer obstructs usefulness, and usefulness no longer lacks grace. Great benefit follows because the means of nourishment are both trustworthy and free from harshness.