Hexagram 10 of 64
Treading
履 Lǚ
Upper trigram: 乾 Qián, heaven
Lower trigram: 兌 Duì, lake
The judgment
履虎尾，不咥人，亨。
A foot comes down on the tiger's tail, and the tiger does not bite the walker. Success.
The Great Image
上天下澤，履；君子以辨上下，定民志。
Above is heaven and below is the lake: Treading. In the same way, the noble person distinguishes high from low and settles the aims of the people.
The six lines
Lines are counted from the bottom. Read a line closely when it changes in your cast.
Line 1 初九
素履，往无咎。
Treading in plain shoes. Going brings no blame.
Plain shoes carry no show of status. Ask what you could do next in your own plain way, without dressing it up for anyone.
Line 2 九二
履道坦坦，幽人貞吉。
Treading a road that is level and smooth. For the person in seclusion, holding firm brings good fortune.
The road is level for one who keeps out of view. Consider whether staying out of the contest could make your way easier.
Line 3 六三
眇能視，跛能履，履虎尾，咥人，凶。武人為于大君。
One-eyed, yet able to see. Lame, yet able to walk. Treading on the tiger's tail, and it bites the person. Misfortune. A warrior acts for the great ruler.
The old image pictures someone sure of partial skills who steps where a tiger lies. Ask where you may be overrating what you can do.
Line 4 九四
履虎尾，愬愬終吉。
Treading on the tiger's tail in trembling fear. In the end, good fortune.
The same tiger and the same tail, and here fear keeps the walker careful. Consider how much caution you could bring to a powerful person or situation without turning back.
Line 5 九五
夬履，貞厲。
Treading resolutely. Holding firm brings danger.
Walking with hard resolve carries danger even when you are right. Ask whether your firmness has begun to ignore the ground under your feet.
Line 6 上九
視履考詳，其旋元吉。
Look at the treading and examine the details. Its turning back brings supreme good fortune.
The line asks you to look back over the steps you have taken. Consider what the record of your conduct shows before you turn to the next thing.
What this hexagram says
This hexagram is a lake below and heaven above. The low, soft lake lies under the strong sky, and the pairing suggests someone small stepping behind someone large. It is about conduct and how you walk near power.
The judgment gives the plainest picture of risk: you tread on a tiger's tail and it does not bite. Courtesy and care are what it points to. Ask who holds power in your situation and how you could approach them with respect.
If your question is about a difficult boss, a hierarchy or a delicate negotiation, tradition reads this as a time for good manners and attention to every step. The lines caution against overrating your own ability and against a resolve so hard that it stops listening.
A hexagram is a prompt for reflection. It cannot promise a result, and it is no substitute for medical, legal or financial advice.
Where this text comes from
The Chinese follows the Wikisource text of the Zhou Yi (its page for this hexagram, 周易/履), compared with the Project Gutenberg edition. The Great Image comes from the Wikisource page 周易/大象.
- Wikisource, 周易
Retrieved 2026-11-08
- Project Gutenberg eBook 25501, 易經
Retrieved 2026-11-08
Read this hexagram with its traditional commentaries in our library.
Where the sources differ
- In the image, Wikisource reads 辨上下 (distinguishes high from low). Project Gutenberg reads 辯上下, with 辯 meaning to argue, a character that can also stand for 辨.
- In the top line, Wikisource reads 考詳 (examine the details). Project Gutenberg reads 考祥 (examine the omens).
The English renderings and the advice are by Cast & Chart. The advice is a modern reading and is not part of the classical text.