Hexagram 50 of 64
The Cauldron
鼎 Dǐng
Upper trigram: 離 Lí, fire
Lower trigram: 巽 Xùn, wind
The judgment
元吉，亨。
Supreme good fortune. Success.
The Great Image
木上有火，鼎；君子以正位凝命。
Above the wood there is fire: The Cauldron. In the same way, the noble person keeps to the right position and makes the mandate firm.
The six lines
Lines are counted from the bottom. Read a line closely when it changes in your cast.
Line 1 初六
鼎顛趾，利出否，得妾以其子，无咎。
The cauldron is tipped over, its feet in the air. It is fitting to empty out what is foul. Gaining a concubine along with her son. No blame.
Tipping a cauldron empties out the old residue, and the line mentions a concubine taken for the sake of her son, a practice of its age. You may draw a wider point from it: ask whom you have written off because of their position, and what clearing out old assumptions could let in.
Line 2 九二
鼎有實，我仇有疾，不我能即，吉。
The cauldron has contents. My rival is ailing and cannot come near me. Good fortune.
The pot is full and a rival cannot get near. Ask whether you could keep your attention on what you are cooking without watching who else is in the kitchen.
Line 3 九三
鼎耳革，其行塞，雉膏不食，方雨虧悔，終吉。
The cauldron's ears are changed. Its movement is blocked. The pheasant's fat goes uneaten. Rain is coming and regret wanes. In the end, good fortune.
With its handles changed, the cauldron cannot be carried and the pheasant goes uneaten. If your good work is stuck because the means of moving it are broken, ask what handle you need to repair.
Line 4 九四
鼎折足，覆公餗，其刑渥，凶。
The cauldron's leg breaks. The duke's stew is spilled. The punishment is heavy. Misfortune.
A broken leg spills the duke's stew and brings a heavy penalty. Ask whether you have taken on a load your support cannot bear, and who else would be affected if it gave way.
Line 5 六五
鼎黃耳金鉉，利貞。
The cauldron has yellow ears and a bronze carrying bar. It is fitting to hold firm.
Yellow was the color of the center, and the ears and bar are how a cauldron is lifted. Consider whether the people who carry your work are well placed and trusted.
Line 6 上九
鼎玉鉉，大吉，无不利。
The cauldron has a jade carrying bar. Great good fortune. Nothing is unfavorable.
Jade is hard and cool, and a carrying bar made of it is the finishing touch on the vessel. Consider what final quality you could bring to the thing you have made so that others can take it up.
What this hexagram says
Wind below, fire above. The lower trigram also stands for wood, feeding a flame under a bronze vessel, and the six lines even look like a cauldron with legs, belly, ears and carrying bar. It stands for preparing what nourishes people and for the authority that goes with it.
The judgment is among the shortest and most favorable: supreme good fortune, success. Cauldrons were used for offerings and stood for the legitimacy of a ruling house. Ask what you are cooking for others and whether it is being given the care it deserves.
If your question is about a new role, an organization or work meant to serve others, tradition reads this as a time to care for the vessel as well as the meal. The lines attend to feet, ears and legs, and the fourth is a caution about overloading what holds everything up.
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/鼎), 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 fourth line, Wikisource (A) reads 其刑渥 (the punishment is heavy) and notes that another text has 形. Project Gutenberg (B) reads 其形渥 (its form is soaked).
The English renderings and the advice are by Cast & Chart. The advice is a modern reading and is not part of the classical text.