| Name | 复 Fù, “Return” |
|---|---|
| Upper trigram | ☷ 坤 Earth: receptivity and support |
| Lower trigram | ☳ 震 Thunder: sudden movement |
The Judgment
亨。出入无疾，朋来无咎。反复其道，七日来复。利有攸往。
Success. Going out and coming in — no illness. Friends come without blame. Back and forth on the path — return in seven days. Wise to have somewhere to go.
Things are coming back. The cycle resets — let it. Movement is good now, but follow the rhythm.
The Image
雷在地中，复；先王以至日闭关，商旅不行，后不省方。
Thunder within the earth — Return. The ancient kings closed the passes at the solstice. Merchants and travelers did not move. Rulers did not inspect the regions.
When the new cycle starts, protect it. Slow down, close the doors, let the seed root before you move again.
The six lines
If a line changes in your cast, read its text below. Lines are numbered from the bottom.
Line 1 · first (bottom) · Yang
不远复，无祗悔，元吉。
Return after not going far. No need for regret. Supreme fortune.
You caught the wrong path early. Almost no damage. This is what self-awareness pays out.
Line 2 · second · Yin
休复，吉。
Quiet return. Fortune.
Coming back to yourself without fanfare. The quietest pivots are often the deepest.
Line 3 · third · Yin
频复，厉，无咎。
Repeated return. Danger. No blame.
You keep leaving and coming back. Exhausting — but not fatal. Notice the pattern and break it.
Line 4 · fourth · Yin
中行独复。
Walking in the middle, returning alone.
Surrounded by people going the wrong way, you turn around alone. That's leadership of yourself.
Line 5 · fifth · Yin
敦复，无悔。
Noble-hearted return. No regret.
Coming back with integrity. Owning what you did. Clean restart.
Line 6 · top · Yin
迷复，凶，有灾眚。用行师，终有大败，以其国君凶，至于十年不克征。
Missing the return. Misfortune. Disaster. If armies are mobilized — in the end, great defeat. For the ruler — misfortune. For ten years — no recovery.
Refused to come back when you could have. The damage compounds for years. This is the warning — not the destiny.
Related hexagrams
- Inverted (turned upside down): Hexagram 23, Splitting Apart
- Complement (every line reversed): Hexagram 44, Coming to Meet