Hexagram 56: 旅 (lǚ)
Judgment
小亨，旅貞吉。
Lii intimates that (in the condition which it denotes) there may be some little attainment and progress. If the stranger or traveller be firm and correct as he ought to be, there will be good fortune.
Commentary on the judgment (彖傳)
旅，小亨，柔得中乎外，而順乎剛，止而麗乎明，是以小亨，旅貞吉也。旅之時義大矣哉！
The image (大象)
山上有火，旅；君子以明慎用刑，而不留獄。
The six lines
| Line | Chinese | Legge | Changes to |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 — | 鳥焚其巢，旅人先笑後號咷。喪牛于易，凶。 | The sixth line, undivided, suggests the idea of a bird burning its nest. The stranger, (thus represented), first laughs and then cries out. He has lost his ox(-like docility) too readily and easily. There will be evil. | 62 |
| 5 – – | 射雉一矢亡，終以譽命。 | The fifth line, divided, shows its subject shooting a pheasant. He will lose his arrow, but in the end he will obtain praise and a (high) charge. | 33 |
| 4 — | 旅于處，得其資斧，我心不快。 | The fourth line, undivided, shows the traveller in a resting-place, having (also) the means of livelihood and the axe, (but still saying), 'I am not at ease in my mind' | 52 |
| 3 — | 旅焚其次，喪其僮僕，貞厲。 | The third line, undivided, shows the stranger, burning his lodging-house, and having lost his servants. However firm and correct he (try to) be, he will be in peril. | 35 |
| 2 – – | 旅即次，懷其資，得僮僕貞。 | The second line, divided, shows the stranger, occupying his lodging-house, carrying with him his means of livelihood, and provided with good and trusty servants. | 50 |
| 1 – – | 旅瑣瑣，斯其所取災。 | The first line, divided, shows the stranger mean and meanly occupied. It is thus that he brings on himself (further) calamity. | 30 |
Lines are numbered from the bottom. Each line page shows the line text with its small image commentary; each “changes to” link opens the reading for that changing line.
Related hexagrams
- Inverse (lines in reverse order): hexagram 55
- Opposite (every line changed): hexagram 60 · reading
- Nuclear (lines 2–4 and 3–5): hexagram 28
English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East vol. 16 (1882) — public domain; OCR text of the 1882 printing, checked against the proofread hexagrams. Chinese: Zhou Yi from Chinese Wikisource.
Character glossary
- 小xiǎosmall, tiny, insignificant
- 亨hēngprospering, going smoothly
- 旅lǚjourney, trip; to travel
- 貞zhēnvirtuous, chaste, pure; loyal
- 吉jílucky, propitious, good
- 瑣suǒpetty; trifling; troublesome
- 斯sīthis, thus, such; emphatic particle; use
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 取qǔto take, to receive, to obtain; to selec
- 災zāidisaster, catastrophe, calamity
- 即jípromptly, quickly, immediately
- 次cìorder, sequence; second, next; one after
- 懷huáibosom, breast; to carry in one's bosom
- 資zīwealth, property, capital
- 得déto obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable,
- 僮tóngpage, servant boy
- 僕púto fall forward; prostrate, prone; serva
- 焚fénto burn
- 喪sàngmourning; mourn; funeral
- 厲lìwhetstone; to grind, to sharpen, to whet
- 于yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 處chùto reside at, to live in; place, locale;
- 斧fǔaxe, hatchet; to chop, to hew
- 我wǒI, me, my; our, us
- 心xīnheart; mind; soul
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 快kuàispeedy, rapid, quick; soon
- 射shèto shoot, to eject, to emit
- 雉zhìpheasant; crenellated wall
- 一yīone; a, an; alone
- 矢shǐarrow, dart; to vow, to swear
- 亡wángdeath, destruction; to lose; to perish
- 終zhōngend; finally, in the end
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 譽yùfame, reputation; to praise
- 命mìnglife; destiny, fate, luck; an order, ins
- 鳥niǎobird
- 巢cháonest, living quarters in tree
- 人rénman, person; people
- 先xiānfirst, former, previous
- 笑xiàoto smile, to laugh; to giggle; to snicke
- 後hòuafter; behind, rear; descendants
- 號hàomark, sign; symbol; number; to call, to
- 咷táohowl, cry loudly
- 牛niúox, cow, bull
- 易yìto change; to exchange, to trade; simple
- 凶xiōngculprit; murder; bad, sad
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0); Chinese Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.