I Ching · Hexagram 16 of 64
Hexagram 16: Yu （豫） — Enthusiasm
Thunder above earth: the spring thunder comes out of the ground and all things revive and flourish. Yu is joy, joy shared with others and not kept alone, the harmony of a company working together without friction. It follows from humility, for yielding makes harmony possible, and it teaches how to gather people and blend them into peaceful accord.
At a glance
| Hexagram | 16 of 64 |
|---|---|
| Name | Yu 豫 · Enthusiasm |
| Upper trigram | Zhen （震）· Thunder |
| Lower trigram | Kun （坤）· Earth |
| Structure | Thunder over Earth |
| Lines | 6 lines |
The Judgment （卦辞）
Yu: it is favorable to appoint helper lords and to take the field.
ExplainedYu is people happy and at peace together, and not only happy but rarely quarrelling. With that ability it is favorable to found states and take the field, to build halls of practice and spread the Way through the world. Everything depends on whether a group can live in harmony: if three or four people are already gossiping about each other, nothing can be built. Begin small, with a household shrine of ten or so at ease together, and the potential for great expansion is there.
Tuan Zhuan — Commentary on the Judgment （彖传）
Yu: the firm finds response and his will is carried out; in accord he moves. That is Yu. Because he moves in accord, heaven and earth are like him, how much more in appointing lords and taking the field? Heaven and earth move in accord, so sun and moon do not err and the four seasons do not go astray. The sage moves in accord, and punishments are clear and the people submit. Great indeed is the meaning of the time of Yu.
ExplainedOne firm line answers the yielding ones above and below it, and their wills move together in silent accord, so the leader's aims are realized. The rule is the measuring square: never treat those below as you would not be treated by those above, and never let the high be haughty and the low violent. Yielding below and movement above mean an accord both gentle and brisk, kindness joined with diligence, and such a body of people becomes harmonious; heaven and earth support such movement, the seasons run true, and a sage who moves in accord finds punishments clear and the people at peace.
Xiang Zhuan — Image Commentary （大象）
Thunder comes forth from the earth, stirred up: Yu. Thus the ancient kings made music to exalt virtue, and offered rich sacrifice to the Supreme Lord, associating the ancestors.
ExplainedThunder issuing from the earth is the surge of new life. The ancient kings made music to exalt virtue, so that hearing it thins the passions and lifts the character, and offered sacrifice to the Supreme Lord, joining the ancestors, so that the divine might dissolve the knots between people.
The Six Lines （六爻）
The lines are read from the bottom upward. Each carries its own text, a Small Image commentary, and a plain-English reading.
Line 1 · YinLine 1
Yu that crows aloud: misfortune.
Small ImageThe first six, Yu that crows: the will is exhausted, misfortune.
ExplainedThe great destroyer of harmony is the need to crow: to broadcast one's own opinion and overrule everyone else. The loudest voices carry a group for a time and end by ruining every relationship; a family or a hall perishes through this line.
Line 2 · YinLine 2
Firm as a rock. Not the whole day: steadfast good fortune.
Small ImageNot the whole day, steadfast and fortunate: because he is central and right.
ExplainedTo be firm as a rock in a company means taking nothing by crooked means and being unmoved by desire, and such a person gains the clarity that want of desire brings. Holding himself upright he need not scheme all day, and he sees the first faint sign of things and acts at once.
Line 3 · YinLine 3
Yu with eyes upturned: regret. Regret too late brings regret.
Small ImageYu with eyes upturned brings regret: his place is not fitting.
ExplainedEyes turned up at another: knowing perfectly well that one soft word would dissolve the standoff, and refusing to say it. Delay breeds regret, and by then regret comes too late; what could be mended and is left unmended puts one in the wrong place.
Line 4 · YangLine 4
The source of Yu: great possession. Do not doubt; friends gather as a hairpin gathers hair.
Small ImageThe source of Yu, great possession: his will is greatly carried out.
ExplainedThis is the line that makes the hexagram. Wisdom alone can only impress, while what truly wins hearts is compassion, tolerance and trust. With a large heart and no suspicion, heaven and the holy ones already in the work, the leader gathers the many as a hairpin gathers loose hair.
Line 5 · YinLine 5
Steadfastness brings illness, but it does not die.
Small ImageThe sixth five, steadfast and ill: he rides upon the firm. That it does not die forever: the center is not lost.
ExplainedDuring the building stage one should not occupy the throne. To be pushed up too early means illness even in uprightness, as a premature king is destroyed while a patient one survives. If placed there, hold the center and preserve the vital force, and one endures.
Line 6 · YinLine 6
Dark Yu: what is completed may change. No blame.
Small ImageDark Yu above: how could it last long?
ExplainedDark Yu is the gathering of the high for food, drink, song and travel, the enjoyment of blessing without substance. Whoever has the blessing of a high place should change: turn to sacrifice and service, imitating the sages who saved the world. A life of luxury at the top cannot last long.
Key takeaway
Harmony is joy shared and not announced: gather people by both gentleness and diligence, and build outward from a small circle at peace.
Frequently asked questions
What does Hexagram 16 (Yu) mean in the I Ching?
Thunder above earth: the spring thunder comes out of the ground and all things revive and flourish. Yu is joy, joy shared with others and not kept alone, the harmony of a company working together without friction. It follows from humility, for yielding makes harmony possible, and it teaches how to gather people and blend them into peaceful accord.
What is the judgment of Hexagram 16?
Yu: it is favorable to appoint helper lords and to take the field. Yu is people happy and at peace together, and not only happy but rarely quarrelling. With that ability it is favorable to found states and take the field, to build halls of practice and spread the Way through the world. Everything depends on whether a group can live in harmony: if three or four people are already…
What do the six lines of Hexagram 16 say?
Line 1: Yu that crows aloud: misfortune. Line 2: Firm as a rock. Not the whole day: steadfast good fortune. Line 3: Yu with eyes upturned: regret. Regret too late brings regret. Line 4: The source of Yu: great possession. Do not doubt; friends gather as a hairpin gathers hair. Line 5: Steadfastness brings illness, but it does not die. Line 6: Dark Yu: what is completed may change. No blame.
What is the main lesson of Hexagram 16 (Enthusiasm)?
Harmony is joy shared and not announced: gather people by both gentleness and diligence, and build outward from a small circle at peace.
Want the reading to be about you?
Enter your birth details to see your own BaZi (Four Pillars of Destiny) chart, your five-element balance and the key months ahead. Everything is calculated in your browser and nothing is stored.