I Ching · Hexagram 24 of 64
Hexagram 24: Fu （复） — Return
Fu is Earth over Thunder, the turning that follows Splitting Apart, when a single yang returns. Beneath five yielding lines one firm line is born again at the base, like leaves falling to feed the root in winter and send up new growth in spring. The teaching is that what is spent returns: health, wisdom and the original nature are recovered, from without inward and from delusion to awakening, in seven days, and after the sinking comes a new departure.
At a glance
| Hexagram | 24 of 64 |
|---|---|
| Name | Fu 复 · Return |
| Upper trigram | Kun （坤）· Earth |
| Lower trigram | Zhen （震）· Thunder |
| Structure | Earth over Thunder |
| Lines | 6 lines |
The Judgment （卦辞）
Return. Success. Going out and coming in without harm. Friends come without blame. The way turns back and returns; in seven days comes the return. It is favorable to go forward.
ExplainedReturn is the way home to the source, the turning back of the light and the seeing of one's own nature, a road no one can block. Going out and coming in without harm means that once vitality is restored one can act and be still at will, and what goes out comes home again, free of sickness and obstruction. Friends come without blame because a heart made bright draws good fortune and the protection of the holy, and all of it keeps one from error. Seven days means that the way home is short, and once the nature is restored one may set out anew.
Tuan Zhuan — Commentary on the Judgment （彖传）
Return. Success. The firm returns. It moves and proceeds with compliance, therefore going out and coming in without harm, friends come without blame. The way turns back and returns; in seven days comes the return: this is the course of Heaven. It is favorable to go forward: the firm grows. Return: in it one sees the heart of Heaven and earth.
ExplainedThe firm returns: the upright and expansive spirit comes back, so the road of restoring one's nature is a great highway through Heaven. Because thunder moves and earth complies, the restored nature goes out with a soft and all-embracing temper, and so nothing harms it and good company arrives. The seven days are the circling of Heaven's principle, and once returned the firm begins to grow, from the single yang of return to the two of approach and the three of peace, from within outward. And the end of return is to see the conscience of Heaven and earth, that is, to behold the original mind.
Xiang Zhuan — Image Commentary （大象）
Thunder within the earth: Return. Thus the ancient kings closed the passes at the turning of the year, traders did not travel, and the sovereign did not inspect the regions.
ExplainedThunder hidden in the earth, life waiting to break out, as the first thunder of spring wakes all things. At the winter solstice the ancient kings closed the gates for seven days, halting trade and inspection, so that the whole realm grew still and turned its light inward, and the heart of the year was restored. The practice is hard today, but its essence remains: to gather in quiet and return to the root, in a nation or in a single household, not to hold more activity but to truly turn the light around.
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 · YangLine 1
Not far to return. There is no great regret. Supreme good fortune.
Small ImageThe return that is not far serves the cultivation of the self.
ExplainedThe heart is sometimes carried off by outer things, but one who is alert stops the wrong thought or the coming trouble at once and does not travel far down a wasted road. It is the proof of successful self-cultivation that evil thought within and evil company without are both seen early and set right, so that calamity is avoided before it forms.
Line 2 · YinLine 2
Restful return. Good fortune.
Small ImageThe good fortune of restful return: he humbles himself before benevolence.
ExplainedAfter the war between Heaven's principle and human desire, life enters a restful return: the mind is fair and glad, joy of the Way fills it and evil thought dissolves, so good fortune comes without being sought. This fair temper grows from humility and benevolence, and where the will is set on becoming a good and benevolent person, evil falls away of itself.
Line 3 · YinLine 3
Repeated return. Danger. No blame.
Small ImageThe danger of repeated return: in principle, no blame.
ExplainedOne loses the nature and returns, loses and returns again, now clear and kind, now seized by greed and anger, and the toil is great. Yet this is the necessary path of cultivation and the burning away of old karma. The quickest way to burn it is to go out and do good, for sacrificial service clears habit swiftly, while one who sits at home struggling with himself never sees the end of it.
Line 4 · YinLine 4
Walking in the middle, he alone returns.
Small ImageWalking in the middle, he alone returns: he follows the Way.
ExplainedAmong the four yielding lines he alone turns back while all around pursue gain, and so he feels alone, like the only one in the family who keeps the fast and looks for the Way. Yet this is exactly the fading of desire and the sufficiency of enough, and to turn the light inward alone is to follow the Way and the conscience rather than the crowd. Everyone must pass this solitary gate, and in passing it the karma of many lives is cleared.
Line 5 · YinLine 5
Earnest return. No regret.
Small ImageEarnest return without regret: he examines himself from the center.
ExplainedThe heart settles like a mound grown into a mountain, and settled it has nothing to regret, for greed, anger and delusion gathered over many lives have been repented and cleared. One must examine oneself from the center, neither fleeing the world nor indulging it, asking always whether so much is truly needed. No crime so great survives a single act of repentance, and the worst state is a light fault one refuses to admit.
Line 6 · YinLine 6
Deluded return. Misfortune. There is calamity and blindness.
Small ImageThe misfortune of deluded return: he turns against the way of the prince.
ExplainedTo be deluded and not return is to lose the nature forever, seeking always outward and refusing to come home, and even in cultivation to ask Heaven for what one wants, wholly denying the wishless life. This line alone is misfortune, for blindness means no wisdom and therefore wrong judgment, walking into the fire one might have avoided. Where a nation takes profit as its profit, calamity follows and the people contend and wound one another; the root of the misfortune is to prize gain over rightness and to refuse to turn back.
Key takeaway
Return restores the health, wisdom and original nature that are already ours, from delusion to awakening, in seven days, and sends us out again renewed.
Frequently asked questions
What does Hexagram 24 (Fu) mean in the I Ching?
Fu is Earth over Thunder, the turning that follows Splitting Apart, when a single yang returns. Beneath five yielding lines one firm line is born again at the base, like leaves falling to feed the root in winter and send up new growth in spring. The teaching is that what is spent returns: health, wisdom and the original nature are recovered, from without inward and from delusion to awakening, in seven days, and after the sinking comes a new departure.
What is the judgment of Hexagram 24?
Return. Success. Going out and coming in without harm. Friends come without blame. The way turns back and returns; in seven days comes the return. It is favorable to go forward. Return is the way home to the source, the turning back of the light and the seeing of one's own nature, a road no one can block. Going out and coming in without harm means that once vitality is restored one can act and be still at will, and what goes out comes home again, free of sickness and obstruction. Friends come…
What do the six lines of Hexagram 24 say?
Line 1: Not far to return. There is no great regret. Supreme good fortune. Line 2: Restful return. Good fortune. Line 3: Repeated return. Danger. No blame. Line 4: Walking in the middle, he alone returns. Line 5: Earnest return. No regret. Line 6: Deluded return. Misfortune. There is calamity and blindness.
What is the main lesson of Hexagram 24 (Return)?
Return restores the health, wisdom and original nature that are already ours, from delusion to awakening, in seven days, and sends us out again renewed.
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