I Ching · Hexagram 36 of 64
Hexagram 36: Ming Yi （明夷） — Darkening of the Light
Ming Yi is Earth over Fire: the sun sinking beneath the earth, night falling. The hexagram tells of the light being wounded and a dark age arriving, in which one must still hold to what is right, endure hardship, and keep the light hidden until its season comes again.
At a glance
| Hexagram | 36 of 64 |
|---|---|
| Name | Ming Yi 明夷 · Darkening of the Light |
| Upper trigram | Kun （坤）· Earth |
| Lower trigram | Li （离）· Fire |
| Structure | Earth over Fire |
| Lines | 6 lines |
The Judgment （卦辞）
Darkening of the Light. It is favorable to endure hardship in steadfastness.
ExplainedWounding is what the name means: the light is injured and the night comes, as when private profit outweighs public good. In such an age it is very hard to remain a noble person, and so the text counsels endurance in integrity. The darker the age, the greater the merit of those who keep doing good, as patience through a single day in a troubled world outweighs eons of bliss in paradise.
Tuan Zhuan — Commentary on the Judgment （彖传）
The light enters the earth: Darkening of the Light. Inwardly bright and outwardly yielding, thus to meet great calamity: King Wen was such a one. Favorable to endure hardship in steadfastness: he dimmed his brightness. In inward calamity he could still set his will straight: the Viscount Ji was such a one.
ExplainedBrightness within and submission without is how King Wen survived his imprisonment, keeping the light alive while outwardly accepting blow after blow. To endure hardship in steadfastness means to bank the light and hide it, as a sage may feign madness. When disaster comes from one's own house and cannot be fled, as with Viscount Ji, one never abandons the purpose, and the line of a dynasty is preserved.
Xiang Zhuan — Image Commentary （大象）
The light enters the earth: Darkening of the Light. Thus the noble one, in governing the multitude, uses darkness to be bright.
ExplainedOne cannot lead people by blazing light upon light, but must come wrapped in shade while carrying brightness within: drawing them first by what they desire, then leading them into wisdom. The test of the method is whether the inner purpose of illumination is truly kept.
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
The wounded bird flies with drooping wings. The noble one takes his leave and for three days does not eat. Setting out, the host will have words.
Small ImageThe noble one takes his leave: in rightness he will not eat there.
ExplainedWhen a state is ruled by a dim sovereign and crooked ministers, the wise bird flies off in the dark even with a broken wing rather than wait to be taken. The noble one departs though he must fast three days, and the old host will speak ill of him, for leaving an unrighteous place is worth any price.
Line 2 · YinLine 2
Wounded: hurt in the left thigh. Rescue comes with a strong horse: good fortune.
Small ImageThe good fortune of the second line: compliant and according to the rule.
ExplainedA wound in the left leg means the road of life no longer carries one forward, yet heaven does not desert the traveler; a strong horse is sent to save him and open a way. To follow the order of heaven is to find that the end of one road is where another opens.
Line 3 · YangLine 3
Wounded: hunting in the south, he takes the great leader. Do not hasten to make him steadfast.
Small ImageThe will of the southern hunt: a great attainment.
ExplainedThe south is the fire of light: the brightest hunting down the darkest, as when the tyrant was overthrown. Yet a people long darkened cannot be made noble at once, and propagation too must allow habit time to ferment, like a severed root whose leaves wither slowly.
Line 4 · YinLine 4
Entering the left flank, he wins the heart of the wounded light, and goes out from the gate.
Small ImageEntering the left flank: winning his thought and feeling.
ExplainedKing Wen's son understood the tyrant's appetites and entered his confidence from within, sending gifts that freed his father and lifted him to lordship. To win the heart of the one who wounds the light allows the work to be done openly; and today those who spread the Way must likewise gain the people's heart before the door opens.
Line 5 · YinLine 5
The Viscount Ji and the darkening of the light: favorable to be steadfast.
Small ImageThe steadfastness of the Viscount Ji: the light cannot be extinguished.
ExplainedFeigning madness, Ji saved his life and kept the light, and his line outlasted the dynasty that destroyed his own. In the same way the laughing, ragged masters of the tradition hid a high inner stillness, and so the brightness passes on from age to age.
Line 6 · YinLine 6
Not bright but dark: first he ascends to heaven, afterwards he enters the earth.
Small ImageFirst ascending to heaven, he shone over the four states; afterwards entering the earth, he lost the rule.
ExplainedNot to know darkness for what it is, taking great wealth and rank for light, is to climb as though into paradise and then fall to the ground when karma ripens and fortune runs out. Flourishing for a season and desolate for a thousand ages, the ruin of oneself or of one's children comes from losing the rule.
Key takeaway
Darkening of the Light teaches how to keep the light alive through a dark age: harbor it, endure, and never let it go out.
Frequently asked questions
What does Hexagram 36 (Ming Yi) mean in the I Ching?
Ming Yi is Earth over Fire: the sun sinking beneath the earth, night falling. The hexagram tells of the light being wounded and a dark age arriving, in which one must still hold to what is right, endure hardship, and keep the light hidden until its season comes again.
What is the judgment of Hexagram 36?
Darkening of the Light. It is favorable to endure hardship in steadfastness. Wounding is what the name means: the light is injured and the night comes, as when private profit outweighs public good. In such an age it is very hard to remain a noble person, and so the text counsels endurance in integrity. The darker the age, the greater the merit of those who keep doing good, as patience through…
What do the six lines of Hexagram 36 say?
Line 1: The wounded bird flies with drooping wings. The noble one takes his leave and for three days does not eat. Setting out, the host will have words. Line 2: Wounded: hurt in the left thigh. Rescue comes with a strong horse: good fortune. Line 3: Wounded: hunting in the south, he takes the great leader. Do not hasten to make him steadfast. Line 4: Entering the left flank, he wins the heart of the wounded light, and goes out from the gate. Line 5: The Viscount Ji and the darkening of the light: favorable to be steadfast. Line 6: Not bright but dark: first he ascends to heaven, afterwards he enters the earth.
What is the main lesson of Hexagram 36 (Darkening of the Light)?
Darkening of the Light teaches how to keep the light alive through a dark age: harbor it, endure, and never let it go out.
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.