I Ching · Hexagram 55 of 64
Hexagram 55: Feng （丰） — Abundance
Thunder above, Fire below: both the sun at noon ripening all things and the thunderbolt that demands law and punishment in the hour of plenty. The sequence follows the Marrying Maiden - a family grows and multiplies, and that is abundance. The hexagram teaches that abundance must be ruled by fairness like the sun at noon, and that one must know the fullness will decline, guarding against crime by clear judgment.
At a glance
| Hexagram | 55 of 64 |
|---|---|
| Name | Feng 丰 · Abundance |
| Upper trigram | Zhen （震）· Thunder |
| Lower trigram | Li （离）· Fire |
| Structure | Thunder over Fire |
| Lines | 6 lines |
The Judgment （卦辞）
Abundance. Success. The king attains it. Be not sad. Be like the sun at noon.
ExplainedIn abundance there is success: resources are in place and the way is open in all directions, though the emphasis is on material plenty. Only a king, holding power with position, can rightly enjoy such wealth, or mere riches draw disaster; the leader and the merchant must lean on each other. Be not sad: the ruler has no cause for sorrow, for the more people and goods the better, if he is like the sun at noon, shining fairly into every corner so that all feel justly treated. The ruler's whole study is fairness and nothing else.
Tuan Zhuan — Commentary on the Judgment （彖传）
Abundance means greatness. Clarity and movement: therefore abundance. The king attains it: he exalts greatness. Be not sad, be like the sun at noon: he should shine over all under heaven. When the sun is at noon it declines; when the moon is full it wanes. Heaven and earth, fullness and emptiness, wax and wane with the times - how much more so for men, and for the spirits!
ExplainedAbundance is greatness, because of clarity and movement: clear of ear and eye and diligent in action, one wins abundance. The king exalts greatness: the greater the people, land and goods, the better for all. To shine like the sun at noon is to hold only to fairness, letting every quarter receive its share. But when the sun is at noon it leans westward and when the moon is full it wanes; heaven and earth wax and wane with the times, and so do the spirits. To hold fullness forever is a dream; one must accept that peace turns to standstill.
Xiang Zhuan — Image Commentary （大象）
Thunder and lightning both arrive: Abundance. The gentleman decides lawsuits and carries out punishments.
ExplainedWhen abundance makes men proud and self-satisfied, sermons are useless and strict law is needed; and the law is made for the rich, whose great crimes are hidden. Beyond the law of the state there is the killer appointed by heaven, so that disaster, ruin and family collapse punish more than any prison. Beside wealth and honor the axe already stands, and no one should count on escape.
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
He meets his matching lord. Though they are equals, no blame. To go forward brings honor.
Small ImageThough they are equals, no blame: beyond the equal comes disaster.
ExplainedAbundance follows the Marrying Maiden, and to meet one's matching lord is to find the right partner for the home and the work. What matters is mutual respect and equal strength, neither swallowing the other, each correcting the other's blind side. With the foundation well laid, the further one goes the greater the abundance; a great inequality of strength between man and wife is itself a disaster.
Line 2 · YinLine 2
Thickening the screen. At noon one sees the Dipper. To go forward brings doubt and sickness. Let there be sincerity, and it will unfold. Good fortune.
Small ImageLet there be sincerity, and it will unfold: sincerity unfolds the will.
ExplainedAt the height of fortune the screen of doubt still grows thick, and one doubts even in the bright noon, seeing the Dipper by daylight and going no further. All are children of Heaven and carry the wisdom of the Buddha within, yet doubt makes them think they have nothing. Let there be sincerity, and it opens the will: the difference between one person and another is only the depth of doubt.
Line 3 · YangLine 3
Thickening the grasses. At noon one sees a faint star. He breaks his right arm. No blame.
Small ImageThickening the grasses: he cannot do great things. He breaks his right arm: in the end it cannot be used.
ExplainedThe grasses grow thicker than the screen: too many feelings and desires, a denser darkness. The faint star at noon is the darkest hour, and the right arm broken is the partner who helped one most, ruined by one's own hand; the blame is one's own and cannot be laid on others. One who is full of passion cannot do the great work of abundance, and in the end destroys what was most precious.
Line 4 · YangLine 4
Thickening the screen. At noon one sees the Dipper. He meets his dark lord. Good fortune.
Small ImageThickening the screen: his place is not right. At noon one sees the Dipper: darkness, not light. He meets his dark lord: the going is fortunate.
ExplainedHere the screen and the doubt are the same as in the second line, yet the remedy differs. The second line is opened by confidence; the fourth meets the hidden lord - the sages, the Buddha, God - and asks for grace, letting the object of faith take charge as a sick man trusts his physician. When one meets the hidden lord, the dark is left behind and good fortune begins.
Line 5 · YinLine 5
Coming of splendor. There is blessing and praise. Good fortune.
Small ImageThe good fortune of the sixth five: there is blessing.
ExplainedAt the height of abundance, splendor comes: talent gathers from every direction and the culture is complete. Then there is blessing and praise - all the people are blest and the age deserves its fame. The ruler in this line attracts talent as no other wealth can: bring the talent together and it will be well, even if for the moment one has nothing.
Line 6 · YinLine 6
Thickening the house. Screening the family. Peering at his door, there is no one. For three years one sees no one. Misfortune.
Small ImageThickening the house: he soars at the edge of heaven. Peering at his door, there is no one: he hides himself.
ExplainedThe rich and powerful build a great mansion and crowd the family with furnishings until no daylight enters, then hide deep within it in fear of being harmed, peering out and seeing no one, unseen for years. He hides himself, and this is against human nature, for benevolence needs two people to make one life; so the spirit goes astray. Abundance should be good, yet ends in misfortune: whoever will not shine over all and gather talent is buried among his own treasures.
Key takeaway
In abundance one must shine like the sun at noon, knowing that fullness declines and that clear judgment must guard against crime.
Frequently asked questions
What does Hexagram 55 (Feng) mean in the I Ching?
Thunder above, Fire below: both the sun at noon ripening all things and the thunderbolt that demands law and punishment in the hour of plenty. The sequence follows the Marrying Maiden - a family grows and multiplies, and that is abundance. The hexagram teaches that abundance must be ruled by fairness like the sun at noon, and that one must know the fullness will decline, guarding against crime by clear judgment.
What is the judgment of Hexagram 55?
Abundance. Success. The king attains it. Be not sad. Be like the sun at noon. In abundance there is success: resources are in place and the way is open in all directions, though the emphasis is on material plenty. Only a king, holding power with position, can rightly enjoy such wealth, or mere riches draw disaster; the leader and the merchant must lean on each other. Be not sad: the ruler has…
What do the six lines of Hexagram 55 say?
Line 1: He meets his matching lord. Though they are equals, no blame. To go forward brings honor. Line 2: Thickening the screen. At noon one sees the Dipper. To go forward brings doubt and sickness. Let there be sincerity, and it will unfold. Good fortune. Line 3: Thickening the grasses. At noon one sees a faint star. He breaks his right arm. No blame. Line 4: Thickening the screen. At noon one sees the Dipper. He meets his dark lord. Good fortune. Line 5: Coming of splendor. There is blessing and praise. Good fortune. Line 6: Thickening the house. Screening the family. Peering at his door, there is no one. For three years one sees no one. Misfortune.
What is the main lesson of Hexagram 55 (Abundance)?
In abundance one must shine like the sun at noon, knowing that fullness declines and that clear judgment must guard against crime.
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