Above; Fire, brightness, beauty
Below; Wind, gentleness, penetration

The hexagram is the image of a cauldron; at the bottom are the legs, above them the rounded belly, then the handles like ears, and at the top the rim. The cauldron is the symbol of the nourishment it contains, and it is also the sacrificial vessel. It stands in the fire, fanned by the wind.
Great good fortune and success.
The cauldron represents the peace and beauty indicated by its two component tigrams, wood and fire combine to cook the sacrificial offering. The sages of old cooked their sacrifices in order to make them more acceptable to the supreme being, and made lavish feasts to nourish their wise and capable helpers. Ding is the symbol of flexible obedience. Ears are made quick of hearing and eyesight is sharpened. The weak yin line enters and ascends to the fifth place, where it responds to the strong yang lines below. All these things indicate great progress and success.
Fire upon wood is the image of Ding. The Superior Man., assuming a righteous posture, holds firmly to the decree of heaven.

Line 1

The cauldron is turned over.
To empty it of decaying meat
Taking a concubine to bear sons
Brings no blame.

Reversing the normal order of things is acceptable when the reason for the action is good. Although a concubine is regarded as a lowly person, she should be honoured for the sons she bears. Every person, no matter how inferior his station, can gain recognition for his accomplishments if he acts in an honourable way to better himself.

Line 2

The cauldron is filled
And my friends are envious
but they cannot harm me
Good Fortune.

'My cup runneth over", says the psalmist. The man who has obtained some solid achievement will be the envy of everyone, even his friends. But, armed with his spiritual strength, he is unassailable.

Line 3

The handles of the cauldron are broken
It cannot be moved
The fat pheasant goes uneaten
When sudden rains come
Regret fades away
And good fortune comes in the end.

This represents a man whose abilities go unrecognized, and who is therefore rendered ineffectual. All his good qualitities are going to waste. But the unexpected rainstorm, which cools the fire and the pot standing on it , is an omen of good fortune.

Line 4

The legs of the cauldron are broken
The prince's dinner is spilled
And his garments splashed.
Misfortune.

Here is a man not fit for his responsibilities. He is careless and brings misfortune not only upon himself but upon his superiors.

Line 5;
The cauldron has yellow handles
And a golden rim.
Righteous persistence brings its reward.
The problems indicated in the last two texts have been resolved. The man in authority is unpretentious and approachable. As a result he finds competent helpers. But he must remain resolutely virtuous.

Line 6

The cauldron has a rim of jade
Great good fortune
Everything is favourable.

In the preceeding text, the rim of gold denotes strength and purity. Jade is hard, but at the same time luminously lustrous. The sage representd in the top line gives good advice to all. He finds favour in the eyes of the supreme being. He brings good fortune to everyone without concern for his personal advantage.

© 1979 Neil Powell

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Hexagram 51

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