I Ching Oracle Result: Transformation from Hexagram 27 with Changing Lines 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 to Hexagram 48
Yì Jīng’s Response: Hexagram 27.1.2.3.5.6 -> 48
27. Nourishment (頤 Yí)
Trigrams
- Above
- ☶ Gèn (Mountain) — 山 · Stillness
- Below
- ☳ Zhèn (Thunder) — 雷 · Arousing
The Symbolism of Hexagram 27
Hexagram 頤 (Yí) concerns what is taken in and what is expressed. It describes the system of intake, processing, and output that sustains life and action.
Hexagram 27 Judgment
頤,貞吉。觀頤,自求口實。
(Yí, zhēn jí. Guān yí, zì qiú kǒu shí.)
"Nourishment. Correct alignment leads to a favorable outcome. Observe nourishment, and seek what fills the mouth for yourself."
This hexagram directs attention to both intake and source. What is taken in must be examined, and its origin understood.
Sustenance must ultimately be secured by oneself, not passively received or misdirected.
Hexagram 27 Image
山下有雷,頤。君子以慎言語,節飲食。
(Shān xià yǒu léi, yí. Jūn zǐ yǐ shèn yán yǔ, jié yǐn shí.)
"Thunder stirs beneath the mountain: nourishment. The superior person is careful in speech and measured in food and drink."
Thunder initiates movement; the mountain contains it. This reflects controlled intake and controlled expression.
Speech and consumption are parallel systems—both must be governed to maintain balance.
Line 1 Changing
舍爾靈龜,觀我朵頤,凶。
(Shě ěr líng guī, guān wǒ duǒ yí, xiōng.)
"Abandoning your guiding source, you watch another with open mouth. Unfavorable outcome."
The “spirit tortoise” represents an internal source of sustenance or guidance. Abandoning it leads to dependency.
Fixating on others for nourishment breaks autonomy and leads to imbalance.
Line 2 Changing
顛頤,拂經,于丘頤,征凶。
(Diān yí, fú jīng, yú qiū yí, zhēng xiōng.)
"Disturbed nourishment, deviating from the proper channel. Seeking sustenance from the heights. Moving forward brings unfavorable outcome."
Nourishment is misaligned—taken from the wrong place or in the wrong way.
Attempting to advance under these conditions leads to failure.
Line 3 Changing
拂頤,貞凶,十年勿用,无攸利。
(Fú yí, zhēn xiōng, shí nián wù yòng, wú yōu lì.)
"Rejecting nourishment. Correct alignment leads to an unfavorable outcome. For ten cycles, do not engage. No direction is favorable."
The system refuses what sustains it. This is a structural error, not a temporary imbalance.
Persistence in this condition leads to prolonged dysfunction.
Line 5 Changing
拂經,居貞吉,不可涉大川。
(Fú jīng, jū zhēn jí, bù kě shè dà chuān.)
"Deviation from the proper channel. Correct alignment leads to a favorable outcome. It is not suitable to undertake a major transition."
There is still misalignment, but stability can be maintained by not advancing.
Large actions amplify imbalance and should be avoided.
Line 6 Changing
由頤,厲吉,利涉大川。
(Yóu yí, lì jí, lì shè dà chuān.)
"Nourishment is properly directed. Risk present, but it leads to favorable outcome. It is favorable to undertake a major transition."
The system of intake and output is now correct. Movement becomes possible again.
Even with risk, properly aligned nourishment supports major action.
Changing to:
48. The Well (井 Jǐng)
Trigrams
- Above
- ☵ Kǎn (Water) — 水 · Depth
- Below
- ☴ Xùn (Wind) — 風 · Penetrating
The Symbolism of Hexagram 48
Hexagram 井 (Jǐng) describes a shared resource structure that remains constant regardless of external change. The well does not change—only access to it does.
Water above wood shows resource brought upward through a structured channel. The system depends not on the existence of the resource, but on the ability to draw from it.
Hexagram 48 Judgment
井,改邑不改井,无喪无得。往來井井,汔至亦未繘井,羸其瓶,凶。
(Jǐng, gǎi yì bù gǎi jǐng, wú sàng wú dé. Wǎng lái jǐng jǐng, qì zhì yì wèi yù jǐng, léi qí píng, xiōng.)
"The Well. Structures may change, but the source remains. It neither diminishes nor increases. Movement occurs around it. If access fails, or the vessel is inadequate, unfavorable outcome."
This hexagram describes a stable underlying resource that persists independent of circumstance. What changes is not the resource, but the system used to access it.
Failure occurs not from absence, but from inability to draw from what is already present. Proper access and functional tools are essential.
Hexagram 48 Image
木上有水,井。君子以勞民勸相。
(Mù shàng yǒu shuǐ, jǐng. Jūn zǐ yǐ láo mín quàn xiāng.)
"Wood draws water upward: the well. The superior person labors for the people and encourages mutual support."
The well is not self-operating—it requires effort, structure, and participation.
Sustained access depends on maintaining both the system and the process by which the resource is shared.
Peace and wisdom on your journey!
With gratitude,
The I Ching Team