Hexagram 61 · 风泽中孚

Inner Truth

Wood · Gen palace

Sincerity and trust; honesty as an operational tool.

Meaning

Wind over the lake: the wind reaching into still water, penetrating to what is beneath the surface. Inner Truth concerns sincerity and the trust it produces.

Decision Framework

Deal from truth; trust is the mechanism.

Decision Guidance

Inner Truth concerns sincerity as an instrument rather than a virtue. It appears when the decisive factor is whether people actually believe you, and when honesty about what you know and do not know carries more weight than a confident presentation.

The classical image is of the wind reaching down through the lake to the depths, and of a person whose inner state and outer conduct match. Whether in negotiation, leadership or a personal decision, the recommendation is the same: state what is true, including the parts that are uncomfortable, and let trust do the work that manoeuvring cannot.

Judgment — Classical Text

豚鱼吉，利涉大川，利贞。

EN Even pigs and fishes — good fortune. Crossing the great water furthers; perseverance furthers.

The Six Lines — Classical Text

初九：虞吉，有它不燕。
EN Initial nine: prepared and at ease — good fortune; if there is another aim, there is no peace.
九二：鸣鹤在阴，其子和之。
EN Nine in the second: the crane calls in the shade and its young answer — I have good wine; let us share it.
六三：得敌，或鼓或罢。
EN Six in the third: meeting a rival — now drumming, now resting; now weeping, now singing.
六四：月几望，马匹亡，无咎。
EN Six in the fourth: the moon nearly full — the horse's mate is lost: no blame.
九五：有孚挛如，无咎。
EN Nine in the fifth: sincere and bound together — no blame.
上九：翰音登于天，贞凶。
EN Topmost nine: the sound of wings rising to heaven — perseverance brings misfortune.

Keywords

I Ching hexagram 61, Inner Truth hexagram, Zhong Fu hexagram meaning, hexagram for trust