乾
“Force” — King Wen #1
Pure creative force at full strength. Great things are possible now — but only through what is correct and firm.
The Judgment 卦辞
元亨利貞。
Qian (represents) what is great and originating, penetrating, advantageous, correct and firm.— The I Ching, trans. James Legge, 1899 (public domain)1
The Six Lines 爻辞
潛龍，勿用。
In the first (or lowest) NINE, undivided, (we see its subject as) the dragon lying hid (in the deep). It is not the time for active doing.
見龍再田，利見大人。
In the second NINE, undivided, (we see its subject as) the dragon appearing in the field. It will be advantageous to meet with the great man.
君子終日乾乾，夕惕若，厲無咎。
In the third NINE, undivided, (we see its subject as) the superior man active and vigilant all the day, and in the evening still careful and apprehensive. (The position is) dangerous, but there will be no mistake.
或躍在淵，無咎。
In the fourth NINE, undivided, (we see its subject as the dragon looking) as if he were leaping up, but still in the deep. There will be no mistake.
飛龍在天，利見大人。
In the fifth NINE, undivided, (we see its subject as) the dragon on the wing in the sky. It will be advantageous to meet with the great man.
亢龍有悔。
In the sixth (or topmost) NINE, undivided, (we see its subject as) the dragon exceeding the proper limits. There will be occasion for repentance.
Reading the Picture
Hexagram 1 places heaven (乾) beneath heaven (乾) —creative force pressing upward below, creative force pressing upward above. This is why the tradition reads it as “Force”:pure creative force at full strength. Great things are possible now — but only through what is correct and firm Whenever you cast this figure, the classical reading points back to that turning of forces.
Questions About Hexagram 1
What does 乾 (qián) mean?
Hexagram 1 of the I Ching is named 乾 (qián), usually rendered "Force" in English editions. Its figure pairs heaven (乾) below with heaven (乾) above.
Which trigrams form hexagram 1?
乾 (Heaven) sits above and 乾 (Heaven) sits below — the classical picture is creative force pressing upward beneath creative force pressing upward.
How is hexagram 1 related to the other hexagrams?
Changing every line of hexagram 1 gives hexagram 2 — 坤 (Field). Turned upside down, the figure is itself — one of the four symmetrical hexagrams. Its nuclear hexagram — the inner pattern of lines 2 through 5 — is itself.
Ask your own question
Reading about hexagram 1 is looking it up. Casting it — shaking the tube, watching your own coins fall — is how an answer becomes yours.
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Related Hexagrams 錯綜互
1 Legge, James. The Yi King, Sacred Books of the East vol. XVI (1899), public domain. Classical Chinese from the received Zhouyi text. · For reflection and entertainment — not financial, medical, or life advice.