豐
“Abounding” — King Wen #55
Fullness at its peak, thunder and lightning together. Enjoy it briefly, decide clearly.
The Judgment 卦辞
亨，王假之；勿憂，宜日中。
Feng intimates progress and development. When a king has reached the point (which the name denotes) there is no occasion to be anxious (through fear of a change). Let him be as the sun at noon.— The I Ching, trans. James Legge, 1899 (public domain)1
The Six Lines 爻辞
遇其配主，雖旬無咎，往有尚。
The first NINE, undivided, shows its subject meeting with his mate. Though they are both of the same character, there will be no error. Advance will call forth approval.
豐其蔀，日中見斗。往得疑疾，有孚發若，吉。
The second SIX, divided, shows its subject surrounded by screens so large and thick that at midday he can see from them the constellation of the Bushel. If he go (and try to enlighten his ruler who is thus emblemed), he will make himself to be viewed with suspicion and dislike. Let him cherish his feeling of sincere devotion that he may thereby move (his ruler's mind), and there will be good fortune.
豐其沛，日中見沬；折其右肱，無咎。
The third NINE, undivided, shows its subject with an (additional) screen of a large and thick banner, through which at midday he can see (the small) Mei star. (In the darkness) he breaks his right arm; but there will be no error.
豐其蔀，日中見斗，遇其夷主，吉。
T he fourth NINE, undivided, shows its subject in a tent so large and thick that at midday he can see from it the constellation of the Bushel. But he meets with the subject of the (first) line, undivided like himself. There will be good fortune.
來章，有慶譽，吉。
The fifth SIX, divided, shows its subject bringing around him the men of brilliant ability. There will be occasion for congratulation and praise. There will be good fortune.
豐其屋，蔀其家，窺其戶，闃其無人，三歲不覿，凶。
The topmost SIX, divided, shows its subject with his house made large, but only serving as a screen to his household. When he looks at his door, it is still, and there is nobody about it. For three years no one is to be seen. There will be evil.
Reading the Picture
Hexagram 55 places fire (离) beneath thunder (震) —light and clarity clinging to what it illuminates below, movement breaking out of stillness above. This is why the tradition reads it as “Abounding”:fullness at its peak, thunder and lightning together. Enjoy it briefly, decide clearly Whenever you cast this figure, the classical reading points back to that turning of forces.
Questions About Hexagram 55
What does 豐 (fēng) mean?
Hexagram 55 of the I Ching is named 豐 (fēng), usually rendered "Abounding" in English editions. Its figure pairs fire (离) below with thunder (震) above.
Which trigrams form hexagram 55?
震 (Thunder) sits above and 离 (Fire) sits below — the classical picture is light and clarity clinging to what it illuminates beneath movement breaking out of stillness.
How is hexagram 55 related to the other hexagrams?
Changing every line of hexagram 55 gives hexagram 59 — 渙 (Dispersing). Turned upside down it becomes hexagram 56 — 旅 (Sojourning). Its nuclear hexagram — the inner pattern of lines 2 through 5 — is hexagram 28 — 大過 (Great Exceeding).
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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.