The 64 hexagrams / Hexagram 24
Return
Hexagram 24 · 复 Fù
Earth above · Thunder below
坤 palace · 一世
What hexagram 24 says
Thunder inside the earth: one yang line returning. The turn is real but newborn. Close the door, rest, and let it grow quietly.
Above: Earth (Kun) — receptive, yielding, sustaining.
The six lines
Read from the bottom up. The first line is the beginning of the situation, the sixth is its outer edge. The Chinese text is the classical line text; the line below it is a reading of what it is pointing at.
yang — solid
yin — broken
yin — broken
yin — broken
yin — broken
yin — broken
How to use this hexagram
If you cast this as your primary hexagram, it describes the situation you are in. If it came up as the transformed hexagram, it describes where things are heading once the changing lines have flipped. If you are only looking it up, read the judgment first — the line texts are for specific moments inside the situation, not for the situation as a whole.
Frequently asked
What does I Ching hexagram 24 mean?
Hexagram 24, Return, is made of Earth above and Thunder below. Thunder inside the earth: one yang line returning. The turn is real but newborn. Close the door, rest, and let it grow quietly.
How do I read hexagram 24 in a casting?
Read the primary hexagram first — it describes the situation as it stands. If any of your six lines were changing lines (sixes or nines from the coin tosses), read those lines' texts next: they mark where the situation is moving. The hexagram produced after those lines flip is the transformed hexagram, and it shows where the movement leads.
What are the six lines of hexagram 24?
Hexagram 24 has six lines, read from the bottom up. The texts below are given in order, first line (bottom) to sixth line (top).
Which palace does hexagram 24 belong to?
In the six-line (liuyao) system, hexagram 24 sits in the 坤 palace, first generation — the situation is just beginning to turn. The palace gives the hexagram its ruling element, and from that element the Six Relatives are assigned to each line.