The Zhen hexagram signifies shock. Heavy thunder rumbles and roars over a thousand miles. Men who have done nothing bad are shocked and frightened. He can get what he seeks, except he has no way to get an official post and title. People can only hear thunder but cannot see its form.

When Heavenly Master Li Jing met with Mother Dragon and begged to stay for a night and moved the rain for the dragons, he obtained this hexagram, and was promoted in the end to the post of the vice prime minister.

King Wen's Judgment: The Zhen hexagram signifies success. The thunder clashes - crack! crack! Afterwards there is laughter and talking - ha! ha! The thunder shocks [roars and resonates, travels] for a thousand miles. The superior man calmly performs the sacrificial service without dropping the spoon and chalice.

Symbol Tradition: The Double Zhen trigram symbolizes Thunder. The superior person with concerned mind examines himself [his own faults] and cultivates his virtue [improves himself, sets his life in order].

Confucius: The Zhen hexagram indicates success. Shock: at the time of thunder roaring. Alarm: to be frightened and panicked looking book. Rumbling: appalling resounding of thunder over a hundred miles. Sacrifice: the superior man is calm, the eldest son performs the sacrificial service holding the spoon and chalice with steady hands. The oracle for this hexagram says that fear can lead to blessing.

An unusual place with doors of purple wood,
Blessing comes as the sun begins to shine.
From the Chinese lunar month of the Rat and the year of Pig,
The brilliant success shines on the jade steps.

Six at the second line: The thunder brings danger, and he reckons he will lose his treasures. He rushes to the high mountain without pursuing them. In seven days he will regain them.

This line indicates that he knows what he fears, and thus gains in the end.

For an individual of great virtue and merit, the individual has great talent and high prestige. He is far-sighted and insightful. When meeting unexpected incidents, he has ways to transform them: when encountering troubles and disasters, he can make good plans to deal with them. Although he cannot establish a new base, he can keep his old profession.

For just an ordinary individual, the individual does not know how to avoid dangers when he faces them; he is greedy for wealth and will not give them up. He always has worries and care, and travels to many places for his business. He suffers at the beginning, but enjoys an easy life later. He often meets dangers at first, but later enjoys peace.

In such a year, an official may suffer an evil and treacherous attack, and a scholar has a sign of confusion at first, but success later. A commoner may have lawsuits and loss. An old person will face a life-threatening crisis, and a child will be frightened. As for the seven days, that is the time limit.

Three poems for the second line:

He is frightened by the roaring thunder,
And fears the loss of his property.
He retreats to high places to avoid it,
But soon everything will return to normal.

The second:

On the blue sea, turbulent waves roll,
And the light boat cannot survive.
When the god comes to his aid,
He advances in his search for fame.

The third:

There is neither footprint nor trace,
And suddenly he realizes it is difficult to find.
The disturbances suddenly rise out of reason,
And it seems he is laughing, when actually he is sobbing.

Weather: There are rumbles and roars of thunder. If the first line of the hexagram is reversed there will be black clouds and heavy rain. If the third line of the hexagram is reversed, there will be wind and rain.

House: It is a residence on the east or the west side of a temple or near a stream. Nearby there are historic sites and altars. If there is an alarm in the house, be on your guard against disaster and the six domestic animals. It is better to move. Incense burning helps a lot.

Seeking an official post: If you get the hexagram in spring or summer, you are sure to be promoted to a high post. If in winter and autumn, it will be just a title without anything real or solid.

Marriage: Two go-betweens come to talk about the matter. It will be a success for the northwest one, and failure for the southeast one. The woman with purple color is reticent, cruel and strict toward her husband.

Pregnancy: It is a boy born on the Chinese calendar day of chen or si . The labor brings fear and alarm. If the third line of the hexagram is reversed there will be disaster for the mother. If the first line of the hexagram is reversed, the son will get hurt.

Traveler: The letter will arrive on the Chinese calendar day of chen or mao . There will be no misfortune or danger if three men travel together.

Looking for a person: One can see him on the way in the southeast.

Location of family tomb: It is in the directions of yi  (East) and geng (West). The mountain in the West is low. It is near fields and water.

Seeking wealth: Seek in a hurry on the day and/or in the Chinese month of shen (lunar September) or you (lunar October).

Dealings: It is settled on the Chinese calendar day of wu or wei .

Chasing a robber: There is an alarm and a fear. He can be caught in the southwest.

Calling on a noble man: He can be seen on the Chinese calendar day of wu or wei .

Expecting a thing: It is difficult to succeed.

The lost: It can be found in the direction of either east or west.

Harvest of crops or cocoons: It is ample.

Illness: He went to the southwest before the temple and offended the three saints, the ghost of weapons, the ghost of the wounded and dead, the ghost of grass and wild land, and the ghost of five magic powers. They took away his ethereal and corporal souls. He was frightened and fell ill on the way, or he met with the ghost of ancient tombs, or the corpse embracing ghost. He then has fits of cold and fever, pains in his bones and joints. Blood and qi rush to the head. Offer sacrifice to the family ancestors, the ghost of weapons, the ghost of the wounded and dead, the ghost of the underwood, the god of the temple, the god of five magic powers, the god of roaming plagues, the god of armor, the flying snake and white tiger.

For a child: Offer sacrifice to the parents of his pervious life, the god of Wuyou, drive away the earth demons, and there will be good fortune.

Lawsuit: There is an alarm concerning an argument. Repeated persuasion bring no harm. The person with ["kou" - mouth] or  ["mu" - tree, wood] in his name is a noble man.

The Xie hexagram means liberation, release. He gets out of danger, and evil things disappear. Seldom are there lawsuits and criminal punishments; all sing praise. He worries that wealth cannot be gained, and people together seem far away. The person who has not been confined to their bed becomes fully recovered.

When Xiang yu was surrounded at Gaixia, he obtained this hexagram. His troop was routed in the end.

King Wen's Judgment: The Xie hexagram signifies that the southwest is favorable [advantageous, beneficial]. If there is nowhere to go [nothing to do], coming back [returning to normal] will bring good fortune. If there is somewhere to go [something to do, problems to tackle], quick solutions [an early start] will bring good fortune.

Symbol Tradition: Thunder rumbles and Rain falls, which is an image of relief. The king pardons mistakes and remits sentences. The superior person forgives errors and deals gently with misdeeds.

Confucius: Relief means solution of difficulties. After solution of the difficulties, it is favorable to go to the flat land [plains, smooth roads] in the southwest. If nothing has happened, it is better to return and remain tranquil. If problems arise, it is better to solve them quickly and return to tranquility. No trouble should last long.

He had been once the guest at the Dragon palace,
Now he travels carefree as a recluse.
The fairy land cannot detain him,
So he returns to be an official at the golden palace.

Six at the bottom line: There is no blame.

This line indicates that he has the virtue of moderation, thus there should be no blame.

For an individual of great virtue and merit, the individual combines toughness with gentleness, leniency with severity. He can establish a complex and strong administration, but will not bother the people with excessive burdens; he can establish a good reputation with great contributions, but he never causes any harm or ruin to anything. He solves problems and relieves people from calamities, enjoying many blessings.

For just an ordinary individual, the individual is kind and moderate, and always behaves in a proper manner. He gets assistance from good friends and accepts their friendship sincerely.

In such a year, an official is capable in his post, and has prospects for promotion; a scholar will celebrate his success in the imperial examination; a single person gets married; and a business man makes profits.

Two poems for the first line:

When myriad things sprout in spring,
A letter is sent from a faraway place.
Past worries will be gone forever,
And a new happy life will begin again.

The second:

The dark clouds cover the osmanthus tree in the moon;
He wants to climb it, but cannot find a way.
In the end, he can see the satisfying result,
But at the present time, he has to sigh and feel sad.

Weather: There are rainy days in a row. The man is alarmed and troubled by wind and thunder.

House: The family members are separated. A change of the house will bring reunion.

Seeking an official post: He has sought it three or five times. The noble man will make the decision. The man with ["kou" - mouth] in his name gives real help. The result will be known on the Chinese calendar day of si or you .

Tomb siting : The ancient tomb bodes harm to the family members. It is facing the directions of jia (East) and geng (West) . If the tomb does not collapse, there should be a change in the direction of ding (South) for burial. There is a stone wall on the left.

Marriage: It is difficult to make the match. After a long time, a man with defected features talks about it again. Although there are some ghosts and thieves, they will not do any harm. It is favorable to take action with no hindrance. The match will be made on the Chinese calendar day of shen or you .

Aresting a criminal: It is difficult to catch him. Even if he is caught, he will escape. If the divination is cast on the Chinese day of geng or yin , he will be caught again after escape.

Lost things: A four legged thing hides it from view below a wall. If it is a living creature, you can find it on a desolate hill or at an ancient tomb or under a tree. Some part of the body is missing.

Going out: Althopugh slow, i t will be smooth. He can attain an average profit.

Dealings: There are some hindrances, but he will succeed in the end.

Looking for a person: He can be found in the north.

Calling on a noble man: He can see the man.

Traveler: He wants to but has not returned, for an acquaintance keeps him.

Harvest of crops and cocoons: The silk worms come from others, while the wine-brewer comes for rice seeds.

Seeking wealth: He seeks three times in the northwest. He loses three tenths (30%) of his own wealth, but afterwards gains six or seven (60-70%) tenths.

Pregnancy: It is a boy, and also there is a sign of twins.

Expecting a thing: It is a failure. A ghost or a thief caused it through obstruction and troubles.

Illness: He went to the northwest and offended the ghost of weapons, the ghost of the wounded and dead, the ghost of grass and wild land, and the god of five magic powers. His ethereal and corporal souls have been taken away. He has fits of colds and fever. He feels suffocated, has sore throat, with frequent coughing and vomits. Offer sacrifice to the family ancestors, the ghost of weapons, the ghost of the wounded and dead, the ghost of grass and wild land, the god of five magic powers, the ghost keeper of bamboo and trees, the god of five plagues, and drive back the earth and tomb demons.

For a child: Offer sacrifice to the parents of his previous life, the five road boy, the god of Wuyou, the gods of the bedchamber, send away the god of stars, and drive back the demon of earth.

Lawsuit: Be on your guard against the misfortune in April. The case has not been solved. Still there will be some troubles about it. Although it has been brought to the court three or five times, nothing results. Final judgment will be made on the Chinese calendar day of chou or wei .