The hexagram looks like an open mouth: solid lips above and below, empty inside. Yi is about nourishment in every sense, physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual: what you take in, what you feed others, and what you say. You can know people by what they nourish. Care and moderation in what goes in and comes out of the mouth sustain a good life.
Judgment
頤：貞吉。觀頤，自求口實。
Jaws: steadfastness brings good fortune. Look at how they nourish others, and at what they seek for their own mouth.
Image
山下有雷，頤；君子以慎言語，節飲食。
Thunder below the mountain: nourishment. Taking this as a model, the noble one guards their words and keeps measure in food and drink.
- What nourishes you
- Caring for others
- Moderation
- Mindful speech
- Self-reliance
- nourishment
- care
- moderation
- speech
- health
- sustenance
- Pay attention to what you feed yourself and others.
- Be careful with words; they nourish or harm.
- Seek your own nourishment rather than depending on others.
The six lines
Lines are numbered from the bottom. In a reading, only the lines that are changing apply to your cast.
Line 1Nine at the beginning 初九
Line text
舍爾靈龜，觀我朵頤，凶。
You set aside your spirit tortoise and gape at me with hanging jaw. Misfortune.
You have your own resources but envy what others have. Giving up self-reliance out of envy leads to misfortune.
- Envy
- Neglecting your own resources
- Comparing yourself to others
- Rediscovering your own sources of strength
Line 2Six in the second place 六二
Line text
顛頤，拂經，于丘頤，征凶。
Seeking nourishment upside down, straying from the norm; seeking it from the hill. Marching on: misfortune.
Seeking support from those who should not provide it, or from the wrong places, leads astray. Depending on the wrong sources weakens you.
- Wrong sources of support
- Misplaced dependence
- Looking for nourishment in the wrong places
- Finding appropriate support
Line 3Six in the third place 六三
Line text
拂頤，貞凶，十年勿用，无攸利。
Going against nourishment. Steadfastness: misfortune. For ten years, do not act. Nothing is favorable.
Chasing gratification that never satisfies, going from one craving to the next, is deeply harmful. This pattern leads nowhere.
- Unhealthy cravings
- Empty gratification
- Feeding what never satisfies
- Breaking an unhealthy cycle
Line 4Six in the fourth place 六四
Line text
顛頤吉，虎視眈眈，其欲逐逐，无咎。
Seeking nourishment upside down: good fortune. The tiger stares, intent, its hunger unrelenting. No blame.
Seeking help from others is fine when it is for a good purpose, such as serving others. Then even an eager pursuit of resources is without blame.
- Seeking help for a good purpose
- Focused pursuit
- Pursuit for selfish ends
- Gathering what you need to help others
Line 5Six in the fifth place 六五
Line text
拂經，居貞吉，不可涉大川。
Straying from the norm. Staying steadfast: good fortune. One cannot cross the great river.
You are responsible for nourishing others but lack the strength. Lean on wiser people and avoid great undertakings for now.
- Knowing your limits
- Leaning on wise help
- Taking on too much
- Succeeding with good counsel
Line 6Nine at the top 上九
Line text
由頤，厲吉，利涉大川。
The source of nourishment. Aware of danger: good fortune. Favorable to cross the great river.
You are the source others depend on. That brings great responsibility; aware of it, you can take on great tasks for the good of many.
- Being the provider
- Responsibility
- Forgetting the weight of others' dependence
- Undertaking something great for others
Related hexagrams
Have a question on your mind?
Cast a readingChinese text: Zhouyi 周易 (received classical text). English rendering and notes: Site rendering. About our sources
Commentary
Movement (thunder) below and stillness (mountain) above: the jaw moves while the upper jaw stays still, as in chewing. Yi considers what sustains a person and a community. The judgment advises looking at what people choose to nourish, in themselves and in others; that reveals their character.
The image applies nourishment to the mouth's two functions: speaking and eating. Both call for care. The reading may suggest examining your sources of sustenance, such as habits, relationships, information and work, and asking whether they feed what you want to grow. In relation to a question, Yi may emphasize self-care, moderation and the responsibility of those who provide for others.