The sun has set beneath the earth. Ming Yi is a time when the good is wounded or suppressed, when an unjust authority dominates or circumstances are hostile to what you stand for. The response is not open confrontation but hidden perseverance: keep your inner light burning, veil it outwardly, and endure until the darkness passes.
Judgment
明夷：利艱貞。
Brightness wounded: favorable to be steadfast in hardship.
Image
明入地中，明夷；君子以蒞眾，用晦而明。
Brightness has gone down into the earth: brightness wounded. Taking this as a model, the noble one, among the many, keeps their brilliance dim and yet sees clearly.
- Adversity and suppression
- Hiding your light
- Inner perseverance
- Endurance under injustice
- Protecting what matters
- adversity
- concealment
- endurance
- integrity
- darkness
- resilience
- In dark times, protect your inner light by not displaying it.
- Endure hardship without giving up your principles.
- Darkness that overreaches eventually destroys itself.
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
明夷于飛，垂其翼。君子于行，三日不食，有攸往，主人有言。
Brightness wounded in flight, it lowers its wings. The noble one on the road goes three days without eating. There is somewhere to go; the host has words to say.
You sense the trouble early and withdraw, accepting hardship and misunderstanding. Others may not understand your decision, but it is right to hold to it.
- Early withdrawal
- Misunderstood choices
- Staying because of what others will say
- Escaping harm by leaving early
Line 2Six in the second place 六二
Line text
明夷，夷于左股，用拯馬壯，吉。
Brightness wounded, struck in the left thigh. Rescuing with a strong horse: good fortune.
You are wounded but not disabled. Despite your injury, you can still help others to safety with vigor. Doing so brings good fortune.
- Wounded but able
- Helping others through hardship
- Letting your wound stop you from helping
- Strength that grows in serving others
Line 3Nine in the third place 九三
Line text
明夷于南狩，得其大首，不可疾貞。
Brightness wounded on the southern hunt. The great chief is captured. Do not be hasty with steadfastness.
Almost by chance, you confront the source of the darkness and overcome it. But deep-rooted problems cannot be changed overnight. Go slowly in setting things right.
- Confronting the source
- Gradual reform
- Expecting change too fast
- Gradual healing after the decisive moment
Line 4Six in the fourth place 六四
Line text
入于左腹，獲明夷之心，于出門庭。
Entering the left side of the belly, one grasps the heart of the wounded brightness, and goes out through the gate and courtyard.
You come close enough to understand the darkness from inside and see that nothing can be done there. Leave while you can.
- Understanding from within
- Leaving in time
- Staying after seeing the truth
- Departing with full understanding
Line 5Six in the fifth place 六五
Line text
箕子之明夷，利貞。
The wounded brightness of Prince Ji. Steadfastness is favorable.
Unable to leave, you hide your light completely while keeping your conviction intact. Like Prince Ji at the tyrant's court, you outlast the darkness without being changed by it.
- Inner integrity under pressure
- Disguise for survival
- Losing yourself in the disguise
- Preserving your core intact through a hard time
Line 6Six at the top 上六
Line text
不明晦，初登于天，後入于地。
Not bright but dark. First climbing up to heaven, afterwards entering the earth.
The power that caused the darkness climbs high and then falls by its own nature. Darkness consumes itself in the end; the light will return.
- Darkness destroying itself
- Turning of fortune
- Despairing at the height of darkness
- The return of light after the fall of what oppressed it
Related hexagrams
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Cast a readingChinese text: Zhouyi 周易 (received classical text). English rendering and notes: Site rendering. About our sources
Commentary
Fire beneath the earth: brightness hidden underground. Ming Yi describes adversity in which clarity and goodness are injured, often by people in power. The judgment asks for steadfastness in difficulty, but quiet, not defiant. The reading may suggest a hostile environment in which open resistance would be destroyed, and the wise course is to keep your values intact inside while being outwardly careful.
The image gives a precise stance: veil your light, yet remain bright. Be inconspicuous without becoming dark yourself. The lines include the historical example of Prince Ji, who feigned madness to survive a tyrant without betraying his integrity. In relation to a question, Ming Yi may emphasize patience, discretion and protecting your core while waiting for better times.