A fire moves across a mountain, never staying in one place. Lü is the traveler, the stranger, anyone in transition who is away from home or between situations. Away from familiar ground, small successes are possible if you behave with modesty, caution and courtesy, keep your integrity and don't stay too long where you don't belong.
Judgment
旅：小亨，旅貞吉。
The traveler: small success. For one on the road, steadfastness brings good fortune.
Image
山上有火，旅；君子以明慎用刑，而不留獄。
Fire burning on the mountain: the traveler. Taking this as a model, the noble one is clear-sighted and careful with penalties, and does not let cases drag on.
- Travel and transition
- Being a stranger
- Modesty and caution
- Keeping integrity away from home
- Impermanence
- travel
- transition
- stranger
- caution
- modesty
- impermanence
- As a stranger, be modest, polite and careful.
- Hold on to your integrity when you have nothing else.
- Don't settle where you are only passing through.
The six lines
Lines are numbered from the bottom. In a reading, only the lines that are changing apply to your cast.
Line 1Six at the beginning 初六
Line text
旅瑣瑣，斯其所取災。
The traveler fusses over petty things; this is how trouble is brought on.
Away from home, getting caught up in trivial matters or demeaning behavior invites trouble. Keep your dignity and focus.
- Pettiness
- Losing dignity
- Squabbling over small things
- Traveling lightly in mind as well
Line 2Six in the second place 六二
Line text
旅即次，懷其資，得童僕貞。
The traveler reaches an inn, keeps their money close, and gains a loyal young servant.
With modesty and good conduct, you find a safe place, keep your resources and gain trustworthy help. A good stay on the road.
- Safe lodging
- Trustworthy help
- Careless spending or trust
- Security found in unfamiliar places
Line 3Nine in the third place 九三
Line text
旅焚其次，喪其童僕，貞厲。
The lodging catches fire; the young servant is lost. Persisting: danger.
Arrogance or interference as a guest leads to losing your shelter and your helpers. Treating others badly on the road leaves you stranded.
- Loss through arrogance
- Burnt bridges
- Behaving as if you were at home
- Learning the guest's humility
Line 4Nine in the fourth place 九四
Line text
旅于處，得其資斧，我心不快。
Staying over somewhere on the road, one gains funds and an axe. Still, my heart is uneasy.
You have found a foothold and the means to protect yourself, but it doesn't feel like home. The unease is natural; you are still a stranger.
- A foothold without belonging
- Restlessness
- Mistaking security for belonging
- Using the foothold to move toward where you belong
Line 5Six in the fifth place 六五
Line text
射雉一矢亡，終以譽命。
Shooting at a pheasant, one brings it down with a single arrow. In the end comes praise and an appointment.
One well-aimed effort is enough. Approaching others with skill and tact earns recognition and a place, even far from home.
- One well-aimed effort
- Recognition abroad
- Scattering your efforts
- Finding a respected role in a new place
Line 6Nine at the top 上九
Line text
鳥焚其巢，旅人先笑後號咷。喪牛于易，凶。
Fire takes the bird's nest. The traveler laughs first and wails after. The ox is lost in careless ease. Misfortune.
Carelessness and arrogance cost the traveler their home and their steady support. The laughter turns to grief. Stay mindful of how fragile your position is.
- Carelessness
- Losing your base
- Laughing off your vulnerability
- Taking care before the nest burns
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 on the mountain burns briefly and moves on, while the mountain stays. Lü describes the condition of someone without a fixed place: a traveler, newcomer, migrant, someone between jobs or phases of life. The judgment promises only small success, because the traveler lacks the support of home. The reading may suggest you are in unfamiliar territory, where your usual standing doesn't count.
The advice is the traditional wisdom of the road: be courteous, keep a low profile, be careful whom you trust, and stay attached to what is right. The image adds that the noble one deals with matters promptly and does not linger. In relation to a question, Lü may emphasize adaptability, humility, caution and remembering that this phase is temporary.