Hexagram 61 of 64
Inner Truth 风泽中孚
☴☱ Wind over Lake
Inner sincerity and mutual response.
In the I Ching, Hexagram 61 is inner truth: sincerity that others feel and answer. The text pictures a crane calling from the shade, and its young calling back. Sincere words and steady intent do more than force can. The warning: sincerity that turns into rigidity or overconfidence can become dangerous.
Judgment
豚鱼吉。利涉大川，利贞。
Piglets and fish bring good fortune. It is favorable to cross the great waters and favorable to persevere.
Image
泽上有风，中孚；君子以议狱缓死。
Wind over the lake: inner truth. The noble person deliberates on prisoners and delays executions.
The six lines
Read from the bottom line (the beginning) to the top line (the outcome). Each line gives the classical text, our English translation, and a plain-language reading.
初九：虞吉，有它不燕。
Calm trust brings good fortune. If something else occupies you, you cannot rest.
Trust that is calm brings good fortune. A divided mind keeps you from settling.
九二：鸣鹤在阴，其子和之。我有好爵，吾与尔靡之。
A crane calls from the shade, and its young answer. I have a fine cup; let us share it together.
A sincere call is answered. Share what is good with those who respond.
六三：得敌，或鼓或罢，或泣或歌。
Finding an opponent, sometimes drumming, sometimes stopping; sometimes weeping, sometimes singing.
Swinging between conflict and emotion means your trust is not yet steady. Notice the swings.
六四：月几望，马匹亡，无咎。
The moon nearly full, the team of horses lost. No blame.
At the height of trust, choosing a higher loyalty over a comfortable group brings no blame.
九五：有孚挛如，无咎。
Sincerity binds them together. No blame.
A sincere bond holds people together, and with it comes no blame.
上九：翰音登于天，贞凶。
A shrill call rises to the sky. Steady perseverance brings misfortune. (The classical term is read either as the crowing of a pheasant or as the sound of wings; the image is a loud sound with nothing solid beneath it.)
The sound is bigger than the substance. Reputation or rhetoric pushed beyond what you can back up invites trouble.
In practice
Love and relationships
Sincerity is the foundation of trust. Say what you feel, keep your promises, and avoid performing emotions you do not have.
Work and decisions
Trust earned through consistent, honest work. Overpromising is the main risk to watch.
Money
Keep your word on financial agreements. Avoid claims you cannot back up with facts.
How to use this reading
Ask what you truly stand behind, and where you are speaking louder than your actions.
New to the method? Start with the six-line basics.
For cultural reflection only. This is not a prediction guarantee or professional advice.