Hexagram 57: Wind (Gentle Penetration)

Written by Orbitarot · Sources: James Legge, The Yi King (The I Ching), 1882 (judgment and lines); plain readings our own · Updated October 7, 2026

Hexagram 57 in plain words

Wind over wind: one breeze following another, slipping through every gap. Wind is soft, yet over time nothing resists it. Tradition says this brings success in small things, that it helps to have somewhere to go, and that it helps to see the great person. The hexagram's power is penetration: reaching deep through gentle, repeated effort.

The commentary says the wise person spreads their commands and carries out their tasks, like a breeze carrying a message everywhere. In practice, this means patience with direction. Repeat what matters, adjust as needed, and keep moving toward a clear goal. Gentleness here is not weakness; it is the kind of strength that gets into places force cannot reach. The risk is that gentleness drifts into indecision, or that endless analysis replaces action, as some lines warn. Pick a direction and keep at it. Look beneath the surface for hidden causes, and deal with them calmly. Influence built this way, slowly and steadily, lasts longer than influence won by pressure.

The judgment

Sun intimates that (under the conditions which it denotes) there will be some little attainment and progress. There will be advantage in movement onward in whatever direction. It will be advantageous (also) to see the great man.

Translation: James Legge, 1882 (public domain).

The image

(Two trigrams representing) wind, following each other, form Sun. The superior man, in accordance with this, reiterates his orders, and secures the practice of his affairs.

From Legge's Appendix II (the Great Symbolism), The Sacred Books of the East, vol. 16, 1882 (public domain).

In plain words: Wind follows wind and gets in everywhere. Repeat your message gently and steadily, then follow it through in practice.

The six lines

Read only the lines that changed in your reading. Lines are counted from the bottom.

Line 1 (bottom)

The first SIX, divided, shows its subject (now) advancing, (now) receding. It would be advantageous for him to have the firm correctness of a brave soldier.

You go forward and back, unable to decide. Take on the firm resolve of a soldier; choose a line and keep to it.

Line 2

The second NINE, undivided, shows the representative of Sun beneath a couch, and employing diviners and exorcists in a way bordering on confusion. There will be good fortune and no error.

You search under the bed for hidden causes, calling on many helpers to bring them out. Looking into what is concealed brings good fortune and no blame.

Line 3

The third NINE, undivided, shows its subject penetrating (only) by violent and repeated efforts. There will be occasion for regret.

You go over the same ground again and again, overthinking and hesitating. Repeated wavering leads to embarrassment; make the decision.

Line 4

The fourth SIX, divided, shows all occasion for repentance (in its subject) passed away. He takes game for its threefold use in his hunting.

Regret disappears. Your efforts pay off in the hunt, bringing in three kinds of game; quiet persistence gets results.

Line 5

The fifth NINE, undivided, shows that with firm correctness there will be good fortune (to its subject). All occasion for repentance will disappear, and all his movements will be advantageous. There may have been no (good) beginning, but there will be a (good) end. Three days before making any changes, (let him give notice of them); and three days after, (let him reconsider them). There will (thus) be good fortune.

Steadiness brings good fortune and regret disappears; everything goes well. There was no good start, but there is a good end; think it through three days before the change and three days after.

Line 6 (top)

The sixth NINE, undivided, shows the representative of penetration beneath a couch, and having lost the axe with which he executed his decisions. However firm and correct he may (try to) be, there will be evil.

You search under the bed and lose your means and your tools. Penetrating too far, or too anxiously, costs you what you need; pushing on brings trouble.

Related hexagrams

All three relations have traditional Chinese names (cuo gua for the opposite, zong gua for the inverse, hu gua for the nuclear). Many modern readers use the opposite as the shadow side of a situation, the inverse as the same moment seen from the other side, and the nuclear hexagram as its inner core.

If one line changes

With a single changing line, hexagram 57 turns into:

Learn more: what the I Ching is, how to read changing lines, the eight trigrams, how to cast with coins or yarrow.

Hexagram 57 in love and relationships

In love, gentle, steady care works better than pressure or grand declarations. Keep showing up, listen closely, and let closeness grow little by little.

Hexagram 57 for work and decisions

At work, persistent small efforts in one direction bring results. Clarify your goal, look for the root causes of problems, and avoid endless dithering.

Questions