I Ching · King Wen 56
Hexagram 56: The Wanderer
䷷ 旅 Lǚ · also called Travelling, The Traveller, Sojourning · The Clinging above Keeping Still
Fire on the mountain, passing on: the stranger in a strange place, who succeeds in small things by courtesy and reserve.
transiencecourtesyrestraintstrangersmodesty
The meaning of Hexagram 56
Mountain below, fire above: fire burning on a mountain, moving on as the grass is consumed, never staying. The Wanderer describes the condition of being away from home, without standing, dependent on the goodwill of strangers: a traveller, an outsider, someone whose position is temporary. The tradition's judgement is modest: success through smallness, persistence brings good fortune. The image adds the rule of conduct: the wise person is clear-minded and cautious in imposing penalties and does not prolong disputes. The reading says you are, in some sense, passing through, and that the way to do it well is with restraint, courtesy, care in choosing companions, and no expectation of the rights of a resident.
The image. Fire on the mountain; the wise person is clear and cautious in penalties and does not prolong disputes.
- Advice
- Behave as a good guest: modest, courteous, reserved, and careful about disputes and companions.
- Warning
- The wanderer who acts like a resident, or who laughs first and weeps later, loses the shelter that courtesy would have kept.
over
Structure: ☶ Keeping Still (Mountain) below, ☲ The Clinging (Fire) above. Nuclear hexagram 28, Great Excess. Every line reversed: 60, Limitation.
Hexagram 56 for love and relationships
One of you is passing through, or the relationship is in a transitional, unsettled phase with no fixed home. Do not demand the rights of permanence. Be courteous, choose carefully whom you trust, and keep your reserve. The lines describe both the wanderer who finds a resting place and the one who burns it down.
Hexagram 56 for career
You are the outsider: new, temporary, without standing. Success is in small things. Be modest, reliable and reserved; do not throw your weight about, and do not entangle yourself in the disputes of the place. The inn is found by good conduct.
Hexagram 56 for money
Travelling light. Keep your resources with you, do not invest in a place you are passing through, and avoid disputes that would cost more than they are worth. Small, careful gains.
Hexagram 56 for decisions
Choose the modest option that suits someone without standing. The reading rules out large commitments and prolonged conflicts. Decide as a guest would, with courtesy and an eye to moving on.
The six changing lines
Read from the bottom. A changing line flips, and the hexagram it changes into is named with each.
The bird's nest burns up. The wanderer laughs at first, then must lament and weep. Through carelessness he loses his cow. Misfortune.
The traveller who forgets that they are a traveller, grows careless and loud, and loses everything, including the gentle patience that a wanderer most needs. The line is the hexagram's ruin.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 62, Small Excess. Read line 6 →
He shoots a pheasant. It drops with the first arrow. In the end this brings both praise and office.
The stranger who makes a proper introduction, offering what the place values, and is accepted into it. The pheasant is the gift; the single arrow is skill. The line describes the outsider who earns a place.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 33, Retreat. Read line 5 →
The wanderer rests in a shelter. He obtains his property and an axe. My heart is not glad.
A temporary refuge and the means to defend it, but no real home. The heart is not glad because the person knows this is not where they belong. Security without belonging.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 52, Keeping Still. Read line 4 →
The wanderer's inn burns down. He loses the steadfastness of his young servant. Danger.
The outsider who meddles in affairs not their own, and loses the shelter and the loyalty they had. Arrogance in a guest is punished quickly. The line is the warning line of the hexagram.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 35, Progress. Read line 3 →
The wanderer comes to an inn. He has his property with him. He wins the steadfastness of a young servant.
Shelter found, means intact, and a loyal helper gained, all through modest, correct conduct. The line describes the traveller who does everything right and is rewarded with what a traveller most needs.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 50, The Cauldron. Read line 2 →
If the wanderer busies himself with trivial things, he draws misfortune on himself.
The outsider who demeans themselves with pettiness, and is treated accordingly. Dignity in a low position depends on not stooping. The line warns that trivial behaviour invites contempt.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 30, The Clinging. Read line 1 →
Related hexagrams
Cast your own reading
Ask a question and toss six lines. The oracle does not choose the hexagram for you; the coins do.
Ask the I Ching →Common questions
- What does I Ching Hexagram 56 mean?
- Fire on the mountain, passing on: the stranger in a strange place, who succeeds in small things by courtesy and reserve. Mountain below, fire above: fire burning on a mountain, moving on as the grass is consumed, never staying. The Wanderer describes the condition of being away from home, without standing, dependent on the goodwill of strangers: a traveller, an outsider, someone whose position is temporary. The tradition's judgement is modest: success through smallness, persistence brings good fortune. The image adds the rule of conduct: the wise person is clear-minded and cautious in imposing penalties and does not prolong disputes. The reading says you are, in some sense, passing through, and that the way to do it well is with restraint, courtesy, care in choosing companions, and no expectation of the rights of a resident.
- What does Hexagram 56 mean for love?
- One of you is passing through, or the relationship is in a transitional, unsettled phase with no fixed home. Do not demand the rights of permanence. Be courteous, choose carefully whom you trust, and keep your reserve. The lines describe both the wanderer who finds a resting place and the one who burns it down.
- Which hexagram does Hexagram 56 change into?
- It depends on which lines change. With one changing line: line 1 gives Hexagram 30, The Clinging; line 2 gives Hexagram 50, The Cauldron; line 3 gives Hexagram 35, Progress; line 4 gives Hexagram 52, Keeping Still; line 5 gives Hexagram 33, Retreat; line 6 gives Hexagram 62, Small Excess. With every line changing it becomes Hexagram 60, Limitation.