初
上。鼎頤、拂天、凶。
Cauldron legs upward, defying heaven—misfortune. Upset priorities.
䷱
Hexagram 50
The Cauldron (鼎)
Tei / Dǐng
The sacred cauldron cooks and offers nourishment. Renew institutions and employ the worthy.
Judgment
鼎。元吉、亨。
The Cauldron. Great fortune and success.
Create something new; use capable people to prosper.
Line-by-Line (Yao)
Interpretations if the line changes.
二
九二。鼎有實、我仇有疾、不我能即、吉。
Cauldron full; my foes are ill and cannot reach me—good fortune. Substance protected.
三
九三。鼎耳革、其行塞、雉膏不食。方雨、亏悔、終吉。
Cauldron’s ears altered, movement blocked; pheasant fat uneaten. Rain comes; regret fades; ends well. Temporary impediment.
四
九四。鼎折足、覆公餗、其形渥、凶。
Cauldron leg breaks, spilling the lord’s food, staining its form—misfortune. Structural failure ruins the offering.
五
六五。鼎黄耳、金鉉、利貞。
Yellow ears, metal handle—benefit in correctness. Well-balanced vessel.
上
上。鼎玉鉉、大吉、无不利。
Jade handle on the cauldron—great fortune, nothing unfavorable. Highest refinement.
Practical Reading: Love, Career, Health & Decisions
When you cast Hexagram 50, Dǐng (The Cauldron), the Book of Changes shows you a situation with Li (Fire) above and Xun (Wind) below. The sacred cauldron cooks and offers nourishment. Renew institutions and employ the worthy. Use the cards below to map that pattern onto your specific question — a love reading, a career decision, a health concern, or a yes/no choice.
Love & Relationships
Fresh relationships and encounters are lucky. In a love or relationship reading, Hexagram 50 (Dǐng) describes the meeting point of Li (fire) above and Xun (wind) below: how the outer situation meets your inner state. Ask whether you are forcing the relationship to fit a picture, or letting it move at the rhythm this hexagram suggests. For a partnered question, read the changing lines to see which side — yours or the other person's — is being asked to shift.
Work & Career
Excellent for new ventures and refresh; engage great talent. In work and career, Dǐng points to whether the outer market or workplace (Li (fire)) and your inner stance (Xun (wind)) are in alignment. If a project, negotiation, or job change is the question, ask what this hexagram says about timing rather than effort: pushing harder rarely changes a Dǐng situation; reading the configuration usually does.
Health & Wellbeing
Adopt new diet or health practices; renewal benefits. For a body or wellness reading, treat the lines of Hexagram 50 as descriptions of phases, not diagnoses. Dǐng usually signals where energy needs to be conserved versus where it is asking to be expressed. Combine the hexagram's advice with concrete medical guidance — the I Ching is a reflective tool, not a substitute for professional care.
Decision-Making
When the question is a yes/no — should I take the offer, move, leave, commit? — read Hexagram 50 (Dǐng, The Cauldron) as a statement about the configuration of your situation rather than the outcome. The summary "The sacred cauldron cooks and offers nourishment. Renew institutions and employ the worthy." is your starting frame. Ask: does this action respect that configuration, or fight it? Changing lines, if any, tell you which specific aspect needs to bend.
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