Ding · The Cauldron
鼎卦 · 火风鼎
- Renewal
- Establishing
- Stability
- Transformation
The Judgment
Ting gives the intimation of great progress and success.
元吉，亨。
The Image
Fire over wood: the cauldron. The noble one, in the same way, takes their rightful place and secures their mandate.
木上有火，鼎。君子以正位凝命。
Plain-language reading
Your situation
After a period of change, a new order is taking shape and you are in the phase of establishing it. Ding is fire over wood, cooking in a cauldron, a symbol of transformation and achievement: turning raw ingredients into something that can be enjoyed. This is also DeepHeart's own hexagram: in a new position, truly forging your abilities into value.
Where to put your effort
Take your rightful place and stabilise the new situation. Like the cauldron's three legs, find solid support: reliable partners, clear rules and real ability. Make good use of the resources in your hands and cook them into something truly useful. Keep a sense of proportion too: a cauldron's leg usually breaks because it was asked to carry more than it could bear.
Four areas of life
- Career
- Advancing day by day, honoured beyond words.
- Wealth
- Profit comes naturally, with little effort.
- Family
- Be careful with fire; a devoted, rightful partner.
- Health
- Liver heat rushing upward; calm your energy to treat it.
Health notes come from traditional texts and are cultural reference only. If you feel unwell, please see a doctor.
The six lines
Read from the bottom up: the first line is at the bottom, the top line is at the top. Open each line for details.
Nine in the second placeThe second line, undivided, shows the caldron with the things (to be cooked) in it. (If its subject can say), ‘My enemy dislikes me, but he cannot approach me,’ there will be good fortune.Moving
九二：鼎有实，我仇有疾，不我能即，吉。
Image：The cauldron is full: be careful where you go. My rival is ill: in the end, no fault.
- Career
- At the height of success; beware of slander.
- Wealth
- There is money in the bag; guard against theft.
- Family
- A wealthy family should guard against theft; not a good time to marry.
- Health
- An excess-heat condition.
Nine in the third placeThe third line, undivided, shows the caldron with (the places of) its ears changed. The progress (of its subject) is (thus) stopped. The fat flesh of the pheasant (which is in the caldron) will not be eaten. But the (genial) rain will come, and the grounds for repentance will disappear. There will be good fortune in the end.Moving
九三：鼎耳革，其行塞，雉膏不食。方雨，亏悔，终吉。
Image：The handles of the cauldron are changed: it has lost its purpose.
- Career
- Changing on a whim brings regret.
- Wealth
- Slow sales for now; wait three years.
- Family
- Guard against sudden changes; an engagement may be broken off.
- Health
- Take care of your hearing.
Nine in the fourth placeThe fourth line, undivided, shows the caldron with its feet broken; and its contents, designed for the ruler’s use, overturned and spilt. Its subject will be made to blush for shame. There will be evil.Moving
九四：鼎折足，覆公餗，其形渥，凶。
Image：Spilling the duke's meal: how can one be trusted?
- Career
- A small loss leads to a heavy penalty; take great care.
- Wealth
- What goes out will not come back; be careful for your safety.
- Family
- The danger of a broken beam; foot problems for both partners.
- Health
- Sores on the feet; hard to heal completely.
Nine at the topThe sixth line, undivided, shows the caldron with rings of jade. There will be great good fortune, and all action taken will be in every way advantageous.Moving
上九：鼎玉铉，大吉，无不利。
Image：The jade rod at the top: firm and yielding in balance.
- Career
- Treat people kindly and everything goes well.
- Wealth
- Fine jade awaits a buyer; profit comes naturally.
- Family
- A very high standing; a union of gold and jade.
- Health
- Earache.
Related hexagrams
Judgment and line texts from the public-domain translation by James Legge (1882). Readings by DeepHeart AI.
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