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Two people tip an ancient bronze tripod cauldron to clear out old sediment before it can nourish anyone anew.
Clear the vessel · Make room for nourishmentScene imagery · YiPhase original learning visual
Hexagram 50 · 火風鼎
鼎DǏNG

The Cauldron

離 · Fire · 巽 · Wind / Wood

革去故，鼎取新。鼎是三足烹饪与祭享之器，也象征新秩序要有承载、配合和稳定结构。初爻先倒鼎去秽，二爻实物在鼎，三爻耳塞而美食不用，四爻折足覆食是过任之凶；五爻黄耳金铉、上爻玉铉，终于能稳稳举鼎。新制度是否真正滋养众人，要看器具各部分及承担者是否相称。

After Revolution comes the Cauldron: change needs a vessel that can hold and distribute what is new. The six lines first empty what has spoiled, then fill the pot, confront blocked handles and a catastrophic broken leg, and finally lift a balanced vessel with sound supports. Leadership is tested by whether the structure actually nourishes people.

Original Chinese, independent English explanations and modern examples. Check the sources.保留经典原文，英文独立释读，生活例子单独说明。查看依据。

LESSON 50 · EVERYDAY I CHING

Build a vessel for change

第 50 课 · 生活里的卦意

A short bilingual narration with moving views of all six line images.

跟着双语讲解与逐爻画面，理解这一卦的生活处境。

▶ Play Lessons▶ 播放课程
YiPhase · Today

In everyday life这一卦在生活中

A modern scene to help you recognize the situation. This is YiPhase's own example, separate from the classical text below.

用当代处境帮助理解卦意。以下为 YiPhase 独立编写的例子，与后面的经典原文分开。

A situation you may recognize一个可能熟悉的处境

A neighborhood group is turning an old diner into a community kitchen. The old equipment must go, the pantry must be filled, and volunteers must learn to work together. The goal is not just to cook, but to create a reliable system that feeds people week after week. What kind of vessel are you building?

一个社区团体正把一家旧餐馆改造成社区厨房。旧设备要清走，食品柜要装满，志愿者要学会配合。目标不只是做饭，而是建立一个能周周喂养众人的可靠系统。你正在建造什么样的容器？

ASK YOURSELF想一想

What structure are you creating that can hold and share what is new?

你正在创造什么结构，来承载和分享新事物？

The Judgment

The Judgment卦辞

The original Chinese remains visible as the cultural source. The English translation and reading explain it without replacing it.

先保留经典中文，再提供英文直译与现代中文解释。英文用于理解，不替代原文。

《周易》经文 · Original Chinese
鼎：元吉，亨。

The Cauldron: great good fortune, then passage.

Beginner’s reading

The old order may be changed, but a new one has to work. The cauldron promises passage when a sound structure can prepare and share nourishment.

现代中文解说

《正义》把鼎接在革后：改变旧制只是开始，还需建起能长久烹养、分配和任贤的器与法。吉而后亨，重在新事能成形、能稳固、能惠人。

Classical Commentary

Tuan Commentary & The Image彖传与大象

These classical commentaries are shown separately from the Zhouyi core text, so their textual role stays clear.

以下属于解释《周易》的经典传文，页面与卦辞分层展示，方便初学者看清文本来源。

彖曰 · Tuan Commentary
彖曰：鼎，象也。以木巽火，亨飪也。聖人亨以享上帝，而大亨以養聖賢。巽而耳目聰明，柔進而上行，得中而應乎剛，是以元亨。

木入火下而成烹饪，古代以鼎祭天、养贤。《彖传》同时强调谦逊、听见别人、柔顺与刚健相应；只会铸器而不会任人，鼎仍不能发挥作用。

Wood feeds the fire beneath the vessel. Ancient ritual and hospitality give the cauldron public meaning, while the Tuan also asks leaders to listen, place capable people well, and coordinate firmness with receptiveness.

象曰 · The Image
象曰：木上有火，鼎；君子以正位凝命。

Fire above wood: The Cauldron. A cultivated person sets positions right and makes the mandate firm.

火在木上，热能转化原料，也能因结构失衡酿成事故。“正位凝命”可理解为清楚安排责任、让承诺落实，而不是只把命令说得严厉。

The vessel works because fuel, fire, legs, ears, and lifting bar each have their proper place. In human affairs, roles and responsibility must be clear enough to carry the new commitment.

Six Changing Stages

Six Lines: Position and Change六爻：位置与变化

Clear out the old residue. Keep a full cauldron from overflowing. Repair the handles so good food can be carried. Do not overload a weak leg. Then fit a reliable bar through sound ears, and finally lift the vessel with strength tempered by care.

初六倾鼎出秽，并用古代妾子故事说非常规之转机；九二鼎有实而守其分；九三鼎耳不通、美食未得用，雨来可解；九四鼎足折，公餗倾覆；六五黄耳金铉、中正可举；上九玉铉刚柔相节，大吉。

初六
Two workers tilt an empty bronze tripod to pour out old sediment; nearby a mother and child are welcomed by an elder woman.
初六 · Line 1 · 利出否

鼎顛趾，利出否，得妾以其子，无咎。

The cauldron is turned on its legs, useful for emptying the bad. A concubine gains standing through her child; no blame.

倒鼎原本反常，但为清除秽物便有用。妾与子的比喻来自古代身份及继嗣制度，今天不需认同其等级；它在此说明低位或非常规的安排，若能带来真正价值，也不必一概斥为错。图以去秽为主，母子作为古语语境的次景。

Turning the vessel over seems wrong until it clears out what would spoil the new food. The concubine-and-child phrase reflects an ancient household hierarchy, not a modern prescription. It adds the idea that an unexpected path may still serve a sound purpose.

Clear before filling
Picture this in daily life生活中的这一爻

The team starts by tipping the old refrigerator to sweep out moldy crumbs and rancid oil. A neighbor who wasn’t on the list arrives with her toddler. She knows how to restore the ancient stove. Her unexpected help clears the way. The old must go before the new can be cooked.

团队先把旧冰箱放倒，清扫霉屑和腐油。一位不在名单上的邻居带着幼儿来了。她知道如何修复老炉灶。她意外的帮助扫清了道路。旧的不去，新的不来。

Ask yourself: What unexpected help might you be dismissing?

想一想：你可能忽略了什么意外的帮助？

九二
A full upright ding holds cooked food while a steward keeps watch and an unwell rival remains apart beyond a wall.
九二 · Line 2 · 鼎有實

鼎有實，我仇有疾，不我能即，吉。

The cauldron is full. My counterpart is ill and cannot come near me: auspicious.

九二已有实在的内容，宜慎守，不宜再添至溢。《正义》把“仇”解作匹偶而非必然仇敌；病者不能近，反令已成之实免于过载。图中丰实与远隔并置。

The pot already holds enough. Classical commentary reads 'counterpart' here rather than necessarily an enemy. The temporary distance prevents more being added until the vessel overflows; guard what is substantial.

Protect what is full
Picture this in daily life生活中的这一爻

The pantry shelves are packed with rice and beans. A rival volunteer group, down with the flu, cannot come to add more. That distance keeps the kitchen from overstocking. The team focuses on what they have rather than chasing more.

食品柜里堆满了大米和豆子。一个竞争志愿者团体因流感不能来添加更多。这段距离让厨房免于过度囤积。团队专注于已有的，而不是追求更多。

Ask yourself: How do you know when you have enough?

想一想：你如何知道已经足够？

九三
A worker's carrying bar cannot enter the ding's deformed lifting ears, while a pheasant dish remains untouched as rain begins.
九三 · Line 3 · 方雨虧悔

鼎耳革，其行塞，雉膏不食，方雨虧悔，終吉。

The cauldron's ears are altered and its movement blocked; pheasant delicacy goes uneaten. As rain approaches, regret lessens; in the end, good fortune.

鼎有美食却因耳塞不能举送，能力和成果卡在传递处。画面让木杠停在变形的耳前，雉膏在桌上未动；将雨之象提示刚强之处若转为和通，悔便能减。

Good food cannot help anyone if the lifting points fail. The bar stops before the warped ears while the dish waits untouched. Relief begins when rigid obstruction gives way to a workable connection.

Open the blocked passage
Picture this in daily life生活中的这一爻

The kitchen fills with the aroma of pheasant stew, but the serving window’s handle is jammed. The food can’t be carried out. Volunteers grow tense. Then someone props open the side door. As rain begins, the first trays move. The blockage starts to ease.

厨房里飘着野鸡炖菜的香气，但服务窗口的把手卡住了。食物端不出去。志愿者紧张起来。然后有人撑开了侧门。雨开始下时，第一批托盘送了出去。阻塞开始缓解。

Ask yourself: Where is your good work getting stuck?

想一想：你的好工作在哪里卡住了？

九四
An overloaded bronze ding falls when one tripod leg snaps, spilling a public meal as a stained official recoils.
九四 · Line 4 · 鼎折足

鼎折足，覆公餗，其形渥，凶。

A cauldron leg breaks; a lord's food spills. Its form is soaked and soiled: ill fortune.

九四肩负超过自身结构与能力之重，折足便毁掉本该供人的食物。“其形渥”是沾污之貌，图中人物衣襟和满地公餗使失职的后果可见；先量载重，才谈承担。

One weak leg collapses under a load it cannot bear. The spilled public meal makes the cost wider than a private mistake. Build capacity before accepting a responsibility others depend on.

Do not overburden the support
Picture this in daily life生活中的这一爻

A coordinator rushes to serve the public stew, but the table’s leg splinters under the heavy pot. Stew floods the floor and stains her clothes. The community meal is lost. She had taken on more than the structure could bear.

一位协调员匆忙去端公共炖菜，但桌腿在重锅下断裂。炖菜淹没了地板，弄脏了她的衣服。社区餐食毁了。她承担了超过结构能承受的重量。

Ask yourself: What load are you carrying that your support cannot bear?

想一想：你背负着什么重担，而你的支持无法承受？

六五
Attendants lift a sound three-legged bronze ding by a firm metal bar threaded through yellow-toned side ears as a leader guides them.
六五 · Line 5 · 黃耳金鉉

鼎黃耳金鉉，利貞。

The cauldron has yellow ears and a metal carrying bar. Steadfastness is beneficial.

黄是中，金铉是坚实的承力件。六五能以柔中纳刚正，鼎于是举得稳。画面着重耳、铉和共同抬举，说明位置适当、人才相接，才能把好内容送出去。

Sound ears accept a strong bar, and the vessel can be lifted without strain. The parts support one another, just as steady leadership makes room for capable strength.

Fit the parts together
Picture this in daily life生活中的这一爻

After the spill, the team installs a metal rack and a level-headed coordinator who asks for advice. With new handles, two volunteers lift the pot together. The stew reaches the tables without a drop lost. Yielding leadership meets capable support.

溢出后，团队安装了金属架，并找来一位愿意听取建议的冷静协调员。换了新把手后，两名志愿者一起抬起锅。炖菜一滴不洒地送到桌上。柔性的领导遇上有力的支持。

Ask yourself: How can you lift together instead of alone?

想一想：你如何能一起抬举，而不是独自承担？

上九
A balanced tripod is carried by a pale jade-like crossbar while neighbors receive its prepared food.
上九 · Line 6 · 鼎玉鉉

鼎玉鉉，大吉，无不利。

The cauldron has a jade carrying bar: great good fortune, nothing unfavorable.

玉铉取刚而能润、柔而有节的象征，不是要求实际用玉举重鼎。图中浅玉色横铉稳托鼎身、食物分到众人手里：新秩序有足够力量，也懂得节制与滋养。

Jade suggests strength tempered with refinement, not an engineering instruction to lift a heavy pot with stone. The vessel is balanced and its food reaches people; the whole system now serves its purpose.

Strength with refinement
Picture this in daily life生活中的这一爻

Now a polished, jade-like serving spoon rests on the pot. Volunteers lift it with a smooth crossbar that doesn’t strain anyone. Neighbors line up and receive hot stew. The kitchen has become a balanced vessel: strong enough to feed many, gentle enough to keep going.

现在，一把抛光如玉的勺子放在锅上。志愿者用光滑的横杆抬起锅，没有人吃力。邻居们排队领取热炖菜。厨房成了一个平衡的容器：强得能喂养许多人，柔得能持续下去。

Ask yourself: What does a balanced vessel look like in your life?

想一想：在你的生活中，平衡的容器是什么样子？

Cultural Phrases

Classic Chinese Phrases可延展的中文经典短句

Chinese carries the cultural identity; English makes the meaning accessible. These phrases can later inform cards, objects, and décor.

中文保留文化识别，英文负责解释。这些短句可作为未来卡牌、装饰与文创的文字基础，具体载体仍需单独设计。

正位凝命

各安其位，承诺才能稳固。

Right roles make a commitment hold.

鼎玉鉉

刚柔相节，举鼎以养人。

Carry strength with grace.

Questions about this hexagram这一卦的常见问题

What does Hexagram 50, The Cauldron, describe?第50卦描述什么处境？

After Revolution comes the Cauldron: change needs a vessel that can hold and distribute what is new. The six lines first empty what has spoiled, then fill the pot, confront blocked handles and a catastrophic broken leg, and finally lift a balanced vessel with sound supports. Leadership is tested by whether the structure actually nourishes people.

革去故，鼎取新。鼎是三足烹饪与祭享之器，也象征新秩序要有承载、配合和稳定结构。初爻先倒鼎去秽，二爻实物在鼎，三爻耳塞而美食不用，四爻折足覆食是过任之凶；五爻黄耳金铉、上爻玉铉，终于能稳稳举鼎。新制度是否真正滋养众人，要看器具各部分及承担者是否相称。

How should I read its six lines?应该怎样阅读这六爻？

Read from the bottom line upward. Each position describes a different stage or condition. The highlighted line-position diagrams on this study page locate the line being explained; they are not a personal cast or a prediction.

从下往上读，结合不同位置与处境理解。这里的高亮卦画只说明正在讲哪一爻，不是个人起卦或预测结果。