Hexagram 24 · Fu 復
Return begins with one clear movement
Fu places one unbroken yang line beneath five broken yin lines: Thunder below Earth. The pattern suggests renewed movement beginning quietly after decline or distance.
Short answer
Read Fu as returning to a sound path, rhythm, or principle. Renewal is present, but it starts small; protect the beginning instead of demanding instant completion.
Pattern
Earth above Thunder
- Chinese
- 復
- Upper trigram
- Kun · Earth
- Lower trigram
- Zhen · Thunder
- Lines
- One yang below five yin
Classical text
A cycle turns back toward movement
復：亨。出入無疾，朋來無咎。反復其道，七日來復，利有攸往。— Zhouyi, Hexagram 24
In plain English, return opens a way forward: movement can resume, companions can arrive without fault, and a recurring course comes back toward renewal. The favorable direction is purposeful movement, not a demand to recover everything at once.
“Seven days” belongs to the classical image of a completed cycle. Interpretive traditions differ; this page does not turn it into a literal seven-day prediction or deadline.
When it helps
Find the point of return
What practice, commitment, or honest direction is worth returning to? What is the smallest real sign that renewal has begun?
What to watch
Do not confuse return with repetition
A return is useful when it restores alignment. Re-entering the same harmful loop without evidence or change is not renewal.
Questions for reflection
- What have I drifted away from that still deserves commitment?
- Which small action would make the return concrete?
- What boundary would keep this from becoming the same old cycle?
If your cast includes moving lines, keep them with the original question instead of treating this summary as a complete reading. See the guide to changing lines.
Sources
Check the original text
This page paraphrases the classical material and labels its modern interpretive limits.