TL;DR: Thuần Càn (乾) is hexagram number 1 among the 64 hexagrams in the Zhou Yi sequence, with six yang lines, the upper and lower trigrams both being Qian (Heaven); the hexagram text reads: 乾：元亨。利貞。 (Qian: yuan heng, li zhen). The original text includes the hexagram statement, the six line statements, and the Yong Jiu text; the Tuan Zhuan, Da Xiang, Xiao Xiang, and Wen Yan belong to the Ten Wings, traditionally attributed to Confucius, but modern research does not consider that attribution proven. Nhat Nguyet's suggestion: read the four layers of the hexagram in the order of the original text, commentaries, annotations, and one's own understanding, and do not take the line statements as definite promises about work, money, or health.
Which hexagram is Thuần Càn, and what is its structure?
Thuần Càn (乾) is hexagram number 1 among the 64 hexagrams in the Zhou Yi order, consisting of six yang lines, with the upper trigram being Càn (Heaven) and the lower trigram also being Càn (Heaven). The hexagram text reads: 乾：元亨。利貞。 (Càn: yuan heng, li zhen).
From the Eight Trigrams to the 64 hexagrams
By tradition, the Eight Trigrams are attributed to Fu Xi, who drew them from observing natural phenomena; modern scholarship does not treat this attribution as proven. The Eight Trigrams are: Càn (☰), Đoài (☱), Ly (☲), Chấn (☳), Tốn (☴), Khảm (☵), Cấn (☶), Khôn (☷). When two single trigrams are stacked on each other, they form the 64 doubled hexagrams, each with six lines. The Thuần Càn hexagram is the single trigram Càn stacked on itself.
Why is it called Thuần Càn?
All six lines of the hexagram are yang lines (solid strokes), with no yin line at all, so it is called pure yang, and the hexagram is named Càn. Zhu Xi in the Zhou Yi Ben Yi comments: 乾者健也，陽之性也 (Càn means vigorous, it is the nature of yang); 此卦六畫皆奇，上下皆乾，則陽之純而健之至也 (in this hexagram all six strokes are odd numbers, above and below are both Càn, this is pure yang and vigor taken to its utmost).
What layers make up the original text of the Thuần Càn hexagram?
According to rule 12, the text of the Thuần Càn hexagram divides into four layers: the original text (the hexagram text and the line texts), the commentaries of the Ten Wings, the named commentaries, and the Nhật Nguyệt interpretation. Below, each layer is cited in turn.
(a) Original text: the hexagram text and the line texts
Hexagram text: 乾：元亨。利貞。 (Càn: yuan heng, li zhen).
Line texts:
- 初九：潛龍勿用。 (Sơ cửu: hidden dragon, do not use)
- 九二：見龍在田，利見大人。 (Cửu nhị: the dragon appears in the field, it is favorable to see the great man)
- 九三：君子終日乾乾，夕惕若；厲，无咎。 (Cửu tam: the gentleman is vigorous all day long, and at night still cautious; danger, but no blame)
- 九四：或躍在淵，无咎。 (Cửu tứ: now leaping, now in the abyss, no blame)
- 九五：飛龍在天，利見大人。 (Cửu ngũ: the flying dragon is in the sky, it is favorable to see the great man)
- 上九：亢龍，有悔。 (Thượng cửu: the arrogant dragon, there will be regret)
- 用九：見羣龍无首，吉。 (Dụng cửu: seeing a flock of dragons without a head, auspicious)
(b) Commentaries of the Ten Wings
The Tuan Zhuan reads: 大哉乾元，萬物資始，乃統天。雲行雨施，品物流形，大明終始，六位時成。時乘六龍以御天，乾道變化，各正性命，保合大和，乃利貞。首出庶物，萬國咸寧。
The Da Xiang reads: 天行健，君子以自強不息。
The Xiao Xiang reads:
- 潛龍勿用，陽在下也。
- 見龍在田，德施普也。
- 終日乾乾，反復道也。
- 或躍在淵，進无咎也。
- 飛龍在天，大人造也。
- 亢龍有悔，盈不可久也。
- 用九，天德不可為首也。
The Wen Yan is one chapter of the Ten Wings (traditionally attributed to Confucius; modern scholarship places the Ten Wings around the 5th to 2nd century BCE, and does not treat this attribution as proven). The opening passage of the Wen Yan reads: 元者，善之長也。亨者，嘉之會也。利者，義之和也。貞者，事之幹也。君子體仁足以長人，嘉會足以合禮，利物足以和義，貞固足以幹事。君子行此四德者，故曰：「乾，元、亨、利、貞。」
(c) Named commentaries
Wang Bi's commentary on the Cửu nhị line: 出潛離隱，故曰「見龍」，處於地上，故曰「在田」。德施周普，居中不偏，雖非君位，君之德也。初則不彰，三則「乾乾」，四則「或躍」，上則過亢。「利見大人」，唯二、五焉。 (Emerging from hiding and leaving concealment, so it is called the appearing dragon; being on the ground, so it is called in the field. His virtue spreads everywhere, he holds the center without leaning, and though he is not in the ruler's seat, he has the virtue of a ruler. The first line is not yet manifest, the third is vigorous, the fourth leaps, the top is excessively high. "It is favorable to see the great man" applies only to the second and fifth lines.)
Wang Bi's commentary on the Cửu tam line: 處下體之極，居上體之下，在不中之位，履重剛之險。上不在天，未可以安其尊也。下不在田，未可以甯其居也。純脩下道，則居上之德廢；純脩上道，則處下之禮曠。故「終日乾乾」，至於夕惕猶若厲也。居上不驕，在下不憂，因時而惕，不失其幾，雖危而勞，可以「無咎」。 (At the extreme of the lower body, below the upper body, in a position that is not central, treading the danger of doubled firmness. Above he is not in heaven, so he cannot settle his eminence; below he is not in the field, so he cannot settle his dwelling. If he cultivates only the way of the lower, the virtue of the upper is abandoned; if he cultivates only the way of the upper, the propriety of the lower is neglected. Therefore he is vigorous all day long, and by evening is still cautious as if in danger. Being above without arrogance, being below without worry, being cautious according to the time, not losing the moment, though in danger and toil, he can be without blame.)
Wang Bi's commentary on the Dụng cửu line: 九，天之德也。能用天德，乃見「群龍」之義焉。夫以剛健而居人之首，則物之所不與也。以柔順而為不正，則佞邪之道也。故《乾》吉在「無首」，《坤》利在「永貞」。 (Nine is the virtue of heaven. Only one who can use the virtue of heaven sees the meaning of the flock of dragons. Now, to stand at the head of people with firmness and vigor is what others will not accord with; to be yielding and compliant yet do what is not upright is the way of flattery and evil. Therefore Càn is auspicious in having no head, and Khôn is favorable in lasting steadfastness.)
Zhu Xi's commentary (Zhou Yi Ben Yi) on the hexagram text: 元大也，亨通也，利宜也，貞正而固也。文王以為乾道大通而至正，故於筮得此卦而六爻皆不變者，言其占當得大通而必利在正固，然後可以保其終也。 (Yuan is great, heng is penetrating, li is appropriate, zhen is upright and steadfast. King Wen held that the way of Càn is greatly penetrating and utterly upright, so when divination obtains this hexagram with all six lines unchanging, he says the judgment will be greatly penetrating and must be favorable in upright steadfastness, and only then can the end be preserved.)
Zhu Xi's commentary (Zhou Yi Ben Yi) on the Cửu tam line: 九陽爻三陽位，重剛不中，居下之上，乃危地也。然性體剛健，有能乾乾惕厲之象，故其占如此。 (Nine is a yang line, three is a yang position, doubled firmness and not central, at the top of the lower, this is a place of danger. Yet its nature and substance are firm and vigorous, and it has the image of being able to be vigorous and cautious in danger, so its judgment is thus.)
Zhu Xi's commentary (Zhou Yi Ben Yi) on the opening passage of the Wen Yan: 此第一節申彖傳之意，與春秋傳所載穆姜之言不異，疑古者已有此語，穆姜稱之，而夫子亦有取焉，故下文別以子曰表孔子之辭，蓋傳者欲以明此章之為古語也。 (This first section expounds the meaning of the Tuan Zhuan, and does not differ from the words of Mu Jiang recorded in the Zuo Zhuan; it is suspected that the ancients already had this saying, Mu Jiang cited it, and the Master also adopted it, so the passage below separately uses "the Master said" to mark Confucius's words, likely because the transmitter wished to make clear that this chapter is an ancient saying.)
(d) According to the Nhật Nguyệt interpretation
In the Nhật Nguyệt interpretation, the Thuần Càn hexagram is a pure yang hexagram, with all six lines being solid strokes, so it is read as a symbol of ceaseless motion. The four characters in the hexagram text are yuan, heng, li, zhen; the Wen Yan develops these four characters into the four virtues of the gentleman, while Zhu Xi comments that this passage was originally an ancient saying that already existed beforehand. From this, the hexagram is one of the entry points commonly used to practice reading the four layers of a hexagram's text: original text, commentaries, named commentaries, and the separate interpretation.
When encountering the Thuần Càn hexagram while asking about work, how should it be understood?
No line in the original text of the hexagram speaks of work in the modern sense. What can be cited is the hexagram text, the line texts, the Tuan Zhuan, the Da Xiang, and the commentaries of Wang Bi and Zhu Xi; the application below is a separate layer of interpretation, not the words of the hexagram.
The six line texts suggest six stages: hidden dragon, do not use (concealed and not yet employed), the dragon appears in the field (already out of concealment), vigorous and cautious (cautious day and night), now leaping, now in the abyss (still doubtful, not yet decided), the flying dragon is in the sky (already in a high position), the arrogant dragon has regret (rising too high and so having regret). Wang Bi's commentary on the Cửu nhị line says the virtue of a ruler though not yet in the ruler's seat; Wang Bi's commentary on the Cửu tam line says being above without arrogance, being below without worry, being cautious according to the time, then one can be without blame.
The Nhật Nguyệt suggestion: when reflecting on a work situation against this hexagram, one should ask oneself which of the six stages above one is in, and what attitude to keep to match that stage; one should not treat a single line as a certain promise about the outcome of work, money or health.
Which line texts of the Thuần Càn hexagram carry the social norms of ancient times?
Some line texts and passages of the Wen Yan carry the social norms of ancient times, such as the relations between ruler and subject, men and women, and marriage, and should be read as historical context. For example, the Wen Yan cites the Master's words on the Cửu nhị line: 庸言之信，庸行之謹，閑邪存其誠，善世而不伐，德博而化 (trustworthy in ordinary words, careful in ordinary deeds, blocking evil and preserving sincerity, benefiting the world without boasting, broad in virtue and transforming others); Zhu Xi comments that this is the virtue of a ruler, and explains the characters 大人 in the Cửu nhị line as the gentleman who has this virtue. This is how the ancients spoke of position and character, not a guideline to be applied verbatim to the present day.
What connection does the Thuần Càn hexagram have with modern psychology?
Carl Gustav Jung wrote a foreword to Richard Wilhelm and Cary F. Baynes's translation of the I Ching (the English edition of 1950), in which he discussed synchronicity. This is one modern author's particular approach, not content in the original text of the hexagram.
One should not attribute to Jung the statement that the I Ching is a tool for identifying 64 archetypal situations, because that foreword only discusses synchronicity and the Eastern approach to casting a hexagram. With the Thuần Càn hexagram, reading along these lines should stop at this level: some modern people use the hexagram as a way to reflect on their own circumstances, not as a conclusion about destiny.
Quick reference table: the Thuần Càn hexagram
| Aspect | Content |
|---|---|
| Number among the 64 hexagrams | 1 |
| Chinese character name | 乾 |
| Symbol | ䷀ |
| English name | The Creative |
| Upper trigram (outer trigram) | Càn (Heaven), Metal element, northwest |
| Lower trigram (inner trigram) | Càn (Heaven), Metal element, northwest |
| Six lines, the first line at the bottom | first yang, second yang, third yang, fourth yang, fifth yang, top yang |
| Image | Heaven moves with vigor, never resting. |
| Interpretation | A pure yang hexagram, symbolizing creative power and active will. The ancients read this hexagram as a reminder of unflagging self-strengthening. Great power always comes with the requirement to keep oneself proper. |
The data in the table matches the results of the reference tools on Nhật Nguyệt.
Overview article on the topic: 64 quẻ Kinh Dịch
