What Is Hexagram Lei Huo Feng and Where Does It Sit Among the 64 Hexagrams?
Hexagram Lei Huo Feng (雷火豐), commonly shortened to Phong (豐), is hexagram number 55 in the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching according to the King Wen sequence. The hexagram consists of the outer trigram (upper trigram) Chấn ☳ representing thunder, and the inner trigram (lower trigram) Ly ☲ representing fire, so the full name is Lei Huo Feng, meaning thunder and fire rising together. In the comparison table of hexagram names and characters on Wikipedia, hexagram 55 carries the name 豐 (Phong) and the Unicode character ䷶, correctly positioned between hexagram 54 and hexagram 56.
Three yang lines and three yin lines alternate, creating a state both bright and active: Ly below is clear light, Chấn above is strong movement. The book Khổng Minh Thần Toán, when listing hexagrams belonging to the Ly palace, mentions Hỏa Phong, showing that this hexagram name has entered the hexagram systems of various books, not just the Zhou Yi. A distinction is needed: the verse cards in Khổng Minh Thần Toán are the card texts of a separate book, not the line texts of the Zhou Yi, so the two types of text should not be mixed.
Regarding the five elements, many documents classify Lei Huo Feng under the Wood element, because Chấn is Wood, Ly is Fire, and Wood generates Fire. This is a way of assigning the five elements according to the hexagram system, not the content of the original classic.
Why Does Hexagram Phong Stand Right After Hexagram Quy Muội (Number 54)?
According to the Tự Quái Truyện, the commentary section from later generations discussing the order of hexagrams, after "obtaining a place to return" there will surely be greatness, so following hexagram Quy Muội (number 54) is hexagram Phong, and Phong means great. In other words, the Tự Quái Truyện explains the hexagram order according to the flow of events: when there is a place of gathering, a place to return, the scale will expand, and when it expands to fullness it is called Phong.
This is a way of reading the hexagram order as a stream of events, not a fixed list. This approach helps learners remember hexagrams by flow, rather than memorizing each hexagram in isolation.
What Does the Judgment of Hexagram Phong Say?
The judgment (original classic text) of hexagram Phong is recorded as:
豐：亨，王假之，勿憂，宜日中。
Hán Việt pronunciation: Phong: Hanh, vương cách chi, vật ưu, nghi nhật trung.
Meaning: Phong is prosperity, abundance, success. The king attains the time of prosperity, do not worry, best to be like the sun at noon. A notable point is that the phrase "do not worry" appears right in the midst of prosperity. This can be understood as a reminder: those at the peak often worry about losing it, about not being able to keep it, so the hexagram advises not to worry but to make the most of the brightest moment.
One point about textual sources needs to be clear: the judgment and line texts are the transmitted classic text; while the Thoán Truyện, Tượng Truyện, Tự Quái Truyện, and Hệ Từ are later commentary sections, and should not be collectively called "classic text". In this article, "judgment" or "line text" refers to the classic text; "Thoán Truyện" or "Tượng Truyện" refers to the commentary.
Why Is It Said That Once the Sun Peaks It Will Decline?
This is the central thought of the entire hexagram. The Thoán Truyện commentary on hexagram Phong states: when the sun reaches its peak it declines, when the moon is full it wanes, so when prosperity reaches its extreme it will surely turn to decline. The image of "the sun at noon" in the judgment is both praise for the brightest time and a warning that the brightest is also the one about to tilt.
The book Tuyển tập bài viết Kinh Dịch chọn lọc số 1 (rewritten version, for reference only) when discussing this hexagram in Bát Tự Hà Lạc also emphasizes the rule of "extreme leads to decline": when all things reach the peak of fullness, it is also the time to guard against decline. This is a modern interpretation based on the spirit of the Thoán Truyện, not the words of the original classic.
Tượng Truyện: When Thunder and Lightning Come Together, What Does the Superior Person Do?
The Tượng Truyện of hexagram Phong records:
雷電皆至，豐。君子以折獄致刑。
Hán Việt pronunciation: Lôi điện giai chí, Phong. Quân tử dĩ chiết ngục trí hình.
Meaning: thunder and lightning come together, that is the image of hexagram Phong. The superior person accordingly judges cases and determines punishments. In this image, thunder represents authority, lightning represents clarity. When both authority and clarity are sufficient, they should be used to distinguish right from wrong.
A note on historical context is needed here. The Tượng Truyện's mention of judging cases and determining punishments reflects the social norms of ancient times, when fair adjudication was considered a quality of rulers. This is the historical context of the text, not advice to be applied literally to today's life. Read in a broader spirit, the Tượng Truyện suggests that times of prosperity are the best time to resolve lingering problems, because resources and credibility are both sufficient.
The Six Line Texts of Hexagram Phong and How to Understand Them in Plain Words
The six lines are read from bottom to top: line Sơ Cửu (line 1) is the lowest, line Thượng Lục (line 6) is the highest. Below are the original Hán Việt texts according to sources, with plain-language explanations added.
Line Sơ Cửu (Line 1)
Original text: 遇其配主，雖旬無咎，往有尚. Pronunciation: Ngộ kỳ phối chủ, tuy tuần vô cữu, vãng hữu thượng. Meaning: meeting a master who matches you, even for ten days there is no fault, advancing brings commendable achievement.
Common understanding: this is the first line of the prosperous time, meeting a collaborator or partner who matches in both ability and goals. In the ancient context, two yang lines support each other rather than oppose, so cooperation is considered good. This is a favorable stage to begin a great task with others.
Line Lục Nhị (Line 2)
Original text: 豐其蔀，日中見斗，往得疑疾，有孚發若，吉. Pronunciation: Phong kỳ bộ, nhật trung kiến đẩu, vãng đắc nghi tật, hữu phu phát nhược, cát. Meaning: the curtain is so thick that even at noon one sees the Big Dipper, advancing brings suspicion and dislike, keeping sincerity to influence those above is good.
Common understanding: this is the most famous line of the hexagram, with the image of "seeing the Dipper at noon". The metaphor is being in the brightest time yet obscured by something, truth covered by doubt. The line advises keeping sincerity rather than trying to explain with words.
Line Cửu Tam (Line 3)
Original text: 豐其沛，日中見沫，折其右肱，無咎. Pronunciation: Phong kỳ bái, nhật trung kiến mạt, chiết kỳ hữu quăng, vô cữu. Meaning: banners cover completely, at noon one sees foam, the right arm is broken, but there is no fault.
Common understanding: this is a heavy line in the lower part of the hexagram. The image of "broken right arm" indicates losing an important assistant or a key resource. The line still says no fault, because the loss comes from circumstances, not from the fault of the person involved.
Line Cửu Tứ (Line 4)
Original text: 豐其蔀，日中見斗，遇其夷主，吉. Pronunciation: Phong kỳ bộ, nhật trung kiến đẩu, ngộ kỳ di chủ, cát. Meaning: the curtain is thick, at noon one sees stars, meeting a master of the same rank, good.
Common understanding: similar to line 2 in the image of being obscured, but different in that line 4 finds someone of the same level to connect with. The line says good because this connection forms from understanding among those in the same situation.
Line Lục Ngũ (Line 5)
Original text: 來章，有慶譽，吉. Pronunciation: Lai chương, hữu khánh dự, cát. Meaning: elegance comes, there is blessing and praise, good.
Common understanding: this is considered the most beautiful line of the hexagram. "Lai chương" can be understood as inviting talented people to help, or clarity coming naturally when one deserves it. The line emphasizes blessing and praise coming naturally.
Line Thượng Lục (Line 6)
Original text: 豐其屋，蔀其家，闚其戶，闃其無人，三歲不覿，凶. Pronunciation: Phong kỳ ốc, bộ kỳ gia, khuy kỳ hộ, kịch kỳ vô nhân, tam tuế bất địch, hung. Meaning: the house is large, the home is covered, looking at the door one sees silence with no people, for three years meeting no one, bad.
Common understanding: this is the strongest warning of the hexagram. A large house with closed doors, looking in seeing no one, three years meeting no one, means all connections are lost. In the ancient context, this is the image of one in a high position isolating themselves.
Is Hexagram Lei Huo Feng Auspicious or Inauspicious?
Sources are not entirely consistent in labeling this hexagram as auspicious or inauspicious. Some sites consider it a greatly auspicious hexagram, indicating favorable timing, many opportunities, good work and finances, but with a warning that the final stage may face difficulties and decline. This reading emphasizes the judgment "success, do not worry, best to be like the sun at noon".
Another reading, based on the Thoán Truyện and the Thượng Lục line, emphasizes that when prosperity reaches its extreme it must turn, so the hexagram carries both sides. This difference is not a contradiction but a difference in focus: one reads according to immediate timing, one reads according to long-term movement rules. This article does not assert absolute auspiciousness or inauspiciousness, but presents both readings for the reader to compare.
What Is the Connection Between Hexagram Phong and Hexagram Lữ (Number 56)?
In the King Wen sequence, hexagram Lei Huo Feng is number 55, immediately before hexagram Lôi Sơn Lữ (number 56). According to the Tự Quái Truyện, after greatness (Phong) there will surely be a place that cannot contain everything, so next is Lữ. It can be said that hexagram Lữ is the summary hexagram of Phong in the Tự Quái flow: when prosperity has overflowed beyond its original scope, people fall into a state of travel, temporary stay, without a solid anchor.
Reading this flow helps see that hexagram Phong does not stand alone, but is a link in a chain of movement: gathering, then growing, then overflowing, then temporary stay.
Summary Table of the Structure of Hexagram Lei Huo Feng
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Number | 55 / 64 |
| Hán Việt name | Lôi Hỏa Phong (雷火豐) |
| Other name | Phong (豐) |
| Outer trigram (upper) | Chấn ☳, thunder |
| Inner trigram (lower) | Ly ☲, fire |
| Number of yang lines | 3 / 6 |
| Five elements (by hexagram system) | Wood |
| Previous hexagram | Quy Muội (number 54) |
| Next hexagram | Lữ (number 56) |
| Main image | Thunder and lightning together, sun at noon |
Reading Hexagram Phong in Today's Context
Three points can be drawn without assigning absolute auspiciousness or inauspiciousness.
First, times of prosperity are for action, not for sitting and worrying about keeping. The judgment says "do not worry" right at the prosperous time, implying that fear of loss can make one miss the very opportunity at hand.
Second, times of prosperity are also for resolving lingering matters. The Tượng Truyện uses the image of thunder and lightning to speak of distinguishing right from wrong. Broadly, when resources and credibility are sufficient, that is the time to handle difficult matters that have been delayed.
Third, the Thượng Lục line is a reminder of the limits of greatness. A large house with no people, three years meeting no one, is the image of prosperity separated from connection. This is the other side of the hexagram, and also why the Thoán Truyện mentions the sun declining once it peaks.
Some Notes on Sources and Text Transcription
The judgment, line texts, and Tượng Truyện in this article are transcribed according to common Hán texts and Hán Việt pronunciation, compared with the hexagram name and Chinese characters in Wikipedia's hexagram list, and compared with the hexagram order position in documents following the King Wen sequence. Where sources are lacking, the article does not put that sentence in quotation marks.
The sections Thoán Truyện, Tượng Truyện, Tự Quái Truyện, Hệ Từ are later commentary, called by their proper names rather than grouped into the classic text. The verse cards in Khổng Minh Thần Toán belong to a different book system, not the line texts of the Zhou Yi, so they are not mixed into the line text section above.
Modern sources such as hexagram lookup sites or astrology forums may offer interpretations according to astrology, feng shui, or love. Those parts are modern applications, not part of the classic text, and there is no consensus among schools. Readers should separate two layers: the original text layer and the applied interpretation layer.
Structure of Hexagram Lei Huo Feng in One Table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Number in Zhou Yi | 55 |
| Chinese character name | 豐 |
| Upper hexagram | Chấn (Thunder) |
| Lower hexagram | Ly (Fire) |
| Six lines, from top down | yin, yin, yang, yang, yin, yang |
| Nuclear hexagram | Trạch Phong Đại Quá (number 28) |
| Opposite hexagram | Phong Thủy Hoán (number 59) |
| Summary hexagram | Hỏa Sơn Lữ (number 56) |
Where Do the Six Lines of Hexagram Lei Huo Feng Stand, and What Hexagram Does Each Moving Line Become?
The table reads from the first line (bottom) to the top line. Line names combine position and nature: yang is called Cửu, yin is called Lục. The last column is the transformed hexagram when ONLY that line moves, calculated by the same method used in the Nhật Nguyệt divination tool.
| Line | Name | Nature | Correct position | Central | Correspondence | Transformed hexagram |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sơ Cửu | yang | yes | no | with line 4, no correspondence | Lôi Sơn Tiểu Quá (number 62) |
| 2 | Lục Nhị | yin | yes | yes | with line 5, no correspondence | Lôi Thiên Đại Tráng (number 34) |
| 3 | Cửu Tam | yang | yes | no | with line 6, correspondence | Thuần Chấn (number 51) |
| 4 | Cửu Tứ | yang | no | no | with line 1, no correspondence | Địa Hỏa Minh Di (number 36) |
| 5 | Lục Ngũ | yin | no | yes | with line 2, no correspondence | Trạch Hỏa Cách (number 49) |
| 6 | Thượng Lục | yin | yes | no | with line 3, correspondence | Thuần Ly (number 30) |
