I Ching hexagram · 24 of 64
Hexagram 24: Return 复 Fù · Return, renewal, new cycles
The turning point. Light returns; begin again. Success. Going out and coming in without harm. Friends come without blame. To and fro goes the way; on the seventh day comes return. It helps to have somewhere to go.
- Upper: ☷ Earth
- Lower: ☳ Thunder
- Nuclear: 2
- Opposite: 44
Number
24 of 64
Chinese name
复 Fù
Upper trigram
☷ Earth
Lower trigram
☳ Thunder
Nuclear hexagram
䷁ 2. The Receptive
Opposite hexagram
䷫ 44. Coming to Meet
What hexagram 24 means
Hexagram 24 shows a single yang line returning at the bottom beneath five yin lines, like light returning after the winter solstice. It is the turning point, when renewal begins.
After a period of darkness, things start to improve of their own accord. Don't rush: let the new energy grow gently, rest, and return to what is good and true.
The Judgement · 卦辞
复：亨。出入无疾，朋来无咎。反复其道，七日来复，利有攸往。
Success. Going out and coming in without harm. Friends come without blame. To and fro goes the way; on the seventh day comes return. It helps to have somewhere to go.
The Image · 象曰
雷在地中，复；先王以至日闭关，商旅不行，后不省方。
Thunder within the earth: the image of the turning point. At the solstice the ancient kings closed the passes; merchants did not travel and the ruler did not tour the provinces.
The lines and trigrams
Return places ☷ Earth (坤 Kūn), the trigram of receptivity and devotion, above ☳ Thunder (震 Zhèn), the trigram of movement and arousal. The lower trigram describes the inner situation and the upper trigram the outer world.
A hexagram is read from the bottom line up. Lines 1 to 3 form the lower trigram and lines 4 to 6 the upper trigram. Solid lines are yang and broken lines are yin; in the traditional names a yang line is called Nine (九) and a yin line Six (六).
Hexagram 24 in your life
Love and relationships
Reconciliation, a fresh start or renewed feelings. Let the return happen naturally and nurture it gently.
Personal growth
Return to your true path. Small, steady steps after a setback lead to lasting renewal.
The six changing lines
If you cast hexagram 24 and some lines come out as changing lines, read the text for those lines, then turn each one into its opposite to find the hexagram your situation is moving towards. See how to consult the I Ching.
Line 1 初九 · Nine at the beginning
Return from a short distance. No need for remorse: supreme good fortune.
Line 2 六二 · Six in the second place
Quiet return. Good fortune.
Line 3 六三 · Six in the third place
Repeated return. Going back again and again is dangerous, but there is no blame.
Line 4 六四 · Six in the fourth place
Walking in the midst of others, you return alone. Follow what is right even if others don't.
Line 5 六五 · Six in the fifth place
Noble-hearted return. No remorse.
Line 6 上六 · Six at the top
Missing the return. Refusing to change brings misfortune and disaster.
Hexagram 24 questions, answered
What does I Ching hexagram 24 mean?
Hexagram 24, Return (复 Fù), is about return, renewal, new cycles. The turning point. Light returns; begin again. Hexagram 24 shows a single yang line returning at the bottom beneath five yin lines, like light returning after the winter solstice. It is the turning point, when renewal begins.
What does hexagram 24 mean in love?
Reconciliation, a fresh start or renewed feelings. Let the return happen naturally and nurture it gently.
What does hexagram 24 mean for work and money?
Recovery after a downturn. Restart projects slowly and build momentum step by step.
Which trigrams make up hexagram 24?
Hexagram 24 has Earth (Kūn) as its upper trigram and Thunder (Zhèn) as its lower trigram.
What are the related hexagrams of hexagram 24?
Its nuclear hexagram is 2, The Receptive. Its opposite, with every line changed, is 44, Coming to Meet. Turned upside down it becomes 23, Splitting Apart.
All 64 hexagrams
Find your birth hexagram
Enter your date, time and place of birth to see your birth hexagram, your two life hexagrams and what each period of your life brings.