I Ching hexagram · 27 of 64
Hexagram 27: Nourishment 颐 Yí · Nourishment, care, self-cultivation
Watch what you take in and what you give out. Perseverance brings good fortune. Look at what people nourish, and at what they seek to fill their own mouths with.
- Upper: ☶ Mountain
- Lower: ☳ Thunder
- Nuclear: 2
- Opposite: 28
Number
27 of 64
Chinese name
颐 Yí
Upper trigram
☶ Mountain
Lower trigram
☳ Thunder
Nuclear hexagram
䷁ 2. The Receptive
Opposite hexagram
䷛ 28. Great Exceeding
What hexagram 27 means
Hexagram 27 looks like an open mouth: firm lines at the top and bottom with open lines between. It is about nourishment of the body, of the mind and of the people we care for.
You can know people by what they feed themselves and others. Choose what nourishes you wisely, speak carefully and support those who depend on you.
The Judgement · 卦辞
颐：贞吉。观颐，自求口实。
Perseverance brings good fortune. Look at what people nourish, and at what they seek to fill their own mouths with.
The Image · 象曰
山下有雷，颐；君子以慎言语，节饮食。
Thunder at the foot of the mountain: the image of providing nourishment. The noble person is careful with words and moderate in eating and drinking.
The lines and trigrams
Nourishment places ☶ Mountain (艮 Gèn), the trigram of stillness and restraint, 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 27 in your life
Love and relationships
Care and nurture strengthen the relationship. Pay attention to what you give each other, in words as much as in deeds.
Personal growth
Feed your mind and spirit with what is good. Watch your words and your consumption.
The six changing lines
If you cast hexagram 27 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
You let your magic tortoise go and stare at me with your jaw hanging. Envying others instead of trusting your own resources brings misfortune.
Line 2 六二 · Six in the second place
Seeking nourishment from the wrong source and straying from the path. Carrying on brings misfortune.
Line 3 六三 · Six in the third place
Turning away from true nourishment. Chasing empty gratification brings misfortune for a long time.
Line 4 六四 · Six in the fourth place
Seeking help from above in order to nourish others brings good fortune, like a tiger watching keenly with insatiable desire. No blame.
Line 5 六五 · Six in the fifth place
Departing from the usual path. Stay steady and accept support; don't attempt great undertakings yet.
Line 6 上九 · Nine at the top
The source of nourishment. Aware of the danger, there is good fortune; it helps to cross the great water.
Hexagram 27 questions, answered
What does I Ching hexagram 27 mean?
Hexagram 27, Nourishment (颐 Yí), is about nourishment, care, self-cultivation. Watch what you take in and what you give out. Hexagram 27 looks like an open mouth: firm lines at the top and bottom with open lines between. It is about nourishment of the body, of the mind and of the people we care for.
What does hexagram 27 mean in love?
Care and nurture strengthen the relationship. Pay attention to what you give each other, in words as much as in deeds.
What does hexagram 27 mean for work and money?
Look after resources, people and the basics. Managing well what sustains the business brings long-term results.
Which trigrams make up hexagram 27?
Hexagram 27 has Mountain (Gèn) as its upper trigram and Thunder (Zhèn) as its lower trigram.
What are the related hexagrams of hexagram 27?
Its nuclear hexagram is 2, The Receptive. Its opposite, with every line changed, is 28, Great Exceeding. It reads the same upside down, so it is its own inverse.
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.