I-Ching Hexagram 55
豐 Abundance
Also known as Fullness
Noon — the sun at its peak. A time of plenty, clarity, and high energy.
abundance · fullness · zenith
The Story
At the height of summer, a farmer's fields were so heavy with grain that the stalks bowed to the path. He walked them at noon and felt a small shadow pass over — a cloud he had not noticed forming in the west. That evening he doubled the roof on his granary, laid cloth over the outdoor heaps, and sent his sons to check the threshing floor. The storm, when it came, took his neighbors' crops and spared his. "Abundance is noon," he said. "Noon does not last. Those who enjoy it without preparing for afternoon are the ones who lose everything."
The Judgment
Success. The king attains abundance. Be not sad. Be like the sun at midday.
The Image
Thunder and lightning both come: the image of abundance. Thus the superior person decides lawsuits and carries out punishments.
Interpretation
Noon — the sun at its peak. A time of plenty, clarity, and high energy. But noon is also the moment of the turning: one cannot stay at the top. The counsel is to use the light fully, act decisively on matters that have been long pending, and not grieve when the slant of the light begins to change.
Trigrams
The Six Lines
- First (Bottom) When a person meets his destined ruler, they can be together ten days, and it is not a mistake. Going meets with recognition. A natural meeting with the right counterpart; the encounter is fruitful even if short.
- Second The curtain is of such fullness that the polestars can be seen at noon. Through going one meets with mistrust and hate. If one rouses him through truth, good fortune comes. Obscuration even at the height; sincerity cuts through suspicion.
- Third The underbrush is of such abundance that the small stars can be seen at noon. He breaks his right arm. No blame. An obstruction dims the noon; a personal setback, but free of guilt.
- Fourth The curtain is of such fullness that the polestars can be seen at noon. He meets his ruler, who is of like kind. Good fortune. Dimness lifted by meeting an equal mind.
- Fifth Lines are coming, blessing and fame draw near. Good fortune. Capable people gather; recognition spreads.
- Sixth (Top) His house is in a state of abundance. He screens off his family. He peers through the gate and no longer perceives anyone. For three years he sees nothing. Misfortune. Wealth turned into isolation; the long fall from noon.