Yi Jing · Chinese tarot
The Cauldron
Hexagram 50 of the Yi Jing · 鼎 Dǐng
The figure
Fire above Wind: the fire fed by wood beneath the cauldron, what turns matter into food. The image of the crucible.
What this figure illuminates
The Cauldron lights up patient transformation, the art of ripening what was raw to make it nourishing. It is not the overturning of Revolution, but the slow cooking that elevates.
For a decision, the figure invites you to look at what must be transmuted: “what can I bring from raw to cooked — a skill, a relationship, a project — through patient work?”.
The classical text
The Judgment
The Cauldron: supreme good fortune and success. What is raw is transformed into nourishment.
The Image
Fire rises from the wood beneath the cauldron, cooking what feeds and consecrates. Seeing this, the noble person holds their place rightly and keeps steady their calling.
The Six Lines
- First line
The cauldron tipped over, feet in the air — yet this empties out the stale and old. Even a low beginning can lead to something good.
- Second line
The cauldron full of real substance. Others may envy, but they cannot reach you — keep to your work, and good fortune.
- Third line
The cauldron's handles are altered and it cannot be lifted — its rich food goes untasted for now. But the rain will come, the regret spend itself, and the end is good fortune.
- Fourth line
The cauldron's legs break and the meal is spilled — a trust too heavy for you, disgraced. Misfortune from taking on more than you can bear.
- Fifth line
The cauldron with golden handles and metal rings — dignity that can be grasped and lifted. It furthers to stay firm and correct.
- Sixth line
The cauldron with rings of jade — the noblest bearing, hard yet gentle. Great good fortune; everything you undertake furthers.
Daoa's wording, written after the classical reference translations, now in the public domain: James Legge (1882) and Charles de Harlez (1889).
A question to keep
What asks for patient transformation, from raw to ripe?
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