第 24 卦 · Hexagram 24

復

Fu · Earth over Thunder

一陽來復、循環重啟、冬至之卦

上☷坤 · 地 / Earth下☳震 · 雷 / Thunder

錯卦把每一爻都翻轉（陽↔陰）後得到的另一卦。Every line flipped, yang ↔ yin.Opposite44 · 姤綜卦把整個卦上下顛倒後得到的另一卦。The whole figure turned upside-down.Inverse23 · 剝互卦由二、三、四爻與三、四、五爻組成的中間卦。Built from lines 2-3-4 and 3-4-5.Nuclear2 · 坤

象Image

先看圖像，再讀文字。Read the image before the words.

大象傳《大象傳》從上下卦的自然圖像推演全卦之象，再提出人事取法。The Great Image derives conduct from the two trigrams' natural images.Great Image

全卦成象Whole image
雷在地中，復
(The trigram representing) the earth and that for thunder in the midst of it form Fu.
人事取法Conduct
先王以至日閉關，商旅不行，后不省方。
The ancient kings, in accordance with this, on the day of the (winter) solstice, shut the gates of the passes (from one state to another); travelling merchants did not (then) pursue their journeys, nor did the prince go on his tours of inspection.

雷藏在地中——復。先王仿效這個樣子，在冬至那天關閉城門，商人旅客都不出行，君主也不巡視各地。讓新生的陽安安靜靜地蓄積力量。

(The trigram representing) the earth and that for thunder in the midst of it form Fu. The ancient kings, in accordance with this, on the day of the (winter) solstice, shut the gates of the passes (from one state to another); travelling merchants did not (then) pursue their journeys, nor did the prince go on his tours of inspection.

辭Words

先讀經文，再讀《彖傳》如何解釋卦辭。The received text, then the Tuan commentary on it.

經

卦辭對整個卦（六條線為一組）的總體判斷。The judgment on the hexagram as a whole.

Judgment

復：亨。出入无疾，朋來无咎。反復其道，七日來復，利有攸往。

復——通達。進出都沒病害，朋友來也沒錯失。事情往復循環，七日之後又回到起點。利於有所行動。冬至之後一陽始生，新的循環重啟。

Fu indicates that there will be free course and progress (in what it denotes). (The subject of it) finds no one to distress him in his exits and entrances; friends come to him, and no error is committed. He will return and repeat his proper course. In seven days comes his return. There will be advantage in whatever direction movement is made.

傳

彖傳十翼之一，直接解釋卦名、卦辭及其剛柔結構。Tuan Zhuan — explains the name, the Judgment and the line structure.

Commentary on the Judgment

「復亨」，剛反；動而以順行，是以「出入無疾，朋來無咎」。「反復其道，七日來復」，天行也。「利有攸往」，剛長也。復其見天地之心乎？

「復亨」——剛（陽）回返了；動（震）順著走（坤），所以「出入無疾、朋來無咎」。「反復其道、七日來復」——這是天的運行規律。「利有攸往」——剛在生長。復卦——可以從這裡看見天地的本心吧？

'Fu indicates the free course and progress (of what it denotes):'—it is the coming back of what is intimated by the undivided line. (The subject of the hexagram) acts (with motive power), and proceeds with docility. Hence 'he finds no one to distress him in his exits and entrances, and friends come to him, and no error is committed.' 'He will return and repeat his proper course; in seven days comes his return:'—such is the movement of the heavenly (revolution). 'There will be advantage in whatever direction movement is made:'—the strong lines are growing. Do we not see in Fu the mind of heaven and earth?

爻Lines

六條線各有一句判斷。閱讀次序初→上；卦象由下而上，看左側的卦。One statement per line, read from the first line to the top. The figure is drawn bottom-up — watch the rail.

初九

復

速回頭swift return

第 1 爻 · 陽line 1 · yang

不遠復，无祗悔，元吉。

走不遠就回頭——沒有大的後悔，大吉。初九是唯一的陽爻、是復的主爻——一走偏就立刻改正、不拖。

The first NINE, undivided, shows its subject returning (from an error) of no great extent, which would not proceed to anything requiring repentance. There will be great good fortune.

小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註。Xiao Xiang — short classical commentary on this line.

不遠之復，以修身也。

走不遠就回頭——是用來修身的。

'(We see in him) returning from an error of no great extent:'—it is the way to the cultivation of the person.

六二

休

美好回返graceful return

第 2 爻 · 陰line 2 · yin

休復，吉。

美好的回返——吉。緊鄰初九的陽，自己雖是陰，但能順著陽而動，所以吉。

The second SIX, divided, shows the admirable return (of its subject). There will be good fortune.

小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註。Xiao Xiang — short classical commentary on this line.

休復之吉，以下仁也。

美好的回返之吉——是因為能親近仁者（指初九）。

'The good fortune of the admirable return' is due to the subject's condescending to (the subject of the line below).

六三

頻

反覆改錯repeated returns

第 3 爻 · 陰line 3 · yin

頻復，厲，无咎。

頻繁地回返——危險，但無咎。反覆出錯、反覆改正——過程危險，但因為始終在改正，所以沒有大失。

The third SIX, divided, shows one who has made repeated returns. The position is perilous, but there will be no error.

小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註。Xiao Xiang — short classical commentary on this line.

頻復之厲，義无咎也。

頻繁回返的危險——按理應該沒有錯失。

'The perilous position of one who has made repeated returns' is rightly described as without error.

六四

獨

獨自守正alone holding course

第 4 爻 · 陰line 4 · yin

中行獨復。

在五陰的中段、獨自回返（向下親近初九）。孤獨卻守正，不隨大流。

The fourth SIX, divided, shows its subject moving right in the centre (among those represented by the other divided lines), and yet returning alone (to the proper path).

小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註。Xiao Xiang — short classical commentary on this line.

中行獨復，以從道也。

中行獨復——是為了跟從正道。

'He moves right in the centre (among those represented by the other divided lines), and yet returns alone:'—his object is to pursue the (proper) path.

六五

敦

厚重自反noble return

第 5 爻 · 陰line 5 · yin

敦復，无悔。

敦厚的回返——無悔。君位而能厚重自反、不因位高而拒絕改正。

The fifth SIX, divided, shows the noble return of its subject. There will be no occasion for repentance.

小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註。Xiao Xiang — short classical commentary on this line.

敦復无悔，中以自考也。

敦厚回返而無悔——以中正自我檢驗。

'The noble return, giving no occasion for repentance,' is due to the subject's examination of himself in his central position.

上六

迷

不知回返lost in error

第 6 爻 · 陰line 6 · yin

迷復，凶。有災眚，用行師，終有大敗，以其國君，凶。至于十年不克征。

迷失了、不知道回返——凶。有災難。如果在這個時候用兵，最後會大敗，連國君都受累，凶。十年之內都不能出征。復之終卻不知復——是復卦中最壞的位置。

The topmost SIX, divided, shows its subject all astray on the subject of returning. There will be evil. There will be calamities and errors. If with his views he put the hosts in motion, the end will be a great defeat, whose issues will extend to the ruler of the state. Even in ten years he will not be able to repair the disaster.

小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註。Xiao Xiang — short classical commentary on this line.

迷復之凶，反君道也。

迷復之凶——是違背君主之道。

'The evil connected with that all astray on the subject of returning' is because the (subject's) course is contrary to that of a (true) ruler.

用Use

把象套到你的情境，取一個可行的下一步。Apply the image to your situation; take one practical step.

冬至—大地寂靜而地下第一條春芽已經開始向上推。

Winter solstice — earth still and silent, while underground the first sprout has already begun to push upward.

把象套到你的情境 · Apply the image to your situation

初九復察覺路偏即修正spot drift, correct fast
六二休謙從引導者follow good lead
六三頻反覆嘗試錯改iterate through errors
六四獨團體中獨守初心hold your line in the group
六五敦高位仍能自省self-correcting from high seat
上六迷看不見已經走偏blind to your own drift

復與 23 剝為綜卦：剝的上九一陽將盡，翻過來就是復的初九一陽才起。同一條陽爻在不同位置 = 結束還是開始，全在你怎麼看。Fu pairs with Bo, Splitting Apart (hexagram 23), as inverse hexagrams: Bo's top yang line about to vanish, flipped becomes Fu's bottom yang line just starting. Same line, different position — ending or beginning, depending on how you read.

可行的一步 · Practical move

復是重啟的卦，也是修錯的卦。讀到復，多半表示你正站在一個新開始、新機會的門口，可力量還很弱，這時候大舉出擊，只會把剛萌的芽提前耗掉。全卦的關鍵在初九「不遠復」：一發現走偏就立刻回頭，別等偏得太遠才想改。卦象又取冬至閉關為喻，提醒你給這個新開始留一段安靜的蓄積期，先養後動。最怕的是滑到上六「迷復」——一路錯下去，自己卻渾然不覺。

Fu is the hexagram of restart and of correcting error. Drawing it usually signals: (1) you're at a new beginning / new opportunity; (2) but the force is still weak — don't make big moves; (3) the key is 'return without going far' — correct fast, before drift compounds; (4) the winter-solstice 'close the gates' image: give the new beginning a quiet accumulation phase. The thing to fear: line 6's 'lost in returning' — drifting further while unable to see it.

失手之處 · Failure mode

把復讀成「我翻身了，可以大幹了」——錯。陽才一條，五條陰還在上面。在復的時節大舉出擊等於把還沒蓄積好的力量過早消耗。復的智慧是慢、是修身、是等。

Misreading Fu as 'I've turned around, time to push' is wrong. There's only one yang; five yin still sit above it. Big moves at this point burn force before it has accumulated. Fu's wisdom is slow, self-cultivating, patient.

義理Commentary4

魏晉 · 3rd c.王弼《周易注》Wang Bi, Commentary on the Zhou YiScholarly

復者，反本之謂也。陽消於上而生於下，本之所自，反斯為復。「不遠復」者，識迷未深而即返；返之愈早，則用力愈少而功愈大。聖人於復卦見天地生生之心——萬物雖有衰滅，未有不復者也。

Fu means 'returning to the root.' Yang declines above and is reborn below; what stems from the root, returning to it, is Fu. 'Returning without going far' means recognizing one's drift before it has gone deep — the earlier the return, the less effort required and the greater the result. In Fu the sage sees the heart of heaven and earth's ceaseless generation — though the myriad things may decline and perish, none fail to return.

北宋 · 11th c.程頤《伊川易傳》Cheng Yi, Yichuan's Commentary on the YiScholarly

陰極而陽生，陽生則為復。一陽於下，雖微而實為生機之本。聖人見復而知天地生物不息之心，此「天地之心」之所謂也。修身之學，亦於此見之——人之過誤，亦當不遠復；復之愈速，則愈近於聖。失之千里者，皆始於不能不遠之復。

Yin reaches its extreme and yang is born; yang's birth is Fu. One yang line below — though minute, it is the root of generation. The sage sees Fu and knows heaven and earth's ceaseless heart of bringing things forth — this is what 'the mind of heaven and earth' means. The practice of self-cultivation is seen here as well: when a person errs, they too should return without going far; the swifter the return, the closer to the sage. Those who err by a thousand miles all began with failing to return-without-going-far.

南宋 · 12th c.朱熹《周易本義》Zhu Xi, The Original Meaning of the Zhou YiScholarly

復，反也。陽復生於下也。一陽生於五陰之下，故曰復。十一月之卦也。「天地之心」，謂仁也；陽復，仁之始也。

Fu means 'return.' Yang returns and is reborn from below. One yang line emerges below five yin — therefore Fu. It is the hexagram of the 11th lunar month (winter solstice). 'The mind of heaven and earth' refers to ren (humanity, benevolence); the yang's return is the beginning of ren.

現代 Contemporary現代傳承（繼承倪海廈《天紀》象-first 讀法之精神，非逐字轉錄）Modern lineage (inheriting the spirit of Ni Haixia's Tian Ji, not transcribing)Introductory

復排在冬至：陰到極處，第一根陽爻從最底下升起來。這大概是全易經最叫人寬心的卦，但它的寬心有分寸。看卦象，一陽在下，上頭還壓著五陰，勢頭剛剛掉頭，力量還薄；剛見起色就大舉出手，恰好把這點陽氣耗掉，先讓它積著。主爻是初九「不遠復，无祗悔，元吉」，錯走一兩步就回頭，代價近乎零，越走遠，回頭越貴。反面在上六「迷復，凶」：到了該回返的時節還認不出路，一路走岔，斷語重到「十年不克征」。走錯不算最壞，壞在不知道自己走錯了。大象說「先王以至日閉關」，冬至那天關城門、歇商旅，讓初生的陽氣在靜裡養。每個新開頭都配得上這樣一段安靜期，先靜後動，動纔有本錢。

Fu sits at the winter solstice: yin has reached its extreme, and the first yang line rises again from the very bottom. This may be the most reassuring hexagram in the Yijing, but its reassurance comes with a caveat. Look at the image — one yang below, five yin still pressing above; the momentum has only just turned, and the force is thin. Making big moves at the first sign of improvement is precisely how that sliver of yang gets spent; let it gather first. The master line is line 1, 'returning before going far, no cause for regret, supreme good fortune': turn back after a step or two and the cost is nearly nothing, while every step further makes the return dearer. The dark mirror is the top line, 'lost in returning' — the season calls for turning back and you no longer recognize the road, and the verdict runs as heavy as 'ten years without a successful advance.' Going astray is not the worst of it; the worst is not knowing you have. The Great Image says the former kings shut the gates at the solstice, resting merchants and travelers, letting the newborn yang gather in stillness. Every new beginning deserves such a quiet spell — stillness first, then movement, and the movement has capital behind it.

注解Annotation5

復fù

Return; the recurring. The character pictures a foot returning. Cycle's restart point — yang re-emerges from below.

七日qī rì

Seven days (or seven steps). Refers to the 7-stage transit through the cycle from one polarity back to the other. Also a general principle: cycles take measured time.

頻復pín fù

Repeated returning. Doing wrong, correcting, doing wrong, correcting again. Risky but redeems itself through repeated correction.

敦dūn

Thick, weighty, sincere. 敦復 = a deep, substantial return — not superficial.

迷復mí fù

Lost in returning. The position of someone who should be returning but cannot find the way. The line-6 vice.

歷史Context4

12 消息卦中的位置

Position in the 12-cycle

復對應十一月（冬至前後）。卦象看：五條陰在上、一條陽從最下面升起。從純陰的坤（10月）到一陽的復（11月）是整個 12 消息卦循環的起點。也是整個一年中第一個陽氣開始累積的時刻。古代把冬至視為一年的開始，原因在此。

Fu corresponds to the 11th lunar month (around winter solstice). Image: five yin lines above, one yang line at the bottom. From pure-yin Kun (10th month) to one-yang Fu (11th month) is the starting point of the whole 12-cycle. Also the moment in the calendar year when yang qi first begins to accumulate. This is why ancient China treated winter solstice as the year's true start.

「天地之心」

'The mind of heaven and earth'

彖傳結尾一句「復其見天地之心乎？」是易經中最著名的哲理句子之一。意思是：在復卦中你看見天地的本心。這個「心」是什麼？古人通常解讀為仁（生生之意）。看到一陽從最死寂的純陰中重新萌發——你看見宇宙的根本衝動是生而不是滅。

The Tuan Zhuan's closing line — 'Do we not see in Fu the mind of heaven and earth?' — is one of the most famous philosophical statements in the Yijing. What does the 'mind' refer to? Tradition reads it as ren (the impulse to generate). Seeing one yang sprout from the deepest stillness of pure yin — you glimpse that the universe's root impulse is to generate rather than to extinguish.

「七日來復」的解讀

Interpreting 'in seven days the return comes'

卦辭「七日來復」歷代解讀多種：（1）以卦序解：從姤（一陰生）數起經 7 卦（姤→遯→否→觀→剝→坤→復）即為 7。（2）以月數解：從五月姤到十一月復是 7 個月。（3）以日數解：陽氣在 7 天中完成一個微循環。（4）一般性解：循環都有其時節，週期是必然的。在占卜應用中，「七日」常被視為一個約略的時段提示——大約一個短期的循環完成之時。

The judgment's 'return comes in seven days' has multiple traditional readings: (1) by hexagram sequence: counting 7 from Gou (first yin) through the cycle to Fu. (2) by months: from 5th month Gou to 11th month Fu is 7 months. (3) by days: yang qi completes a micro-cycle in 7 days. (4) general: cycles have their seasons, and periodicity is inevitable. In divination, 'seven days' is often treated as a rough timing hint — about one short cycle.

宋明理學的「復」

Fu in Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism

宋明理學把復卦拉到中心位置。周敦頤《通書》以「動而無動」釋復之動，朱熹在《周易本義》以「天地之心即仁」立論，王陽明講「致良知」也與「不遠復」的修身義相通。復卦因此不只是一個占卜用的卦，是整個宋明理學的哲學入口之一。讀復應知它在中國思想史中的重量。

Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism placed Fu at the center. Zhou Dunyi's Tong Shu (Penetrating the Book of Changes) reads Fu's motion as 'movement without movement'; Zhu Xi in his Original Meaning of the Zhou Yi argues that 'the mind of heaven and earth IS ren'; Wang Yangming's 'extending innate moral knowledge' connects with the self-cultivation meaning of 'not-far return.' Fu thus is not only a divinatory hexagram but a philosophical gateway into the entirety of Song-Ming thought. Read Fu with awareness of its weight in Chinese intellectual history.

練習Practice3

line-read
你最近哪裡剛開始一個「復」的回返？是初九的「不遠復」還是已經到了上六的「迷復」？
Where did you most recently begin a return? Is it line 1's 'return without going far' or has it slid to line 6's 'lost in returning'?
char-recall
辨認下列字義：復、頻、敦、迷、祗。
Identify the meaning of each character: 復 (fù), 頻 (pín), 敦 (dūn), 迷 (mí), 祗 (zhī).
parse
彖傳「復其見天地之心乎」一句中，「天地之心」古人理解為什麼？為什麼把這個放在復卦?
What is 'the mind of heaven and earth' as classical commentators understood it? Why is this teaching placed in Fu specifically?