I CHING HEXAGRAM 27
Hexagram 27: Nourishment / 山雷颐
Meaning & Interpretation
What this pattern asks of you
Examine both appetite and source; choose inputs and responsibilities that strengthen rather than merely stimulate.
The inner condition and the way the situation begins.
The surrounding field and the way the pattern develops.
THE TRADITIONAL IMAGE
Mountain (Gen) above Thunder (Zhen)
Thunder moves below the mountain, drawing attention to what enters and leaves the mouth. Nourishment includes food, information, speech, and care—choose what sustains life rather than merely filling appetite.
Core Meaning
Nourishment asks what you take in, what you provide, and whether words, food, information, and attention truly sustain life.
Examine both appetite and source; choose inputs and responsibilities that strengthen rather than merely stimulate. In a Liu Yao reading, this general pattern is only the starting point: moving lines, Self and Other, Six Relatives, and seasonal strength determine how it applies to a specific question.
In Love & Relationships
Notice how the relationship feeds or drains emotional life. Care should be reciprocal and words should nourish trust rather than dependency.
In Career & Work
Skills, information, and team culture are forms of nourishment. Invest in what builds long-term capability and stop feeding unproductive cycles.
Changing Lines
- 1
Do not abandon your own source to envy another.
- 2
Seeking nourishment from an inverted source creates imbalance.
- 3
Compulsive appetite blocks real satisfaction.
- 4
A clear need can seek support without shame.
- 5
Remain within limits while strength is rebuilding.
- 6
Becoming a source of nourishment carries responsibility.
Questions for Reflection
- 01
Where is the pattern of nourishment already visible in the situation you are asking about?
- 02
Which part of this guidance is within your control now: Examine both appetite and source; choose inputs and responsibilities that strengthen rather than merely stimulate.
- 03
What observable change would show that the situation is becoming more workable—or less so?
READ THE CHART, NOT ONLY THE NAME