I Ching 易經
The 64 Hexagrams / 1
Hexagram 1 · ䷀

The Creative

乾 · Qián
Upper Heaven 乾Lower Heaven 乾

The Judgment · 卦辭

元亨。利貞。
Khien (represents) what is great and originating, penetrating, advantageous, correct and firm.

The Image · 大象

天行健,君子以自強不息。
Heaven, in its motion, (gives the idea of) strength. The superior man, in accordance with this, nerves himself to ceaseless activity.
Plain-English Meaning

A time of strong, creative energy. Initiative, persistence and integrity carry real momentum now.

The Judgment

Great beginnings succeed when they stay steady and true.

The Image

Like the sky that never stops moving, keep building your strength day after day.
Editorial summary written for this site; not a translation.
The Lines · 爻辭
English: James Legge (1882), public domain · Text · Image (Appendix II), sacred-texts.com.
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