Return
復Fu
No. 24 · Earth over Thunder
Fu (Return)
At the winter solstice one yang line returns from deep in the earth, and what went off course starts coming back on track. It is about turning back and starting over, and the sooner the better.
Cast your own hexagramThis hexagram is about turning back and starting again. Things that drifted off course have a chance to come back, but the returning strength is still small. Correct course in small ways and recover step by step.
Favorable
- Correct course early
- Pick up what you shelved
- Reach out to old friends
- Recover in small steps
Avoid
- Repeating the same mistake
- Flip-flopping
- Sprinting the moment things improve
- Refusing to admit you're lost
Work and money
- Job search
- Returning to your strongest field, or to a former employer, makes sense. In Fu (Return) the yang has only just come back, so it is still weak. Prove yourself on familiar ground first rather than asking for a senior title on day one.
- Business
- Good for relaunching a paused product or pulling your customers back to your original focus. The Judgment says friends arrive with no blame, so take the old clients and partners who come back. Keep the scale small at first.
- Money
- Income and spending are starting to steady. A good time to restart saving and rebuild a budget. Don't add more just because things have picked up; let them settle first.
Love and people
- Single
- Someone you used to know may reappear, or you may feel ready to meet people again. That is a good start. Begin within familiar circles and take it slowly; there is no hurry to settle.
- In a relationship
- Things that had cooled are warming up. The second line's gracious return says that softening a little and stepping toward them keeps things smooth. Don't drag up old grievances and smother the warmth that just came back.
- Getting back together
- Fu (Return) is the hexagram of coming back, so there is a chance, and the sooner you speak up the better; the first line's quick return is the most favorable. The top line, lost on the way back, warns that repeating the same mistakes tends to split you up again.
- People and partnerships
- A good time to reconnect with friends you lost touch with or partners you worked with before. The fourth line returns alone while walking among others: when everyone drifts the wrong way, you can go back to the right approach on your own.
Daily life
- Exams and study
- Good for a retake, a review or picking up a subject you dropped long ago. Yang is just sprouting, like thunder slowly building inside the earth. Aim to touch it a little every day rather than packing the schedule from the start.
- Moving and travel
- Trips and moves mostly go well; out and back in without affliction. Yet while yang is just returning, stillness suits it. The old kings closed the passes on the solstice, so big moves can wait until things feel steadier.
- Body and mind
- You are starting to bounce back, but it is still fragile. Get your routine regular again and go to bed earlier; don't stay up late the moment you feel better. If something has bothered you for days, have it looked at by a doctor.
Traditional questions
- Something you are waiting for
- A reply is coming, but only after a full cycle. "In seven days comes the return" speaks of a cycle that circles back. Don't switch direction in the meantime.
- Disputes and lawsuits
- You can go back to the negotiating table; talking again beats a standoff. The third line's back-and-forth return carries danger, though. Once your position is set, stop changing it.
- Lost things and people
- A good chance of getting it back, often after it turns up somewhere unexpected. Look low, on the floor, in fabric or bags (Kun), or along routes you walk often and near doorways and passages (Zhen).
Making a decision
It pays to move forward, especially on decisions that correct course or start fresh. The sooner you turn back, the better; the longer you wait, the harder it gets.
If you are…
Fu (Return) is the hexagram of going back, so returning can work. Be honest about why you left in the first place and agree clearly on your role. Work steadily for the first few months; sincere, solid effort is what rebuilds the trust.
If you slipped, restart today instead of waiting for next Monday; Fu (Return) says the sooner you turn back, the better. Work out which situation set you off and avoid it, or you may keep returning and slipping again and again.
This is the reading when no line is changing. With changing lines, Zhu Xi’s method says which line to read, and the result page after a casting tells you directly.
亨。出入无疾，朋來无咎。反復其道，七日來復，利有攸往。
Success. Going out and coming in without affliction; friends arrive, no blame. Back and forth along the way, in seven days comes the return. It pays to have somewhere to go.
Earth over Thunder: Kun (Earth) above, Zhen (Thunder) below, thunder hidden inside the earth. Five yin lines sit above, and one yang line has just come back at the very bottom, like yang energy stirring again after the solstice. That is Fu (Return).
Nine at the beginning
不遠復，无祇悔，元吉。
Returning before going far. No great regret. Great good fortune.
You notice the direction is wrong and correct it right away, like apologizing the same day for a harsh word or pulling a plan back on course at once. The shorter the mistake lasts, the less it costs.
Small Image: 不遠之復，以修身也。
Six in the second place
休復，吉。
A gracious return. Good fortune.
Someone near you is doing it right. Set your pride aside, learn from them and adjust. This kind of turning back is nothing to be embarrassed about, and things tend to go smoother after it.
Small Image: 休復之吉，以下仁也。
Six in the third place
頻復，厲无咎。
Returning again and again. Danger, but no blame.
You keep making the same mistake and keep correcting it, like quitting and relapsing, or agreeing and then backing out. That is risky, but as long as you still turn back there is hope. Find out why it keeps happening.
Small Image: 頻復之厲，義无咎也。
Six in the fourth place
中行獨復。
Walking in the midst of others, returning alone.
Everyone around you is heading one way, and only you sense something is off and turn around. No need to make a scene. Do the right thing yourself first; your strength is still small, so don't rush to convince everyone.
Small Image: 中行獨復，以從道也。
Six in the fifth place
敦復，无悔。
A sincere, steady return. No regret.
You are willing to look honestly at yourself and change in solid, practical ways, such as genuinely repairing a relationship or dropping a bad habit. This is the kind of change you are unlikely to regret.
Small Image: 敦復无悔，中以自考也。
Six at the top
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。
Lost on the way back. Misfortune; disaster from heaven and from people. If troops are sent out in this state, in the end there is a great defeat, and misfortune reaches the ruler of the state. For ten years no campaign can succeed.
You know you have gone wrong and keep going anyway, sinking deeper; one big failure can weigh on you for years, as with propping up a business that keeps losing money. Admit it and call a stop now, and the damage is still recoverable.
Small Image: 迷復之凶，反君道也。
復亨；剛反，動而以順行，是以出入无疾，朋來无咎。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？
Fu (Return) has success: the firm comes back, moving and going along with what is natural. So going out and coming in are without affliction, and friends arrive without blame. Back and forth along the way, in seven days comes the return: this is the course of heaven. It pays to have somewhere to go, because the firm is growing. In Return, can we not see the very heart of heaven and earth?
The Image雷在地中，復；先王以至日閉關，商旅不行，后不省方。
Thunder within the earth: this is Fu (Return). The ancient kings, on the day of the solstice, closed the passes. Merchants and travelers did not journey, and the sovereign did not tour the regions.
The Sequence: why it comes here物不可以終盡，剝窮上反下，故受之以復。
The previous hexagram is Bo (Splitting Apart). Things cannot be used up forever; when stripping away reaches the top, it comes back from the bottom, so Splitting Apart is followed by Fu (Return).
Miscellaneous Notes剝爛也，復反也。
Bo (Splitting Apart) is overripe and falling apart; Fu (Return) is coming back to where it began. In Splitting Apart the yang is worn down to the top line alone; in Return it comes back at the bottom. One leaves and one returns, a matched pair.
Related hexagramsFAQ
What does Fu mean for love?
Someone you used to know may reappear, or you may feel ready to meet people again. That is a good start. Begin within familiar circles and take it slowly; there is no hurry to settle. Things that had cooled are warming up. The second line's gracious return says that softening a little and stepping toward them keeps things smooth. Don't drag up old grievances and smother the warmth that just came back.
What does Fu mean for work?
Returning to your strongest field, or to a former employer, makes sense. In Fu (Return) the yang has only just come back, so it is still weak. Prove yourself on familiar ground first rather than asking for a senior title on day one. A good time to pick up a shelved project, return to your core work or fix a wrong direction. Don't rush right after restarting. Get a few steady rounds done before you speed up.
With Fu, will what I am waiting for come?
A reply is coming, but only after a full cycle. "In seven days comes the return" speaks of a cycle that circles back. Don't switch direction in the meantime.
With Fu, will I find what I lost?
A good chance of getting it back, often after it turns up somewhere unexpected. Look low, on the floor, in fabric or bags (Kun), or along routes you walk often and near doorways and passages (Zhen).
A hexagram answers one question; your chart shows the whole of you and your year.
The classical text follows the standard edition of the Zhouyi. The plain readings are Xingge’s own, offered as a reference, not as the final word.