第61卦
中孚
Zhōng Fú
Inner Truth
上卦
巽 Xùn
Wind — Gentle
下卦
兌 Duì
Lake — Joyous
经典文本
彖辞
豚魚吉。利涉大川。利貞。
象辞
澤上有風，中孚。君子以議獄緩死。
爻辞
第初爻
初九 虞吉。有他不燕。
第二爻
九二 鳴鶴在陰。其子和之。我有好爵。吾與爾靡之。
第三爻
六三 得敵。或鼓或罷。或泣或歌。
第四爻
六四 月幾望。馬匹亡。无咎。
第五爻
九五 有孚攣如。无咎。
第上爻
上九 翰音登于天。貞凶。
Woman Holding a Balance
Vermeer, Unknown
Inner Truth
A woman in blue and gold contemplates empty scales, her hand suspended in window light. Johannes Vermeer painted this scene around 1665, positioning a Last Judgment painting on the wall behind her—souls being weighed in divine scales as she weighs earthly metals. But the painter shows a crucial detail: the balance pans hold nothing. She considers the instrument of measurement itself, the state of perfect equilibrium before matter tilts the scales. Her absorbed attention creates a moment of pure contemplation, inner assessment preceding external judgment.
阅读完整论述 ↓
Vermeer captures Zhong Fu (中孚), Inner Truth—Wind above Lake, Xun over Dui. The hexagram structure is unique: both trigrams place yang lines at top and bottom with yin at center, creating an empty core surrounded by strength. This represents sincerity emanating from within, influence through genuine understanding rather than external force. The character 中孚 combines "center" and "confidence," suggesting truth that comes from one's core rather than imposed belief. The woman's empty scales embody this principle—true judgment requires inner vacancy, freedom from prejudice that allows accurate perception. Song Dynasty diviners saw this configuration when situations required careful discernment, when sincerity must cross apparent barriers, when hearts recognize each other despite external differences. Vermeer shows a woman weighing empty scales in soft window light, with a Last Judgment painting behind her. The balance hovers in perfect equilibrium as she contemplates its state. Inner Truth (Zhong Fu) emphasizes sincerity and careful judgment—the woman's measured assessment mirrors the spiritual weighing of souls depicted above. The Judgment speaks to Vermeer's woman: "Inner Truth. Pigs and fishes. Good fortune. It furthers one to cross the great water. Perseverance furthers." Ancient texts cite this hexagram's power to influence even creatures without reason—pigs and fishes respond to genuine sincerity. The woman studies her balance with absolute focus, her inner state allowing true perception. In divination practice, Zhong Fu appeared in contexts of mediation, treaty-making, any circumstance requiring genuine understanding to bridge divisions. The Image Text clarifies what the empty scales demonstrate: "Wind over lake: the image of Inner Truth. Thus the superior one deliberates over legal cases in order to delay executions." The hexagram emphasizes careful judgment, sincere assessment before irreversible action. Vermeer's woman pauses at the moment of perfect balance, neither rushing to judgment nor avoiding it. In the I-Ching sequence, Zhong Fu follows Limitation—after accepting necessary boundaries comes the capacity for sincere assessment within those limits, truth that emerges from empty centers rather than fixed positions.
焦氏易林
焦延寿《易林》——第61卦本卦之辞。西汉时期以四言诗阐释卦变，为最早的系统性易学占辞集。
烏鳥譆譆，天火將下。燔我屋室，災及妃后。
澤上有風，中孚歸於自身——源卦與之卦相同，無變化發生。
阅读完整注释 ↓
澤上有風，中孚歸於自身——源卦與之卦相同，無變化發生。烏鳥譆譆——鴉鳥驚鳴，為火災之凶兆。天火將下——天降大火。燔我屋室——焚毀居所。災及妃后——禍延至后妃。「天火」焚宮或即伯姬之事：前543年宋宮失火，伯姬以傅母不在而不肯出，守禮而死——中孚（誠信）之極端化為致命。中孚自疊而無變，信念凝固為毀滅。定義此卦之美德在無轉化時反成至危——此即中孚之暗面。
English commentary
Wind stirs above the lake — and returns to itself. Crows caw their alarm; heavenly fire is about to descend. The house burns; the disaster reaches the queen herself. This is Inner Truth confronting its own mirror: the source hexagram and target are identical, meaning no transformation occurs. The crows (烏鳥) are traditional fire omens, and their cries announce catastrophe for the very center of the household. The 'heavenly fire' consuming the palace may echo the story of Lady Boji, who perished in the Song palace fire of 543 BC because she refused to leave without her chaperone — sincerity carried to fatal extreme. When inner truth doubles upon itself without transformation, conviction calcifies into destruction. The very virtue that defines this hexagram becomes its consummate danger.