I Ching Reading

Hexagram 62: Small Excess

小過 · Xiǎo Guò · Thunder over Mountain

small thingsmodestycautiondetail

Small Excess (小過, Xiǎo Guò) is hexagram 62 of the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching, in the traditional King Wen order. It is made of Thunder (☳) above Mountain (☶).

Meaning of hexagram 62

Small matters are favored over large ones. Be a little more careful, humble or restrained than usual.

Advice

Stay with the everyday, do not aim too high and pay attention to details.

The two trigrams

Small Excess places ☳ Thunder (Zhèn), arousing, sudden and energetic, above ☶ Mountain (Gèn), still, steady and restrained. The lower trigram is the inner side of the situation and the upper one its outer side.

Hexagram
62. Small Excess
Chinese name
小過 Xiǎo Guò
Upper trigram
☳ Thunder (Zhèn)
Lower trigram
☶ Mountain (Gèn)
Lines
2 yang (solid) and 4 yin (broken)
Place in the sequence
62 of 64 (King Wen order)

The six lines of Small Excess

A hexagram is read from the bottom line up. In a reading, a changing line (a 6 or a 9 in the three-coin method) draws attention to its position.

  1. First line (yin, broken): the beginning. The root of the matter: early stirrings, foundations, and what has not yet shown itself.
  2. Second line (yin, broken): the inner circle. Your immediate surroundings and steady supports: how things work at close range.
  3. Third line (yang, solid): the threshold. A point of tension between inner and outer, often a test or a restless push forward.
  4. Fourth line (yang, solid): the approach. Stepping into wider circles or nearer to authority; caution and good relationships matter here.
  5. Fifth line (yin, broken): the center of power. The place of influence and clear leadership: where the situation is most fully expressed.
  6. Sixth line (yin, broken): the culmination. The far edge of the situation: completion, overreach, or letting go.

Related hexagrams