What to Do When the Storm Passes: Hexagram Feng, Six in the Fifth Place

The fifth line of the Hexagram of Abundance, the Six in the Fifth Place, has a very simple line text:

「来章，有庆誉，吉。」 (Lái zhāng, yǒu qìng yù, jí — Brilliant light comes, bringing celebration and praise; good fortune.)

"Lai zhang" means the arrival of light. "Qing yu" means something worthy of celebration and praise. "Ji" means auspicious.

Reading this, you can let out a long sigh of relief. The previous lines were all about obscuration and darkness, broken arms and not being able to see people. By the Six in the Fifth Place, dawn has finally broken.

But don’t get ahead of yourself.

Dawn isn’t the end of the story. How you live after the sun comes up is what matters.

1. "Coming of Brilliant Light" Is Not Just a Congratulations

"Zhang" means light, elegance, and clear order. "Lai zhang" means light reappears and everything becomes clear.

The Six in the Fifth Place is the ruler’s position. The root of all the obscuration in the previous lines lies in this position. The Six in the Fifth Place is a Yin Line in a Yang position — it lacks hard, forceful power, but it is gentle, holds the central position, and has the virtue of包容.

How did all that earlier darkness pass? It wasn’t broken through by force. It was lifted layer by layer, slowly, by the person in this position.

Wen Laoshi says some people solve problems with tactics, others with time. The Six in the Fifth Place is the latter. It doesn’t have the firm, fierce energy of the Nine at the Beginning or the Nine in the Fourth Place, but it has patience that is soft yet resilient. Darkness doesn’t end because someone is defeated — it ends when the time is right, and light naturally returns.

2. When Light Comes, Can You Handle It?

After "lai zhang" comes "you qing yu" — there is celebration and praise. When things go well, everyone comes to congratulate you and sing your praises.

This is when you need to be careful.

The earlier lines of the Hexagram of Abundance teach you how to endure darkness. The Six in the Fifth Place teaches you how to stand steady in the light.

A lot of people can handle hardship but can’t handle ease. They stay clear-headed in the dark, but the second the lights come on, they get carried away. A little praise makes them think they’re truly amazing; a little celebration makes them swell with pride.

The overview of the Hexagram of Abundance already tells you: the sun at noon begins to decline. Just because you’ve walked out of darkness doesn’t mean you’ll never face it again.

The good fortune of the Six in the Fifth Place is not a permanent guarantee — it’s a阶段性 reward.

3. What to Do After "Celebration and Praise"

When Wen Laoshi talks about the Six in the Fifth Place, he often says three things:

First: Celebrate, but don’t overdo it.

When you’ve accomplished something, be happy — you’ve earned it. But if you get so carried away that you start thinking you’re invincible, the next stretch of darkness isn’t far off.

Second: Accept praise, but don’t take it too seriously.

People praise you because you delivered results. But praise comes with fluff, polite pleasantries, and flattery. If you start believing your own hype, no one will warn you when things go wrong next time.

Third: Remember what you learned in the dark.

What did you pick up when the obscuration was thickest? Patience, sincerity, knowing when to pull back. You can’t learn those things in the light. Don’t forget all of them the second the sun comes up.

4. What Situations Match the Six in the Fifth Place of the Hexagram of Abundance?

Your company has been through its toughest phase and finally turned a profit. Everyone’s celebrating, investors are praising you, and the media is lining up for interviews.

Your project has slogged along for two years and finally borne fruit. The team’s celebrating, your boss is commending you, and colleagues are looking at you with envy.

A relationship of yours has weathered its biggest crisis and finally mended. The other person is smiling at you again, and all your friends say what a great couple you are.

These are all "lai zhang" moments.

But the Six in the Fifth Place reminds you: don’t forget how you got through the dark times.

5. The True Meaning of the Six in the Fifth Place

Brilliant light comes, bringing celebration and praise; good fortune.

These five characters aren’t telling you to rest on your laurels.

They’re telling you: you made it out, and that’s worth celebrating. But making it out doesn’t mean you can’t fall back in. Light and dark alternate. All you can do is prepare for the next stretch of darkness while the light is still here.

The six lines of the Hexagram of Abundance trace a full cycle. From the bright hope of the Nine at the Beginning, to the obscuration of the Six in the Second Place, to the withdrawal of the Nine in the Third Place, to the companionship of the Nine in the Fourth Place, and finally to the return of light at the Six in the Fifth Place.

You’ll notice a pattern: the Hexagram of Abundance doesn’t teach you to avoid darkness. It just teaches you to do the right thing for the moment, in every situation.

Wen Laoshi says people who truly understand the Hexagram of Abundance fear neither good times nor bad. Because they know to stay alert in good times and be patient in bad times — and no matter whether things are going well or poorly, the work that needs doing stays the same.

Dawn has broken. Keep walking.