The inverted hexagram is what you get by turning the figure upside down, as if you were looking at it from the other side of the table. The sixth line becomes the first, the fifth becomes the second, and so on. No line changes from yin to yang; they only change places.
Names
It's called 綜卦 (zōngguà), a term spread by Lai Zhide in the Ming dynasty. You'll also see 覆卦 or 反卦, "overturned hexagram."
Examples
- Initial Obstacles upside down is Immaturity.
- Well-Being upside down is Decline.
- After the End upside down is Transition.
Eight hexagrams look the same upside down: 1, 2, 27, 28, 29, 30, 61 and 62. For them, the inverted hexagram is the hexagram itself.
Why it matters
The King Wen sequence is built almost entirely on this relationship: 28 of its 32 pairs are a hexagram and its inversion. The other four, made of those eight symmetrical figures, pair each one with its opposite hexagram.
What it shows you
The inverted hexagram is your situation as the other side sees it: the other person in a relationship, the other party in a negotiation, or yourself at another stage. If you cast "Immaturity," the inversion reminds you that someone on the other side is facing "Initial Obstacles" with what you bring them.
Like the nuclear hexagram, it's an optional tool for looking deeper.