I Ching reading: Kun (Exhaustion) changing to Dui (Joy)
Kun: Six at the beginning
The buttocks are hemmed in by a tree stump. One enters a dark valley and for three years sees no one.
臀困于株木，入于幽谷，三歲不覿。
止Hold back
Reading
Not now.You are trapped, and right now no one believes anything you say.
Governing text · Kun: Six at the beginning
In plain wordsYou sit on a dead stump that digs into you and gives no peace; you walk into a dark valley and for three years do not see the light of day. Trapped at the very bottom, in the darkest place.
- Now
- Like a lake with no water: resources dried up, hemmed in on every side. This is widely counted among the hardest hexagrams.
- The key
- Only one line is changing: Six at the beginning. The answer is in that line. The text gives no verdict, but the picture is a bad one. Carry on as you are and you will lose by it. Stop, step aside, or change your approach.
- Where it is heading
- Things are moving toward Dui (Joy): When people are amiable and enjoy each other's company, things go smoothly.
- What to do
- Say little, and do not go around explaining yourself. Hold on to your purpose and your bottom line. Those who can still hold firm in hardship come out of it in the end.
Read more closely
Which text applies
One changing line: read that line of the primary hexagram.
Your six throws, bottom to top: 1: 6 yin (changing) · 2: 7 yang · 3: 8 yin · 4: 7 yang · 5: 7 yang · 6: 8 yin
Line position
Not in its proper place · answered by the fourth line
First place: the beginning of the matter. Low position, little power. Begin carefully.
Nuclear hexagram · Jiaren (The Family)
First put the affairs of the household (your own inner circle) in order.
The nuclear hexagram is formed from the four inner lines. It shows what is going on inside the situation.
Full texts
One who truly knows the Changes does not need to divine. The text is for reflection; what you do is up to you.