• The hexagram is consistently strong in character, and since it is without weakness, its essence is power or energy. Its image is heaven.
• Its energy is represented as unrestricted by any fixed conditions in space and is therefore conceived of as motion. Time is regarded as the basis of this motion.
• Thus the hexagram includes also the power of time and the power of persisting in time, that is, duration.

• In relation to the universe, the hexagram expresses the strong, creative action of the Deity.

• In relation to the human world, it denotes the creative action of the holy man or sage, of the ruler or leader of men, who through his power awakens and develops their higher nature.¹

• THE CREATIVE works sublime success,

• Furthering² through perseverance.

• When an individual draws this oracle, it means that success will come to him from the primal depths of the universe and that everything depends upon his seeking his happiness and that of others in one way only, that is, by perseverance in what is right.

• The Chinese word here rendered by “sublime” means literally “head,” “origin,” “great.”
• This is why Confucius says in explaining it:

“Great indeed is the generating power of the Creative; all beings owe their beginning to it. This power permeates all heaven.³ For this attribute inheres in the other three as well.”

• But the Creative furthermore has power to lend form to these archetypes of ideas.
• This is indicated in the word success, and the process is represented by an image from nature:

“The clouds pass and the rain does its work, and all individual beings flow into their forms.” ⁴

“Because he sees with great clarity and cause and effects, he completes the six steps at the right time and mounts toward heaven on them at the right time, as though on six dragons.”

• The six steps are the six different positions given in the hexagram, which are represented later by the dragon symbol.
• Here it is shown that the way to success lies in apprehending and giving actuality to the way of the universe [Tao], which, as a law running through end and beginning, brings about all phenomena in time.
• Thus each step attained forthwith becomes a preparation for the next. Time is no longer a hindrance but the means of making actual what is potential.

• "Furthering” (literally, “creating that which accords with the nature of a given being”) and
• “Persevering” (literally, “correct and firm”).

“The course of the Creative alters and shapes beings until each attains its true, specific nature, then it keeps them in conformity with the Great Harmony. Thus does it show itself to further through perseverance.”

“He towers high above the multitude of beings, and all lands are united in peace.”

• To sublimity, which, as the fundamental principle, embraces all the other attributes, it links love.

• To the attribute success are linked the mores,⁵ which regulate and organize expressions of love and thereby make them successful.
• The attribute furthering is correlated with justice, which creates the conditions in which each receives that which accords with his being, that which is due him and which constitutes his happiness.
• The attribute perseverance is correlated with wisdom, which discerns the immutable laws of all that happens and can therefore bring about enduring conditions.

• In the course of time this combination of the two systems of thought opened the way for an increasingly intricate number symbolism.⁷

• The movement of heaven is full of power.
• Thus the superior man makes himself strong and untiring.

• One complete revolution of heaven makes a day, and the repetition of the trigram means that each day is followed by another. This creates the idea of time.
• Since it is the same heaven moving with untiring power, there is also created the idea of duration both in and beyond time, a movement that never stops nor slackens, just as one day follows another in an unending course.
• This duration in time is the image of the power inherent in the Creative.

• He must make himself strong in every way, by consciously casting out all that is inferior and degrading.
• Thus he attains that tirelessness which depends upon consciously limiting the fields of his activity.

• The attribute of the hexagram is devotion; its image is the earth.

• It is the perfect complement of THE CREATIVE – the complement, not the opposite,¹ for the Receptive does not combat the Creative but completes it.
• It represents nature in contrast to spirit, earth in contrast to heaven, space as against time, the female-maternal as against the male-paternal.
• However, as applied to human affairs, the principle of this complementary relationship is found not only in the relation between man and woman, but also in that between prince and minister and between father and son.
• Indeed, even in the individual this duality appears in the coexistence of the spiritual world and the world of the senses.

• In itself of course the Receptive is just as important as the Creative, but the attribute of devotion defines the place occupied by this primal power in relation to the Creative.
• For the Receptive must be activated and led by the Creative; then it is productive of good.
• Only when it abandons this position and tries to stand as an equal side by side with the Creative, does it become evil. The result then is opposition to and struggle against the Creative, which is productive of evil to both.

• THE RECEPTIVE brings about sublime success,
• Furthering through the perseverance of a mare.
• If the superior man undertakes something and tries to lead,
• He goes astray;
• But if he follows, he finds guidance.
• It is favorable to find friends in the west and south,
• To forego friends in the east and north.
• Quiet perseverance brings good fortune.

• Here, however, the perseverance is more closely defined: it is that of a mare.
• The Receptive connotes spatial reality in contrast to the spiritual potentiality of the Creative.
• The potential becomes real and the spiritual becomes spatial through a specifically qualifying definition.

• The horse belongs to earth just as the dragon belongs to heaven.
• Its tireless roaming over the plains is taken as a symbol of the vast expanse of the earth.
• This is the symbol chosen because the mare combines the strength and swiftness of the horse with the gentleness and devotion of the cow.

• Nature’s richness lies in its power to nourish all living things;
• Its greatness lies in its power to give them beauty and splendor.
• Thus it prospers all that lives.
• It is the Creative that begets things, but they are brought to birth by the Receptive.

• The person in question is not in an independent position, but is acting as an assistant.
• This means that he must achieve something. It is not his task to try to lead — that would only make him lose the way — but to let himself be led.
• If he knows how to meet fate with an attitude of acceptance, he is sure to find the right guidance.
• The superior man lets himself be guided; he does not go ahead blindly, but learns from the situation what is demanded of him and then follows this intimation from fate.

• The time of toil and effort is indicated by the west and the south, for west and south symbolize the place where the Receptive works for the Creative, as nature does in summer and autumn.
• If in that situation one does not mobilize all one’s powers, the work to be accomplished will not be done.
• Hence to find friends there means to find guidance.

• The east symbolizes the place where a man receives orders from his master, and the north the place where he reports on what he has done.
• At that time he must be alone and objective.
• In this sacred hour he must do without companions, so that the purity of the moment may not be spoiled by factional hates and favoritism.

• The earth’s condition is receptive devotion.
• Thus the superior man who has breadth of character
• Carries the outer world.

• In the hexagram of heaven the doubling of the trigram implies duration in time,
• But in the hexagram of earth the doubling connotes the solidity and extension in space by virtue of which the earth is able to carry and preserve all things that live and move upon it.

• In the same way the superior man gives to his character breadth, purity, and sustaining power, so that he is able both to support and to bear with people and things.

• The hexagram indicates the way in which heaven and earth bring forth individual beings.
• It is their first meeting, which is beset with difficulties.

• While the Abysmal sinks, the upward movement eventually passes beyond the danger.
• A thunderstorm brings release from tension, and all things breathe freely again.

• Difficulty at the Beginning works supreme success,
• Furthering through perseverance.
• Nothing should be undertaken.
• It furthers one to appoint helpers.

• But these difficulties arise from the very profusion of all that is struggling to attain form.
• Everything is in motion: therefore if one perseveres there is a prospect of great success, in spite of the existing danger.

• Hence he must hold back, because any premature move might bring disaster.
• Likewise, it is very important not to remain alone; in order to overcome the chaos he needs helpers.
• This is not to say, however, that he himself should look on passively at what is happening. He must lend his hand and participate with inspiration and guidance.

• Clouds and thunder:
• The image of DIFFICULTY AT THE BEGINNING.
• Thus the superior man
• Brings order out of confusion.

• So too the superior man has to arrange and organize the inchoate profusion of such times of beginning, just as one sorts out silk threads from a knotted tangle and binds them into skeins.
• In order to find one’s place in the infinity of being, one must be able both to separate and to unite.

• The image of the upper trigram, Kên, is the mountain,
• That of the lower, K’an, is water;

• Keeping still is the attribute of the upper trigram; that of the lower is the abyss, danger.
• Stopping in perplexity on the brink of a dangerous abyss is a symbol of the folly of youth.

• Water is something that of necessity flows on.
• When the spring gushes forth, it does not know at first where it will go.
• But its steady flow fills up the deep place blocking its progress, and success is attained.

• YOUTHFUL FOLLY has success.
• It is not I who seek the young fool;
• The young fool seeks me.
• At the first oracle I inform him.
• If he asks two or three times, it is importunity.
• If he importunes, I give him no information.
• Perseverance furthers.

• This means, first of all, that the youth himself must be conscious of his lack of experience and must seek out the teacher.
• Without this modesty and this interest there is no guarantee that he has the necessary receptivity, which should express itself in respectful acceptance of the teacher.
• This is the reason why the teacher must wait to be sought out instead of offering himself.
• Only thus can the instruction take place at the right time and in the right way.

• If mistrustful or unintelligent questioning is kept up, it serves only to annoy the teacher.
• He does well to ignore it in silence, just as the oracle gives one answer only and refuses to be tempted by questions implying doubt.

• A spring wells up at the foot of the mountain:
• The image Of YOUTH.
• Thus the superior man fosters his character
• By thoroughness in all that he does

• In the same way character is developed by thoroughness that skips nothing but, like water, gradually and steadily fills up all gaps and so flows onward.

• This hexagram shows the clouds in the heavens, giving rain to refresh all that grows and to provide mankind with food and drink.
• The rain will come in its own time. We cannot make it come; we have to wait for it.

• The idea of waiting is further suggested by the attributes of the two trigrams — strength within, danger in front.²

• Whereas weakness in the face of danger grows agitated and has not the patience to wait.

• THE_JUDGMENT1
• WAITING. If you are sincere,
• You have light and success.
• Perseverance brings good fortune.
• It furthers one to cross the great water.

• Such certainty alone gives that light which leads to success.
• This leads to the perseverance that brings good fortune and bestows power to cross the great water.

• Only a strong man can stand up to his fate, for his inner security enables him to endure to the end. This strength shows itself in uncompromising truthfulness [with himself].
• It is only when we have the courage to face things exactly as they are, without any sort of self-deception or illusion, that a light will develop out of events, by which the path to success may be recognized.

• For only the man who goes to meet his fate resolutely is equipped to deal with it adequately.
• Then he will be able to cross the great water — that is to say, he will be capable of making the necessary decision and of surmounting the danger.

• Clouds rise up to heaven:
• The image of WAITING.
• Thus the superior man eats and drinks,
• Is joyous and of good cheer.

• It is the same in life when destiny is at work. We should not worry and seek to shape the future by interfering in things before the time is ripe.
• We should quietly fortify the body with food and drink and the mind with gladness and good cheer.
• Fate comes when it will, and thus we are ready.

• Thus the two halves move away from each other, giving rise to the idea of conflict.

• Where cunning has force before it, there is conflict.

• A person of this character will certainly be quarrelsome.

• CONFLICT. You are sincere
• And are being obstructed.
• A cautious halt halfway brings good fortune.
• Going through to the end brings misfortune.
• It furthers one to see the great man.
• It does not further one to cross the great water.

• If one is not convinced of being in the right, opposition leads to craftiness or high-handed encroachment but not to open conflict.

• To carry on the conflict to the bitter end has evil effects even when one is in the right, because the enmity is then perpetuated.
• It is important to see the great man, that is, an impartial man whose authority is great enough to terminate the conflict amicably or assure a just decision.
• In times of strife, crossing the great water is to be avoided, that is, dangerous enterprises are not to be begun, because in order to be successful they require concerted unity of forces.
• Conflict within weakens the power to conquer danger without.

• Heaven and water go their opposite ways:
• The image of CONFLICT.
• Thus in all his transactions the superior man
• Carefully considers the beginning.

• To avoid it, therefore, everything must be taken carefully into consideration in the very beginning.
• If rights and duties are exactly defined, or if, in a group, the spiritual trends of the individuals harmonize, the cause of conflict is removed in advance.

• In the same way military strength is stored up in the mass of the people — invisible in times of peace but always ready for use as a source of power.

• This points to the nature of an army, which at the core is dangerous, while discipline and obedience must prevail outside.

• This line indicates a commander, because it stands in the middle of one of the two trigrams.
• But since it is in the lower rather than the upper trigram, it represents not the ruler but the efficient general, who maintains obedience in the army by his authority.

• THE ARMY. The army needs perseverance
• And a strong man.
• Good fortune without blame.

• Without strict discipline nothing can be accomplished, but this discipline must not be achieved by force.

• In order that he may develop his abilities he needs the complete confidence of his ruler, who must entrust him with full responsibility as long as the war lasts.

• Therefore it should not be resorted to rashly but, like a poisonous drug, should be used as a last recourse.

• Unless there is a quite definite war aim to which the people can consciously pledge themselves, the unity and strength of conviction that lead to victory will not be forthcoming.
• But the leader must also look to it that the passion of war and the delirium of victory do not give rise to unjust acts that will not meet with general approval.
• If justice and perseverance are the basis of action, all goes well.

• In the middle of the earth is water:
• The image of THE ARMY.
• Thus the superior man increases his masses
• By generosity toward the people.

• When danger threatens, every peasant becomes a soldier; when the war ends, he goes back to his plow.

• Such power must therefore be cultivated by improving the economic condition of the people and by humane government.
• Only when there is this invisible bond between government and people, so that the people are sheltered by their government as ground water is sheltered by the earth, is it possible to wage a victorious war.

• Symbolically this connotes holding together and the laws that regulate it.

• The yielding lines hold together because they are influenced by a man of strong will in the leading position, a man who is their center of union.
• Moreover, this strong and guiding personality in turn holds together with the others, finding in them the complement of his own nature.

• HOLDING TOGETHER brings good fortune.
• Inquire of the oracle once again
• Whether you possess sublimity, constancy, and perseverance;
• Then there is no blame.
• Those who are uncertain gradually join.
• Whoever comes too late
• Meets with misfortune.

• But such holding together calls for a central figure around whom other persons may unite.

• It requires greatness of spirit, consistency, and strength.
• Therefore let him who wishes to gather others about him ask himself whether he is equal to the undertaking, for anyone attempting the task without a real calling for it only makes confusion worse than if no union at all had taken place.

• Late-comers must suffer the consequences, for in holding together the question of the right time is also important.
• Relationships are formed and firmly established according to definite inner laws.
• Common experiences strengthen these ties, and he who comes too late to share in these basic experiences must suffer for it if, as a straggler, he finds the door locked.

• On the earth is water:
• The image of HOLDING TOGETHER.
• Thus the kings of antiquity
• Bestowed the different states as fiefs
• And cultivated friendly relations
• With the feudal lords.

• The social organization of ancient China was based on this principle of the holding together of dependents and rulers.

• So too should human society hold together through a community of interests that allows each individual to feel himself a member of a whole.
• The central power of a social organization must see to it that every member finds that his true interest lies in holding together with it, as was the case in the paternal relationship between king and vassals in ancient China.

• A weak line in the fourth place, that of the minister,¹ holds the five strong lines in check.

• The wind restrains the clouds, the rising breath of the Creative, and makes them grow dense, but as yet is not strong enough to turn them to rain.

• It is only through gentleness that this can have a successful outcome.

• THE TAMING POWER OF THE SMALL
• Has success.
• Dense clouds, no rain from our western region.

• The moment for action on a large scale had not yet arrived.
• King Wên could only keep the tyrant somewhat in check by friendly persuasion.
• Hence the image of many clouds, promising moisture and blessing to the land, although as yet no rain falls.

• Only through the small means of friendly persuasion can we exert any influence.
• The time has not yet come for sweeping measures.
• However, we may be able, to a limited extent, to act as a restraining and subduing influence.

• The wind drives across heaven:
• The image of THE TAMING POWER OF THE SMALL.
• Thus the superior man
• Refines the outward aspect of his nature.

• So also an individual, in times when he can produce no great effect in the outer world, can do nothing except refine the expression of his nature in small ways.

• Heaven, the father, is above, and the lake, the youngest daughter, is below.
• This shows the difference between high and low, upon which composure, correct social conduct, depends.

• The small and cheerful [Tui] treads upon the large and strong [Ch’ien].
• The direction of movement of the two primary trigrams is upward.

• For the weak to take a stand against the strong is not dangerous here, because it happens in good humor [Tui] and without presumption, so that the strong man is not irritated but takes it all in good part.

• TREADING. Treading upon the tail of the tiger.
• It does not bite the man. Success.

• The weak follows behind the strong and worries it.
• The strong, however, acquiesces and does not hurt the weak, because the contact is in good humor and harmless.

• In such a case one’s purpose will be achieved if one behaves with decorum.
• Pleasant manners succeed even with irritable people.

• Heaven above, the lake below:
• The image of TREADING.
• Thus the superior man discriminates between high and low,
• And thereby fortifies the thinking of the people.

• Among mankind also there are necessarily differences of elevation; it is impossible to bring about universal equality.

• If, on the other band, external differences in rank correspond with differences in inner worth, and if inner worth forms the criterion of external rank, people acquiesce and order reigns in society.

• Hence their influences meet and are in harmony, so that all living things bloom and prosper.

• PEACE. The small departs,
• The great approaches.
• Good fortune. Success.

• Heaven has placed itself beneath the earth, and so their powers unite in deep harmony.
• Then peace and blessing descend upon all living things.

• Those in high places show favor to the lowly,
• And the lowly and inferior in their turn are well disposed toward the highly placed.
• There is an end to all feuds.

• Thus the light has a powerful influence, while the dark is submissive. In this way each receives its due.
• When the good elements of society occupy a central position and are in control, the evil elements come under their influence and change for the better.
• When the spirit of heaven rules in man, his animal nature also comes under its influence and takes its appropriate place.

• Here the small, weak, and evil elements are about to take their departure, while the great, strong, and good elements are moving up.
• This brings good fortune and success.

• Heaven and earth unite: the image of PEACE.
• Thus the ruler
• Divides and completes the course of heaven and earth;
• He furthers and regulates the gifts of heaven and earth,
• And so aids the people.

• This stream of energy must be regulated by the ruler of men.

• Thus men divide the uniform flow of time into the seasons, according to the succession of natural phenomena, and mark off infinite space by the points of the compass.
• In this way nature in its overwhelming profusion of phenomena is bounded and controlled.

• This is done by adjusting the products to the right time and the right place, which increases the natural yield.
• This controlling and furthering activity of man in his relation to nature is the work on nature that rewards him.

• Heaven is above, drawing farther and farther away, while the earth below sinks farther into the depths.

• This hexagram is linked with the seventh month (August-September), when the year has passed its zenith and autumnal decay is setting in.

• STANDSTILL. Evil people do not further
• The perseverance of the superior man.
• The great departs; the small approaches.

• The dark power is within, the light power is without.
• Weakness is within, harshness without.
• Within are the inferior, and without are the superior.
• The way of inferior people is in ascent; the way of superior people is on the decline.

• If the possibility of exerting influence is closed to them, they nevertheless remain faithful to their principles and withdraw into seclusion.

• Heaven and earth do not unite:
• The image of STANDSTILL.
• Thus the superior man falls back upon his inner worth
• In order to escape the difficulties.
• He does not permit himself to be honored with revenue.

• Therefore the superior man knows what he must do under such circumstances; he does not allow himself to be tempted by dazzling offers to take part in public activities.
• This would only expose him to danger, since he cannot assent to the meanness of the others.
• He therefore hides his worth and withdraws into seclusion.

• It is the nature of fire to flame up to heaven. This gives the idea of fellowship.
• It is the second line that, by virtue of its central character, unites the five strong lines around it.

• In the latter, danger is within and obedience without — the character of a warlike army, which, in order to hold together, needs one strong man among the many who are weak.
• Here, clarity is within and strength without — the character of a peaceful union of men, which, in order to hold together, needs one yielding nature among many firm persons.

• FELLOWSHIP WITH MEN in the open.
• Success.
• It furthers one to cross the great water.
• The perseverance of the superior man furthers.

• It is not the private interests of the individual that create lasting fellowship among men, but rather the goals of humanity.
• That is why it is said that fellowship with men in the open succeeds.

• But in order to bring about this sort of fellowship, a persevering and enlightened leader is needed — a man with clear, convincing, and inspiring aims and the strength to carry them out. (The inner trigram means clarity; the outer, strength.)

• Heaven together with fire:
• The image of FELLOWSHIP WITH MEN.
• Thus the superior man organizes the clans
• And makes distinctions between things.

• Just as the luminaries in the sky serve for the systematic division and arrangement of time, so human society and all things that really belong together must be organically arranged.

• If fellowship is to lead to order, there must be organization within diversity.

• The weak fifth line occupies the place of honor, and all the strong lines are in accord with it.

• Supreme success.

• Possession in great measure is determined by fate and accords with the time.

• It is done by virtue of unselfish modesty.

• Power is expressing itself in a graceful and controlled way. This brings supreme success and wealth.²

• Fire in heaven above:
• The image of POSSESSION IN GREAT MEASURE.
• Thus the superior man curbs evil and furthers good,
• And thereby obeys the benevolent will of heaven.

• But a possession of this sort must be administered properly.

• Man must combat and curb the evil, and must favor and promote the good.
• Only in this way does he fulfill the benevolent will of God, who desires only good and not evil.

• The mountain is the youngest son of the Creative, the representative of heaven on earth.
• It dispenses the blessings of heaven, the clouds and rain that gather round its summit, and thereafter shines forth radiant with heavenly light.
• This shows what modesty is and how it functions in great and strong men.

• Lowliness is a quality of the earth: this is the very reason why it appears in this hexagram as exalted, by being placed above the mountain.
• This shows how modesty functions in lowly, simple people: they are lifted up by it.

• MODESlY creates success.
• The superior man carries things through.

• When the sun is at its zenith, it must, according to the law of heaven, turn toward its setting, and at its nadir it rises toward a new dawn.
• In obedience to the same law, the moon when it is full begins to wane, and when empty of light it waxes again.
• This heavenly law works itself out in the fates of men also.

• High mountains are worn down by the waters, and the valleys are filled up.
• It is the law of fate to undermine what is full and to prosper the modest.
• And men also hate fullness and love the modest.

• But man has it in his power to shape his fate, according as his behavior exposes him to the influence of benevolent or of destructive forces.
• When a man holds a high position and is nevertheless modest, he shines with the light of wisdom;
• If he is in a lowly position and is modest, he cannot be passed by.
• Thus the superior man can carry out his work to the end without boasting of what he has achieved.

• Within the earth, a mountain:
• The image of MODESlY.
• Thus the superior man reduces that which is too much,
• And augments that which is too little.
• He weighs things and makes them equal.

• Thus high and low complement each other, and the result is the plain.
• Here an effect that it took a long time to achieve, but that in the end seems easy of accomplishment and self-evident, is used as the image of modesty.

• The superior man does the same thing when he establishes order in the world; he equalizes the extremes that are the source of social discontent and thereby creates just and equable conditions.¹

• The attribute of the upper trigram, Chên, is movement;
• The attributes of K’un, the lower, are obedience and devotion.

• Of great importance, furthermore, is the law of movement along the line of least resistance, which in this hexagram is enunciated as the law for natural events and for human life.

• ENTHUSIASM. It furthers one to install helpers
• And to set armies marching.

• Hence he finds universal and willing obedience.

• The inviolability of natural laws rests on this principle of movement along the line of least resistance.
• These laws are not forces external to things but represent the harmony of movement immanent in them.

• It is the same with human society: only such laws as are rooted in popular sentiment can be enforced, while laws violating this sentiment merely arouse resentment.

• It is enthusiasm too that can unify mass movements, as in war, so that they achieve victory.

• Thunder comes resounding out of the earth:
• The image of ENTHUSIASM.
• Thus the ancient kings made music
• In order to honor merit,
• And offered it with splendor
• To the Supreme Deity,
• Inviting their ancestors to be present.

• Joy and relief make themselves felt.

• The enthusiasm of the heart expresses itself involuntarily in a burst of song, in dance and rhythmic movement of the body.
• From immemorial times the inspiring effect of the invisible sound that moves all hearts, and draws them together, has mystified mankind.

• Music was looked upon as something serious and holy, designed to purify the feelings of men.
• It fell to music to glorify the virtues of heroes and thus to construct a bridge to the world of the unseen.
• In the temple men drew near to God with music and pantomimes (out of this later the theater developed).

• The ancestors were invited to these divine services as guests of the Ruler of Heaven and as representatives of humanity in the higher regions.
• This uniting of the human past with the Divinity in solemn moments of religious inspiration established the bond between God and man.
• The ruler who revered the Divinity in revering his ancestors became thereby the Son of Heaven, in whom the heavenly and the earthly world met in mystical contact.

“He who could wholly comprehend this sacrifice could rule the world as though it were spinning on his hand.”

• Joy in movement induces following.

• An older man defers to a young girl and shows her consideration.
• By this he moves her to follow him.

• FOLLOWING has supreme success.
• Perseverance furthers. No blame.

• If he has to obtain a following by force or cunning, by conspiracy or by creating factions, he invariably arouses resistance, which obstructs willing adherence.
• But even joyous movement can lead to evil consequences, hence the added stipulation, “Perseverance furthers” — that is, consistency in doing right— together with “No blame.”

• The thought of obtaining a following through adaptation to the demands of the time is a great and significant idea; this is why the appended judgment is so favorable.

• Thunder in the middle of the lake:
• The image of FOLLOWING.
• Thus the superior man at nightfall
• Goes indoors for rest and recuperation.

• Here it is the thunder in the middle of the lake that serves as the image — thunder in its winter rest, not thunder in motion.

• Thunder in the middle of the lake indicates times of darkness and rest.
• Similarly, a superior man, after being tirelessly active all day, allows himself rest and recuperation at night.

• It has come about because the gentle indifference of the lower trigram has come together with the rigid inertia of the upper, and the result is stagnation.
• Since this implies guilt, the conditions embody a demand for removal of the cause.
• Hence the meaning of the hexagram is not simply “what has been spoiled” but “work on what has been spoiled.”

• WORK ON WHAT HAS BEEN SPOILED
• Has supreme success.
• It furthers one to cross the great water.
• Before the starting point, three days.
• After the starting point, three days.

• It is not immutable fate, as in the time of STANDSTILL, that has caused the state of corruption, but rather the abuse of human freedom.
• Work toward improving conditions promises well, because it accords with the possibilities of the time.
• We must not recoil from work and danger — symbolized by crossing of the great water — but must take hold energetically.
• Success depends, however, on proper deliberation. This is expressed by the lines,
• “Before the starting point, three days. After the starting point, three days.”

• Then we must see to it that the new way is safely entered upon, so that a relapse may be avoided; therefore we must pay attention to the time after the start.
• Decisiveness and energy must take the place of the inertia and indifference that have led to decay, in order that the ending may be followed by a new beginning.

• The wind blows low on the mountain:
• The image of DECAY.
• Thus the superior man stirs up the people
• And strengthens their spirit.

• It is the same with debasing attitudes and fashions; they corrupt human society.

• His methods likewise must be derived from the two trigrams, but in such a way that their effects unfold in orderly sequence.
• The superior man must first remove stagnation by stirring up public opinion, as the wind stirs everything, and must then strengthen and tranquillize the character of the people, as the mountain gives tranquility and nourishment to all that grows in its vicinity.

• What becomes great are the two strong lines growing into the hexagram from below; the light-giving power expands with them.
• The meaning is then further extended to include the concept of approach, especially the approach of what is strong and highly placed in relation to what is lower.
• Finally the meaning includes the attitude of condescension of a man in high position toward the people, and in general the setting to work on affairs.

• APPPROACH has supreme success.
• Perseverance furthers.
• When the eighth month comes,
• There will be misfortune.

• Spring is approaching. Joy and forbearance bring high and low nearer together. Success is certain.
• But we must work with determination and perseverance to make full use of the propitiousness of the time.

• In the eighth month the aspects are reversed.
• Then only two strong, light lines are left; these do not advance but are in retreat (see next hexagram).

• If we meet evil before it becomes reality — before it has even begun to stir — we can master it.

• The earth above the lake:
• The image of APPROACH.
• Thus the superior man is inexhaustible
• In his will to teach,
• And without limits
• In his tolerance and protection of the people.

• This symbolizes the approach and condescension of the man of higher position to those beneath him.

• Just as the lake is inexhaustible in depth, so the sage is inexhaustible in his readiness to teach mankind, and just as the earth is boundlessly wide, sustaining and caring for all creatures on it, so the sage sustains and cares for all people and excludes no part of humanity.

• It means both contemplating and being seen, in the sense of being an example.
• These ideas are suggested by the fact that the hexagram can be understood as picturing a type of tower characteristic of ancient China.

• Thus the hexagram shows a ruler who contemplates the law of heaven above him and the ways of the people below, and who, by means of good government, sets a lofty example to the masses.

• The light-giving power retreats and the dark power is again on the increase.
• However, this aspect is not material in the interpretation of the hexagram as a whole.

• CONTEMPLATION. The ablution has been made,
• But not yet the offering.
• Full of trust they look up to him.

• The moment of time between these two ceremonies is the most sacred of all, the moment of deepest inner concentration.
• If piety is sincere and expressive of real faith, the contemplation of it has a transforming and awe-inspiring effect on those who witness it.
• Thus also in nature a holy seriousness is to be seen in the fact that natural occurrences are uniformly subject to law.

• This requires that power of inner concentration which religious contemplation develops in great men strong in faith.
• It enables them to apprehend the mysterious and divine laws of life, and by means of profoundest inner concentration they give expression to these laws in their own persons.
• Thus a hidden spiritual power emanates from them, influencing and dominating others without their being aware of how it happens.

• The wind blows over the earth:
• The image of CONTEMPLATION.
• Thus the kings of old visited the regions of the world,
• Contemplated the people,
• And gave them instruction.

• These two occurrences find confirmation in the hexagram.

• In making regular journeys the ruler could, in the first place, survey his realm and make certain that none of the existing usages of the people escaped notice;
• In the second, he could exert influence through which such customs as were unsuitable could be changed.

• On the one hand, such a man will have a view of the real sentiments of the great mass of humanity and therefore cannot be deceived;
• On the other, he will impress the people so profoundly, by his mere existence and by the impact of his personality, that they will be swayed by him as the grass by the wind.

• To bring them together one must bite energetically through the obstacle.

• Energetic biting through overcomes the obstacle that prevents joining of the lips;
• The storm with its thunder and lightning overcomes the disturbing tension in nature.
• Recourse to law and penalties overcomes the disturbances of harmonious social life caused by criminals and slanderers.

• BITING THROUGH has success.
• It is favorable to let justice be administered.

• Whenever unity cannot be established, the obstruction is due to a talebearer and traitor who is interfering and blocking the way.
• To prevent permanent injury, vigorous measures must be taken at once. Deliberate obstruction of this sort does not vanish of its own accord.
• Judgment and punishment are required to deter or obviate it.

• The hexagram combines Li, clarity, and Chên, excitement. Li is yielding, Chên is hard.
• Unqualified hardness and excitement would be too violent in meting out punishment;
• Unqualified clarity and gentleness would be too weak.
• The two together create the just measure.

• Thunder and lightning:
• The image of BITING THROUGH.
• Thus the kings of former times made firm the laws
• Through clearly defined penalties.

• This is symbolized by the clarity of lightning.

• This is symbolized by the terror of thunder.

• The only way to strengthen the law is to make it clear and to make penalties certain and swift.

• Grace — beauty of form — is necessary in any union if it is to be well ordered and pleasing rather than disordered and chaotic.

• GRACE has success.
• In small matters
• It is favorable to undertake something.

• In the lower trigram of fire a yielding line comes between two strong lines and makes them beautiful, but the strong lines are the essential content and the weak line is the beautifying form.
• In the upper trigram of the mountain, the strong line takes the lead, so that here again the strong element must be regarded as the decisive factor.

• But this strong, essential thing is changed and given pleasing variety by the moon and the stars.

• By contemplating the forms existing in the heavens we come to understand time and its changing demands.

• Through contemplation of the forms existing in human society it becomes possible to shape the world.¹

• Fire at the foot of the mountain:
• The image of GRACE.
• Thus does the superior man proceed
• When clearing up current affairs.
• But he dare not decide controversial issues in this way.

• In the same way, beautiful form suffices to brighten and to throw light upon matters of lesser moment, but important questions cannot be decided in this way. They require greater earnestness.

• The inferior, dark forces overcome what is superior and strong, not by direct means, but by undermining it gradually and imperceptibly, so that it finally collapses.
• The lines of the hexagram present the image of a house, the top line being the roof, and because the roof is being shattered the house collapses.

• The yin power pushes up ever more powerfully and is about to supplant the yang power altogether.

• SPLITTING APART. It does not further one
• To go anywhere.

• Under these circumstances, which are due to the time, it is not favorable for the superior man to undertake anything.

• The lower trigram stands for the earth, whose attributes are docility and devotion.
• The upper trigram stands for the mountain, whose attribute is stillness.

• For it is a question not of man’s doing but of time conditions, which, according to the laws of heaven, show an alternation of increase and decrease, fullness and emptiness.
• It is impossible to counteract these conditions of the time.
• Hence it is not cowardice but wisdom to submit and avoid action.

• The mountain rests on the earth:
• The image of SPLITTING APART.
• Thus those above can ensure their position
• Only by giving generously to those below.

• When it is steep and narrow, lacking a broad base, it must topple over.
• Its position is strong only when it rises out of the earth broad and great, not proud and steep.

• They too should be generous and benevolent, like the earth that carries all.
• Then they will make their position as secure as a mountain is in its tranquility.

• The time of darkness is past.
• The winter solstice brings the victory of light.
• This hexagram is linked with the eleventh month, the month of the solstice (December-January).

• RETURN. Success.
• Going out and coming in without error.
• Friends come without blame.
• To and fro goes the way.
• On the seventh day comes return.
• It furthers one to have somewhere to go.

• The powerful light that has been banished returns.
• There is movement, but it is not brought about by force.

• For this reason the transformation of the old becomes easy.
• The old is discarded and the new is introduced.
• Both measures accord with the time; therefore no harm results.

• But since these groups come together in full public knowledge and are in harmony with the time, all selfish separatist tendencies are excluded, and no mistake is made.

• The movement is cyclic, and the course completes itself.
• Therefore it is not necessary to hasten anything artificially.
• Everything comes of itself at the appointed time.
• This is the meaning of heaven and earth.

• Thus the winter solstice, with which the decline of the year begins, comes in the seventh month after the summer solstice;
• So too sunrise comes in the seventh double hour after sunset.

• In this way the state of rest gives place to movement.

• Thunder within the earth:
• The image of THE TURNING POINT.
• Thus the kings of antiquity closed the passes
• At the time of solstice.
• Merchants and strangers did not go about,
• And the ruler
• Did not travel through the provinces.

• In winter the life energy, symbolized by thunder, the Arousing, is still underground.
• Movement is just at its beginning; therefore it must be strengthened by rest, so that it will not be dissipated by being used prematurely.

• The return of health after illness, the return of understanding after an estrangement: everything must be treated tenderly and with care at the beginning, so that the return may lead to a flowering.

• The lower trigram Chên is under the influence of the strong line it has received from above, from heaven.

• His mind is natural and true, unshadowed by reflection or ulterior designs.
• For wherever conscious purpose is to be seen, there the truth and innocence of nature have been lost.

• Starting out with the idea of the natural, the train of thought in part goes somewhat further and thus the hexagram includes also the idea of the unintentional or unexpected.

• INNOCENCE. Supreme success.
• Perseverance furthers.
• If someone is not as he should be,
• He has misfortune,
• And it does not further him
• To undertake anything.

• By devotion to this divine spirit within himself, he attains an unsullied innocence that leads him to do right with instinctive sureness and without any ulterior thought of reward and personal advantage.
• This instinctive certainty brings about supreme success and “furthers through perseverance.”

• Without this quality of rightness, an unreflecting, instinctive way of acting brings only misfortune.

“He who departs from innocence, what does he come to?
Heaven’s will and blessing do not go with his deeds.”

• Under heaven thunder rolls:
• All things attain the natural state of innocence.
• Thus the kings of old,
• Rich in virtue, and in harmony with the time,
• Fostered and nourished all beings.

• There one weak line must tame five strong lines, but here four strong lines are restrained by two weak lines;
• In addition to a minister, there is a prince, and the restraining power therefore is far stronger.

• Heaven within the mountain gives the idea of holding firm in the sense of holding together;
• The trigram Kên, which holds the trigram Ch’ien still, gives the idea of holding firm in the sense of holding back;
• The third idea is that of holding firm in the sense of caring for and nourishing.

• The third of these meanings also attaches specifically to this strong line at the top, which represents the sage.

• THE TAMING POWER OF THE GREAT.
• Perseverance furthers.
• Not eating at home brings good fortune.
• It furthers one to cross the great water.

• The trigram Ch’ien points to strong creative power; Kên indicates firmness and truth.
• Both point to light and clarity and to the daily renewal of character.
• Only through such daily self-renewal can a man continue at the height of his powers.

• However, since the worthy are honored, as in the case of the strong personality entrusted with leadership by the ruler, it is an advantage not to eat at home but rather to earn one’s bread by entering upon public office.
• Such a man is in harmony with heaven; therefore even great and difficult undertakings, such as crossing the great water, succeed.

• Heaven within the mountain:
• The image of THE TAMING POWER OF THE GREAT.
• Thus the superior man acquaints himself with many sayings of antiquity
• And many deeds of the past,
• In order to strengthen his character thereby.

• In the words and deeds of the past there lies hidden a treasure that men may use to strengthen and elevate their own characters.
• The way to study the past is not to confine oneself to mere knowledge of history but, through application of this knowledge, to give actuality to the past.

• Starting with the mouth, through which we take food for nourishment, the thought leads to nourishment itself.
• Nourishment of oneself, specifically of the body, is represented in the three lower lines,
• While the three upper lines represent nourishment and care of others, in a higher, spiritual sense.

• THE CORNERS OF THE MOUTH.
• Perseverance brings good fortune.
• Pay heed to the providing of nourishment
• And to what a man seeks
• To fill his own mouth with.

• If we wish to know what anyone is like, we have only to observe on whom he bestows his care and what sides of his own nature he cultivates and nourishes.

• The great man fosters and takes care of superior men, in order to take care of all men through them.

“If we wish to know whether anyone is superior or not, we need only observe what part of his being he regards as especially important. The body has superior and inferior, important and unimportant parts. We must not injure important parts for the sake of the unimportant, nor must we injure the superior parts for the sake of the inferior. He who cultivates the inferior parts of his nature is an inferior man. He who cultivates the superior parts of his nature is a superior man.”¹

• At the foot of the mountain, thunder:
• The image of PROVIDING NOURISHMENT.
• Thus the superior man is careful of his words
• And temperate in eating and drinking.

• When in the spring the life forces stir again, all things come into being anew.

• Thus in the early spring, when the seeds fall to earth, all things are made ready.
• This is an image of providing nourishment through movement and tranquillity.

• Words are a movement going from within outward.
• Eating and drinking are movements from without inward.
• Both kinds of movement can be modified by tranquillity.

• When the strong are outside and the weak inside, all is well and there is nothing out of balance, nothing extraordinary in the situation.
• Here, however, the opposite is the case.

• This is a condition that cannot last; it must be changed, must pass, or misfortune will result.

• PREPONDERANCE OF THE GREAT.
• The ridgepole sags to the breaking point.
• It furthers one to have somewhere to go.
• Success.

• The ridgepole, on which the whole roof rests, sags to the breaking point, because its supporting ends are too weak for the load they bear.
• It is an exceptional time and situation; therefore extraordinary measures are demanded.
• It is necessary to find a way of transition as quickly as possible, and to take action.

• Nothing is to be achieved by forcible measures.
• The problem must be solved by gentle penetration to the meaning of the situation (as is suggested by the attribute of the inner trigram, Sun); then the change-over to other conditions will be successful.
• It demands real superiority; therefore the time when the great preponderates is a momentous time.

• The lake rises above the trees:
• The image of PREPONDERANCE OF THE GREAT.
• Thus the superior man, when he stands alone,
• Is unconcerned,
• And if he has to renounce the world,
• He is undaunted.

• But such conditions are temporary.

• The symbol of the trigram Sun is the tree, which stands firm even though it stands alone,
• And the attribute of Tui is joyousness, which remains undaunted even if it must renounce the world.

• The trigram K’an means a plunging in.
• A yang line has plunged in between two yin lines and is closed in by them like water in a ravine.

• The Receptive has obtained the middle line of the Creative, and thus K’an develops.

• The name of the hexagram, because the trigram is doubled, has the additional meaning, “repetition of danger.”
• Thus the hexagram is intended to designate an objective situation to which one must become accustomed, not a subjective attitude.

• Hence too a ravine is used to symbolize danger; it is a situation in which a man is in the same pass as the water in a ravine, and, like the water, he can escape if he behaves correctly.

• The Abysmal repeated.
• If you are sincere, you have success in your heart,
• And whatever you do succeeds.

• Water sets the example for the right conduct under such circumstances.
• It flows on and on, and merely fills up all the places through which it flows; it does not shrink from any dangerous spot nor from any plunge, and nothing can make it lose its own essential nature.
• It remains true to itself under all conditions.

• And once we have gained inner mastery of a problem, it will come about naturally that the action we take will succeed.
• In danger all that counts is really carrying out all that has to be done — thoroughness — and going forward, in order not to perish through tarrying in the danger.

• Thus heaven has its perilous height protecting it against every attempt at invasion, and earth has its mountains and bodies of water, separating countries by their dangers.
• Thus also rulers make use of danger to protect themselves against attacks from without and against turmoil within.

• Water flows on uninterruptedly and reaches its goal:
• The image of the Abysmal repeated.
• Thus the superior man walks in lasting virtue
• And carries on the business of teaching.

• It fills up every depression before it flows on.

• So likewise in teaching others everything depends on consistency, for it is only through repetition that the pupil makes the material his own.

• A dark line clings to two light lines, one above and one below-the image of an empty space between two strong lines, whereby the two strong lines are made bright.

• The Creative has incorporated the central line of the Receptive, and thus Li develops.

• Fire has no definite form but clings to the burning object and thus is bright.
• As water pours down from heaven, so fire flames up from the earth.
• While K’an means the soul shut within the body, Li stands for nature in its radiance.

• THE CLINGING. Perseverance furthers.
• It brings success.
• Care of the cow brings good fortune.

• A luminous thing giving out light must have within itself something that perseveres; otherwise it will in time burn itself out.
• Everything that gives light is dependent on something to which it clings, in order that it may continue to shine.

• So too the twofold clarity of the dedicated man clings to what is right and thereby can shape the world.

• The cow is the symbol of extreme docility.

• By cultivating in himself an attitude of compliance and voluntary dependence, man acquires clarity without sharpness and finds his place in the world.¹

• That which is bright rises twice:
• The image of FIRE.
• Thus the great man, by perpetuating this brightness,
• Illumines the four quarters of the world.

• The two together represent the repeated movement of the sun, the function of light with respect to time.

• Through the clarity of his nature he causes the light to spread farther and farther and to penetrate the nature of man ever more deeply.

• The upper trigram is Tui, the Joyous;
• The lower is Kên, Keeping Still.

• Kên, the lower trigram, is the youngest son; the upper, Tui, is the youngest daughter.
• Thus the universal mutual attraction between the sexes is represented.
• In courtship, the masculine principle must seize the initiative and place itself below the feminine principle.

• Influence. Success.
• Perseverance furthers
• To take a maiden to wife brings good fortune.

• This brings about success, for all success depends on the effect of mutual attraction.
• By keeping still within while experiencing joy without, one can prevent the joy from going to excess and hold it within proper bounds

• In the latter the strong man takes a position inferior to that of the weak girl and shows consideration for her.

• Heaven and earth attract each other and thus all creatures come into being.
• Through such attraction the sage influences men’s hearts, and thus the world attains peace.
• From the attractions they exert we can learn the nature of all beings in heaven and on earth.

• A lake on the mountain:
• The image of influence.
• Thus the superior man encourages people to approach him
• By his readiness to receive them.

• It has this advantage because its summit does not jut out as a peak but is sunken.

• People soon give up counseling a man who thinks that he knows everything better than anyone else.

• In the latter we have influence, here we have union as an enduring condition.
• The two images are thunder and wind, which are likewise constantly paired phenomena.
• The lower trigram indicates gentleness within; the upper, movement without.

• During courtship the young man subordinates himself to the girl,
• But in marriage, which is represented by the coming together of the eldest son and the eldest daughter, the husband is the directing and moving force outside, while the wife, inside, is gentle and submissive.

• DURATION. Success. No blame.
• Perseverance furthers.
• It furthers one to have somewhere to go.

• It is not a state of rest, for mere standstill is regression.
• Duration is rather the self-contained and therefore self-renewing movement of an organized, firmly integrated whole, taking place in accordance with immutable laws and beginning anew at every ending.
• The end is reached by an inward movement, by inhalation, systole, contraction, and this movement turns into a new beginning, in which the movement is directed outward, in exhalation, diastole, expansion.

• They move in their fixed orbits, and because of this their light-giving power endures.
• The seasons of the year follow a fixed law of change and transformation, hence can produce effects that endure.

• In that which gives things their duration, we can come to understand the nature of all beings in heaven and on earth.

• Thunder and wind: the image of DURATION.
• Thus the superior man stands firm
• And does not change his direction.

• In the same way the independence of the superior man is not based on rigidity and immobility of character.
• He always keeps abreast of the time and changes with it.
• What endures is the unswerving directive, the inner law of his being, which determines all his actions.

• The light retreats to security, so that the dark cannot encroach upon it.

• Therefore in this case withdrawal is proper; it is the correct way to behave in order not to exhaust one’s forces.¹

• RETREAT. Success.
• In what is small, perseverance furthers.

• In this case retreat is the right course, and it is through retreat that success is achieved.
• But success consists in being able to carry out the retreat correctly.

• Flight means saving oneself under any circumstances, whereas retreat is a sign of strength.

• Then we shall be able to interpret the signs of the time before it is too late and to prepare for provisional retreat instead of being drawn into a desperate life-and-death struggle.
• Thus we do not simply abandon the field to the opponent; we make it difficult for him to advance by showing perseverance in single acts of resistance.
• In this way we prepare, while retreating, for the counter-movement.

• The meaning that lies hidden in such a time is important.

• Mountain under heaven: the image of RETREAT.
• Thus the superior man keeps the inferior man at a distance,
• Not angrily but with reserve.

• Heaven on the other hand retreats upward before it into the distance and remains out of reach.

• He does not hate him, for hatred is a form of subjective involvement by which we are bound to the hated object.
• The superior man shows strength (heaven) in that he brings the inferior man to a standstill (mountain) by his dignified reserve.

• Four light lines have entered the hexagram from below and are about to ascend higher.

• Ch’ien is strong, Chên produces movement.
• The union of movement and strength gives the meaning of THE POWER OF THE GREAT.

• THE POWER OF THE GREAT. Perseverance furthers.

• But its strength has already passed beyond the median line, hence there is danger that one may rely entirely on one’s own power and forget to ask what is right.
• There is danger too that, being intent on movement, we may not wait for the right time.
• Therefore the added statement that perseverance furthers.

• When we understand this point — namely, that greatness and justice must be indissolubly united — we understand the true meaning of all that happens in heaven and on earth.

• Thunder in heaven above:
• The image of THE POWER OF THE GREAT
• Thus the superior man does not tread upon paths
• That do not accord with established order.

• The direction of this movement is in harmony with that of the movement of heaven.
• It is therefore a movement in accord with heaven, producing great power.

• Therefore in times of great power the superior man avoids doing anything that is not in harmony with the established order.

• It is therefore the symbol of rapid, easy progress, which at the same time means ever widening expansion and clarity.

• PROGRESS. The powerful prince
• Is honored with horses in large numbers.
• In a single day he is granted audience three times.

• The sovereign rewards him richly and invites him to a closer intimacy.

• The actual effect of the progress emanates from a man who is in a dependent position and whom the others regard as their equal and are therefore willing to follow.
• This leader has enough clarity of vision not to abuse his great influence but to use it rather for the benefit of his ruler.
• His ruler in turn is free of all jealousy, showers presents on the great man, and invites him continually to his court.

• The sun rises over the earth:
• The image of PROGRESS.
• Thus the superior man himself
• Brightens his bright virtue.

• The higher the sun rises, the more it emerges from the dark mists, spreading the pristine purity of its rays over an ever widening area.

• The name of the hexagram means literally “wounding of the bright”; hence the individual lines contain frequent references to wounding.

• In the latter a wise man at the head of affairs has able helpers, and in company with them makes progress;
• Here a man of dark nature is in a position of authority and brings harm to the wise and able man.

• DARKENING OF THE LIGHT. In adversity
• It furthers one to be persevering.

• He can avoid this by maintaining his inner light, while remaining outwardly yielding and tractable.
• With this attitude he can overcome even the greatest adversities.

• Perseverance must dwell in inmost consciousness and should not be discernible from without.
• Only thus is a man able to maintain his will in the face of difficulties.

• The light has sunk into the earth:
• The image of DARKENING OF THE LIGHT.
• Thus does the superior man live with the great mass:
• He veils his light, yet still shines.

• One should not needlessly awaken overwhelming enmity by inconsiderate behavior.
• In such times one ought not to fall in with the practices of others; neither should one drag them censoriously into the light.
• In social intercourse one should not try to be all-knowing. One should let many things pass, without being duped.

• The strong line at the top represents the father, the lowest the son.
• The strong line in the fifth place represents the husband, the yielding second line the wife.
• On the other hand, the two strong lines in the fifth and the third place represent two brothers,
• And the two weak lines correlated with them in the fourth and the second place stand for their respective wives.
• Thus all the connections and relationships within the family find their appropriate expression.

• The fact that a strong line occupies the sixth place — where a weak line might be expected — indicates very clearly the strong leadership that must come from the head of the family.
• The line is to be considered here not in its quality as the sixth but in its quality as the top line.

• The influence that goes out from within the family is represented by the symbol of the wind created by fire

• THE FAMILY. The perseverance of the woman furthers.

• The tie that holds the family together lies in the loyalty and perseverance of the wife.
• Her place is within (second line), while that of the husband is without (fifth line).
• It is in accord with the great laws of nature that husband and wife take their proper places.

• If the father is really a father and the son a son, if the elder brother fulfills his position, and the younger fulfills his, if the husband is really a husband and the wife a wife,then the family is in order.
• When the family is in order, all the social relationships of mankind will be in order.

• That between father and son, which is the relation of love,
• That between husband and wife, which is the relation of chaste conduct,
• And that between elder and younger brother, which is the relation of correctness.

• The affection and correctness of behavior existing between the two brothers are extended to a friend in the form of loyalty,
• And to a person of superior rank in the form of deference.

• The image of THE FAMILY.
• Thus the superior man has substance in his words
• And duration in his way of life.

• This represents influence working from within outward.
• The same thing is needed in the regulation of the family.
• Here too the influence on others must proceed from one’s own person.

• Words have influence only when they are pertinent and clearly related to definite circumstances.
• General discourses and admonitions have no effect whatsoever.
• Furthermore, the words must be supported by one’s entire conduct, just as the wind is made effective by its duration.
• Only firm and consistent conduct will make such an impression on others that they can adapt and conform to it.
• If words and conduct are not in accord and not consistent, they will have no effect.