| Name | 坤 Kūn, “The Receptive” |
|---|---|
| Upper trigram | ☷ 坤 Earth: receptivity and support |
| Lower trigram | ☷ 坤 Earth: receptivity and support |
The Judgment
元亨，利牝马之贞。君子有攸往，先迷后得主，利西南得朋，东北丧朋。安贞吉。
Sublime success — through the steadiness of a mare. The wise traveler loses the way first, then finds it. Friends in the southwest, none in the northeast. Stay grounded. Fortune follows.
Move like the earth, not the storm. You'll feel lost before you feel led — that's the order. Some rooms are your people, some aren't. Don't fight it.
The Image
地势坤，君子以厚德载物。
The earth in its vastness — the wise carry all things with depth of character.
Be the ground people stand on. Wide, steady, holding more than you say.
The six lines
If a line changes in your cast, read its text below. Lines are numbered from the bottom.
Line 1 · first (bottom) · Yin
履霜，坚冰至。
Stepping on frost — solid ice is coming.
Small chill today, full winter soon. Don't ignore the early signs.
Line 2 · second · Yin
直方大，不习无不利。
Straight, square, vast — nothing forced, nothing fails.
When your foundation is real, you don't have to perform. It just works.
Line 3 · third · Yin
含章可贞。或从王事，无成有终。
Brilliance held within — stay true. If serving a greater cause: no credit, but a clean ending.
You don't need the spotlight for it to count. Do the work, finish clean, let the credit fall where it falls.
Line 4 · fourth · Yin
括囊，无咎，无誉。
Tie up the bag. No blame, no praise.
Some seasons, the win is just keeping quiet and staying out of it.
Line 5 · fifth · Yin
黄裳，元吉。
Yellow garments. Supreme fortune.
Quiet power, worn well. The kind of presence that doesn't need to announce itself.
Line 6 · top · Yin
龙战于野，其血玄黄。
Dragons battle in the open field — their blood, dark and gold.
When two forces clash and neither yields, everyone bleeds. Sometimes the move is to not be in the fight.
Related hexagrams
- Complement (every line reversed): Hexagram 1, The Creative