| Name | 蹇 Jiǎn, “Obstruction” |
|---|---|
| Upper trigram | ☵ 坎 Water: danger and depth |
| Lower trigram | ☶ 艮 Mountain: stillness and limits |
The Judgment
利西南，不利东北。利见大人，贞吉。
The southwest benefits, the northeast does not. Wise to meet the great person. Stay true — fortune.
There's a clear right direction and a wrong one. Choose openness, not isolation. And find someone wiser than you.
The Image
山上有水，蹇；君子以反身修德。
Water on the mountain — Obstruction. The wise turn inward and refine their character.
When the outside is blocked, work on the inside. The obstacle is a chance to grow.
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
往蹇，来誉。
Going leads to obstruction. Coming brings praise.
Pushing forward hits a wall. Coming back to where you started is where the recognition is.
Line 2 · second · Yin
王臣蹇蹇，匪躬之故。
The king's servant struggles with obstruction upon obstruction. Not from his own fault.
You're stuck in someone else's problem. Not yours to escape — yours to keep showing up through.
Line 3 · third · Yang
往蹇，来反。
Going leads to obstruction. Coming back — return.
Try, fail, come back. The return itself is the lesson — and the path.
Line 4 · fourth · Yin
往蹇，来连。
Going leads to obstruction. Coming brings union.
Stop pushing alone. The people who'll move with you are waiting where you came from.
Line 5 · fifth · Yang
大蹇，朋来。
In the midst of greatest obstructions, friends come.
Just when it's worst, the right people arrive. Crisis reveals who's actually there.
Line 6 · top · Yin
往蹇，来硕，吉，利见大人。
Going leads to obstruction. Coming brings great fortune. Wise to meet the great person.
Coming back transforms everything. Find your mentor — that's the breakthrough.
Related hexagrams
- Inverted (turned upside down): Hexagram 40, Deliverance
- Complement (every line reversed): Hexagram 38, Opposition