| Name | 困 Kùn, “Oppression” |
|---|---|
| Upper trigram | ☱ 兑 Lake: openness and exchange |
| Lower trigram | ☵ 坎 Water: danger and depth |
The Judgment
亨，贞。大人吉，无咎。有言不信。
Success. Stay true. The great person — fortune. No blame. When one has something to say, it is not believed.
Hard season. Stay grounded. Words don't land right now — let actions speak. Mature people find a way through.
The Image
泽无水，困；君子以致命遂志。
The lake is drained — Oppression. The wise risk their lives to fulfill their will.
When everything is depleted, hold to what matters most. Some things are worth what they cost.
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
臀困于株木，入于幽谷，三岁不觌。
Buttocks oppressed beneath a bare tree. Entering a dark valley. For three years — no meeting.
Stuck somewhere uncomfortable with nothing to lean on. Long isolation ahead. Endure.
Line 2 · second · Yang
困于酒食。朱绂方来，利用亨祀。征凶，无咎。
Oppressed by wine and food. The man in scarlet kneepads approaches. Wise to make sacrifices and pour libations. To set out — misfortune. No blame.
Surrounded by comforts but unfulfilled. Honor what's sacred. Don't make big moves — just stay reverent.
Line 3 · third · Yin
困于石，据于蒺藜。入于其宫，不见其妻，凶。
Oppressed by stone. Resting on thorns. Enters his house — does not see his wife. Misfortune.
Stuck hard, then home is empty too. Worst moment. No way around it — only through.
Line 4 · fourth · Yang
来徐徐，困于金车，吝，有终。
He comes very quietly, oppressed in a golden carriage. Shame, but in the end — comes through.
Privileged but trapped — comfort without freedom. Eventually you find your way out. Awkward, but clean ending.
Line 5 · fifth · Yang
劓刖。困于赤绂，乃徐有说。利用祭祀。
His nose and feet are cut off. Oppressed by the man in purple kneepads. Joy comes softly. Wise to make offerings.
Public, painful loss — even disgrace. Then quiet, real joy returns. Mark the recovery with gratitude.
Line 6 · top · Yin
困于葛藟，于臲卼，曰动悔。有悔，征吉。
Oppressed by vines. He says: 'If I move, I shall regret.' Regret. Going on — fortune.
Tangled in old patterns, scared to move. The hesitation itself becomes the regret. Move anyway — fortune is on the other side.
Related hexagrams
- Inverted (turned upside down): Hexagram 48, The Well
- Complement (every line reversed): Hexagram 22, Grace