| Name | 艮 Gèn, “Keeping Still” |
|---|---|
| Upper trigram | ☶ 艮 Mountain: stillness and limits |
| Lower trigram | ☶ 艮 Mountain: stillness and limits |
The Judgment
艮其背，不获其身，行其庭，不见其人。无咎。
Keeping still in his back — he no longer feels his body. Going into his courtyard, he does not see his people. No blame.
Full stillness — even your own ego goes quiet. From here, even being around people feels like solitude. Clean.
The Image
兼山，艮；君子以思不出其位。
Mountains standing close together — Keeping Still. The wise do not let their thoughts go beyond their situation.
Stay where you are, mentally. Stop projecting into other lives, other futures. Be in this one.
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
艮其趾，无咎。利永贞。
Keeping his toes still. No blame. Wise to stay true forever.
Stop before the first step. Don't even start the wrong move. Lasting fortune comes from the early no.
Line 2 · second · Yin
艮其腓，不拯其随，其心不快。
Keeping his calves still. He cannot rescue the one he follows. His heart is not glad.
Forced to stand still while someone you care about struggles. Painful — but you can't move yet. Sit with the discomfort.
Line 3 · third · Yang
艮其限，列其夤，厉，熏心。
Keeping his hips still. The sacrum stiff. Danger. The heart suffocates.
Holding still in a way that's killing you. Forcing stillness when life wants movement. Re-examine.
Line 4 · fourth · Yin
艮其身，无咎。
Keeping his trunk still. No blame.
Stillness from the core. Not posturing — actually settled. Clean and right.
Line 5 · fifth · Yin
艮其辅，言有序，悔亡。
Keeping his jaws still. His words have order. Regret vanishes.
Stop running your mouth. When you finally speak, it's organized — and the regret dissolves.
Line 6 · top · Yang
敦艮，吉。
Noble-hearted keeping still. Fortune.
Stillness with substance. Not numb — present. The kind of quiet that comes from real depth.
Related hexagrams
- Inverted (turned upside down): Hexagram 51, The Arousing
- Complement (every line reversed): Hexagram 58, The Joyous