Hexagram 47

Kun — Hemmed In

Lake over Water · Lake above, Water below · 泽水困

Also known as: Oppression (Exhaustion)

The Judgement

困卦：亨，贞，大人吉，无咎，有言不信。

Success that goes through; steadfast correctness. For a person of authority it is auspicious, with no blame. Words are spoken but not believed.

AI commentaryThis is the hexagram of a lake drained of water, where firm lines are covered by yielding ones: an image of want, tight straits and aims that cannot be realised. The judgement teaches that the body may be confined while the way still goes through. Only a person of authority, holding to what is right amid hardship, is auspicious and without blame. Even good words win little trust now, so arguing is pointless. In divination it signals stalled circumstances, calling for accepting one's lot, holding to what is right and relying on character. One who is hemmed in yet keeps the way open is a true person of authority.

AI plain readingThis hexagram shows a lake with no water in it and strength smothered by weakness. It stands for scarcity, tight corners and goals you cannot yet pursue. The judgement says that although you are confined, a way through still exists: a person of authority who keeps to what is right in hardship finds an auspicious outcome and no blame. For now, even good words are hard for others to believe, so there is little point in arguing your case. If you draw this hexagram, expect pressing circumstances and ambitions that cannot unfold yet. Accept your situation, hold to what is right and let conduct speak. Someone hemmed in who still keeps a way through open is a true person of authority.

The Great Image

泽无水，困；君子以致命遂志。

A lake with no water in it: the image of being hemmed in. The noble person holds to a chosen aim and sees it fulfilled, even at the cost of life itself.

The Six Lines

1st Line (six)

初六：臀困于株木，入于幽谷，三岁不觌。

Sitting stuck at the foot of a dead stump, one withdraws into a dark valley; three years pass without a glimpse of daylight.

AI commentaryStuck on a dead stump and retreating into a dark valley, one goes three years without daylight. A yin line at the very bottom, weak and unclear of purpose, sinks deeper the longer it stays. Whoever yields to gloom stays trapped.

AI plain readingYou sit stuck on a dead tree stump, then retreat into a dark valley and see no daylight for three years. Weak and unsure of your aims at the lowest point, you sink further the longer you stay. The lesson: if hardship pulls you into gloom and you never rally, you stay trapped.

Timing: You are at the valley floor and still sinking. Rouse yourself and reflect now; staying passive keeps you down.
Money: Your finances have hit bottom. Cut losses and stop chasing bad decisions with more money, or the shortfall lingers.
Career: Low rank and blurred goals leave you stuck at work. Pick one clear aim and act on it before drifting becomes habit.
Relationships: Brooding over old hurts deepens the gloom between you; a warm message or a shared outing begins to lift it.
Home & Household: Left alone, the household slump settles in. Clearing clutter and restoring daily routines brings some life back into the home.
Health: The tradition reads this as a draining, drawn-out low. Rally with steady rest and resist despondency, which only prolongs it.
Marriage: Marriage plans have stalled and your intentions feel muddled. Decide honestly what you want and act, or things stay in limbo.
Exams & Study: With motivation foggy and prospects low, giving up is the risk. A fixed daily hour of revision gets scores moving.
Travel: A journey now leads into hard, murky ground. Pause and reconsider the route, and do not push deeper into unfamiliar territory.
Disputes & Legal Matters: The harder you fight, the deeper you sink. An early, quiet exit, perhaps through mediation, serves you better than digging in.
Finding a Person: The trail has gone dark. Be patient, wait longer and try other channels; haste only makes the search harder.
The Decision Point: Sinking into gloom keeps you trapped; when your strength and clarity are low, rouse yourself and take honest stock before anything else.

2nd Line (nine)

九二：困于酒食，朱绂方来，利用享祀，征凶，无咎。

Hemmed in over wine and food; the crimson sash of office is about to arrive. It is favourable to make offerings. Setting forth is inauspicious; no blame.

AI commentaryThough short of wine and food, one will soon receive a ruler's favour, the crimson sash of office (朱绂). The fitting course is reverent waiting, as at a sacrifice. Pushing ahead is inauspicious; staying steady brings no blame. A turn is near.

AI plain readingYou are short of food and drink, yet a ruler's favour, symbolised by a crimson sash of office, is on its way. Keep the reverence of someone making an offering and wait for the moment. Rushing ahead is inauspicious; holding steady brings no blame. A turning point is near, so stay sincere.

Timing: Your circumstances are close to turning. Because any forced move before then is inauspicious, a quiet, sincere wait is the blameless course.
Money: Tight cash makes a quick gamble tempting, yet taking it is inauspicious. The reading points to relief soon; hold your reserves.
Career: Lobbying for a post is inauspicious now. Though work has stalled, an appointment is on its way; faithful diligence is blameless.
Relationships: If you push your partner now, the result is inauspicious; sincere, patient respect lets the strained bond warm again.
Home & Household: Better days are near for a lean household. A move or costly renovation now is inauspicious; calm, orderly routines are auspicious.
Health: The tradition sees strength returning by degrees. It favours gentle, regular rest and warns that overexertion now would set you back.
Marriage: Wedding plans are on hold. Show both families sincere goodwill and the match can come together; forcing a date is inauspicious.
Exams & Study: Improvement lies ahead, even if results still lag. Steady, calm revision is what succeeds here; last-minute panic would cost you marks.
Travel: Your trip is held up for now. Staying put is acceptable, but setting off rashly is inauspicious until timing smooths the way.
Disputes & Legal Matters: Gathering evidence quietly while proceedings are stuck draws no blame. Things are about to shift; escalating before then is inauspicious.
Finding a Person: Word of the missing person is close. Frantic searching muddles the trail; keep contact lines open and let news reach you.
The Decision Point: Like an official honour about to arrive, a turn is coming. Waiting with sincere respect brings no blame; pushing forward now is inauspicious.

3rd Line (six)

六三：困于石，据于蒺蔾，入于其宫，不见其妻，凶。

Hemmed in by rock, leaning on thorny caltrop; entering one's house, one does not see one's wife. Inauspicious.

AI commentaryAdvancing, one meets hard rock; retreating, one leans on thorns; returning home, one finds the wife gone. With no footing and emptiness within and without, it is inauspicious. A weak, misplaced line that forces ahead hits walls and is abandoned.

AI plain readingAhead of you is solid rock, behind you a bed of thorns, and at home your partner is gone. You have no footing either way and nothing to rely on, which is inauspicious. The lesson: if you are weak and off course yet force your way, you hit walls and lose those close to you.

Timing: You have no secure footing forward or back. Stay quiet and still; forcing a move now hits walls and is inauspicious.
Money: Funds are draining and backers drifting away. Freeze spending and stop the losses; a reckless move is inauspicious and costly.
Career: Every route at work is blocked. Hold your post; an inauspicious omen hangs over any bid for promotion now.
Relationships: Trust is collapsing on all sides. Pull back and reflect; pressing your partner now is inauspicious and may cause a break.
Home & Household: Home is unsettled inside and out. Postpone moves and renovations; the omen is inauspicious, and forcing change may split the family.
Health: The tradition reads strain on every front, an inauspicious sign. Rest, and avoid drastic or untested remedies that could worsen matters.
Marriage: Support for the match is falling away. Reflect rather than push for commitment; in this inauspicious period, pressure ends in failure.
Exams & Study: Setbacks come from every side. Consolidate basics rather than attempting advanced material; reaching too far now is inauspicious and costs marks.
Travel: Routes are hazardous both going and returning. Inauspicious for departures: stay where you are rather than meet obstruction at every turn.
Disputes & Legal Matters: Your case looks hollow and support is thin. Escalation is inauspicious and turns people against you; stay quiet and stop fighting.
Finding a Person: Every lead runs dry. Wait quietly for news rather than chasing rumours; restless searching only makes the person harder to find.
The Decision Point: When you have no footing forward or back, do not force your way; weakness off course meets walls everywhere and loses those around you.

4th Line (nine)

九四：来徐徐，困于金车，吝，有终。

Coming slowly, very slowly, held back by a carriage of gold. A mean outcome, but in the end things close well.

AI commentaryHesitant help comes late, held up by the golden carriage: the yang line in the second position, standing between this line and its partner at the bottom. Indecision brings a mean outcome, but sincere, shared purpose reunites them and it ends well.

AI plain readingYou approach slowly and hesitantly, held up by an obstacle in your path (the golden carriage). Indecision brings a mean outcome, some loss of face, but those who share your aims still join you, and the matter ends well. The lesson: late help still arrives, and sincere commitment brings people together in the end.

Timing: Second thoughts cost you a little ground. Allies you treat sincerely stay with you, and things finally come together.
Money: Late payments and stalled deals are irritating for now. Deal honestly with partners; the reading points to funds eventually coming through.
Career: A good result does come in the end, through colleagues who share your aims, though hesitation costs you some standing first.
Relationships: Doubts and meddling relatives slow the romance, with a few awkward moments. Genuine care, shown consistently, brings you together at last.
Home & Household: Family decisions crawl along, with small frustrations. Once everyone pulls in the same direction, the household reaches a sound agreement.
Health: The tradition reads a slow recovery with occasional relapses. It counsels patient, consistent care and points toward eventual improvement.
Marriage: Wedding plans are delayed by doubts or logistics, which is regrettable. Shared values carry you through to a happy union.
Exams & Study: Slow progress and disappointing mock scores come first. If you stick with your plan wholeheartedly, it pays off by exam day.
Travel: A missed connection may sour the first leg. Hold to your purpose and the rest of the journey runs smoothly.
Disputes & Legal Matters: Talks drag on and may cost you some face. The reading favours good-faith negotiation and points to an eventual settlement.
Finding a Person: No news yet, and the search moves slowly. Keep making sincere enquiries; the tradition reads this as an eventual reunion.
The Decision Point: Relief that comes late still comes; accept the cost of your hesitation, keep faith with those who share your aims, and the end is good.

5th Line (nine)

九五：劓刖，困于赤绂，乃徐有说，利用祭祀。

Nose cut off, feet cut off; hemmed in by the red sash. Then, slowly, release comes. It is favourable to offer sacrifice.

AI commentaryHarmed above and below, as the cut nose and feet suggest, one is hemmed in by the duties of high office, the red sash (赤绂). Centred and correct, one sees the bind ease slowly. Sincere reverence, as at a sacrifice, wins release.

AI plain readingLike someone whose nose and feet have been cut off, you are hurt from above and below and weighed down by the duties of high office, symbolised by a red sash. Keep a balanced, upright course and the pressure gradually eases. Act with the sincerity of someone making an offering. The lesson: when you lead under strain, stay centred and work free step by step.

Timing: Pressure comes from above and below. Hold a steady middle course, and relief arrives in stages rather than all at once.
Money: Obligations squeeze your budget from both ends. Avoid panic loans or sales; the tradition reads the strain as lifting slowly.
Career: Caught between superiors and staff, you carry the weight of leading. Even-handed calls win over one side, then the other.
Relationships: Work and family burdens tangle the bond. Stop taking sides and say plainly what hurts; misunderstandings then begin to unwind.
Home & Household: Household duties pull you every way. Settle one room or routine at a time, and home life grows lighter with each.
Health: The tradition reads discomfort in several places at once. It counsels balanced, unhurried care and reads improvement as coming gradually.
Marriage: Duties to both families complicate the match. Once each family feels heard, the road to a wedding begins to open.
Exams & Study: Several subjects press on you at once. A balanced timetable lets one subject break through first, then the others follow.
Travel: Expect holdups at departure and arrival alike. With spare hours built in and no rushing, the later legs run smoothly.
Disputes & Legal Matters: Several parties pull you into one quarrel. The reading favours settling first with the most reasonable party, then resolving the rest.
Finding a Person: The search takes many detours. Sincere, persistent enquiries bring scraps of news first, a sighting here or a message there.
The Decision Point: In a high post under pressure, keep to the centre with complete sincerity; reverence, as at a sacrifice, unties the knot over time.

6th Line (six)

上六：困于葛藟，于臲卼，曰动悔。有悔，征吉。

Hemmed in by tangling vines, on shaky, perilous ground. One says: moving brings regret. If one repents of past errors, setting forth is auspicious.

AI commentaryCaught in tangled creepers on perilous ground, one meets regret at every move. Yet by owning past mistakes and changing course decisively, going forward becomes auspicious. At the extreme of confinement, change: what is exhausted must change, and change opens a way.

AI plain readingYou are caught in tangled vines on unsteady ground, and every move seems to bring regret. But if you admit past mistakes and decisively change course, going forward is auspicious. The lesson: when hardship reaches its limit, ask what must change; when a situation is exhausted, change it, and a way opens.

Timing: Hardship has peaked and every move feels tangled. Moving forward is auspicious once you own past mistakes and change direction decisively.
Money: With money knotted, every move stings. Learning from past errors and opening a new income stream is the auspicious way out.
Career: Your role feels stuck and choices backfire. Auspicious change comes once you admit what is failing and pivot boldly.
Relationships: Old grievances tangle the relationship. It turns auspicious once you apologise sincerely and drop the habits that caused the hurt.
Home & Household: Household problems have knotted together. A thorough reorganisation, begun by admitting past missteps, brings an auspicious renewal.
Health: The tradition reads a stubborn, entangled condition. Reconsider your approach and seek a different course of care; gradual improvement is indicated.
Marriage: The marriage question is tangled in past mistakes. Make amends and change your behaviour; going ahead after genuine change is auspicious.
Exams & Study: Your revision has hit a wall. Find what failed and switch techniques; a new method brings auspicious progress.
Travel: Plans are snarled and every option seems wrong. Pick a different route or destination, and setting out becomes auspicious.
Disputes & Legal Matters: Each step in this snagged conflict brings regret. The auspicious move is to acknowledge your own part and turn toward reconciliation.
Finding a Person: The search is tangled and keeps going wrong. Change channels and approach; a different method can lead you to the person.
The Decision Point: At the extreme of hardship, regret what went wrong and change course; when a path is exhausted, change opens a way, and moving is auspicious.

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