I Ching hexagram 18

I Ching hexagram 18: Repairing the Spoiled

蛊 gǔ · a mountain above wind

A sealed bowl where things have gone bad: this is the work of cleaning up damage someone else, often family, left behind.

The judgment: Great success. It pays to cross the great river. Look three days before the starting day, and three days after it.
"Kû indicates great progress and success (to him who deals properly with the condition represented by it). There will be advantage in (efforts like that of) crossing the great stream. (He should weigh well, however, the events of) three days before the turning point, and those (to be done) three days after it."
James Legge's translation, 1882
What it says to you: The picture is a closed bowl where things have gone bad, and wind blowing low under a mountain, stale air that never moves. Something has spoiled through neglect, very often something inherited: a family pattern, a project you took over, a team culture someone else let slide. The good news is in the judgment itself: great success, and it pays to cross the great river, meaning this repair is worth a serious effort. The method hides in the odd phrase about three days before the start and three days after. Before you act, look hard at how the rot set in. After you act, watch that it does not creep back. The lines are almost all about fixing what a father or mother left behind, and the tone is firm but loyal. You repair without contempt for whoever caused it.

Matter by matter

Love: Old patterns, maybe your parents', are spoiling things. Name them gently and repair them together.
Work: You inherited a mess. Study its causes, fix it properly, and check afterward that it stays fixed.
Money: Neglected accounts or debts need attention now. Repair is slow, but the text promises it succeeds.
A yes or no question: Yes, with a condition. Act, but first study how the problem arose and plan the follow-up.

The six lines of Repairing the Spoiled

A hexagram is built from the bottom up, so the first line is the lowest. You read a line's text only when your cast made it a moving line.

Bottom line, broken

Setting right what the father spoiled. With such a son, the late father is free of fault. Danger, but good fortune in the end.

You are cleaning up after someone, and your work clears their name as well as fixing the problem. It is early and the damage is still small. Expect some risk; the outcome is good.
Second line, solid

Setting right what the mother spoiled. Do not be too rigid about it.

The problem came from someone close and tender, and force would wound them. Correct it gently and in part. Being right at full volume is the one approach that will not work here.
Third line, solid

Setting right what the father spoiled. A little regret, no great mistake.

You are going at the repair a bit too hard, and someone's feelings may get bruised. Small regrets, yes. But the job gets done, and doing it beats leaving the rot alone.
Fourth line, broken

Indulging what the father spoiled. Go on like this and you will be sorry.

You are tolerating the damage, telling yourself it is not so bad or not your place. Letting it ride only lets it spread. Keep going this way and the regret will be yours.
Fifth line, broken

Setting right what the father spoiled, and earning praise for it.

This repair goes well and people notice. You are not working alone; good help makes the difference. Let the credit land, since it buys you the standing to finish the job.
Top line, solid

He does not serve kings or lords. He holds his own work high.

The repairs are done, or they are not yours to do. You may step back from public duties and tend your own work and character. That is a worthy choice here, and nobody should call it running away.

About hexagram 18

What does I Ching hexagram 18 mean?

Hexagram 18, Repairing the Spoiled, puts a mountain above wind. A sealed bowl where things have gone bad: this is the work of cleaning up damage someone else, often family, left behind. Its judgment reads: Great success. It pays to cross the great river. Look three days before the starting day, and three days after it.

Is hexagram 18 a yes or a no?

Yes, with a condition. Act, but first study how the problem arose and plan the follow-up.

What does hexagram 18 mean for love?

Old patterns, maybe your parents', are spoiling things. Name them gently and repair them together.

What does hexagram 18 mean for work?

You inherited a mess. Study its causes, fix it properly, and check afterward that it stays fixed.

Cast the coins for a new question , or for a straight yes or no, throw the moon blocks

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The judgment and lines are rendered from the Chinese text; the quoted judgment is Legge's 1882 translation, and every other English line is Jade Almanac's own. A cast is a prompt for reflection, not advice about health, money or the law.