I Ching hexagram 2
I Ching hexagram 2: Earth
坤 kūn · earth above earth
Six open lines like a wide field: the mare's strength lies in following well, receiving, and finishing what others begin.
- The judgment
- Great success; the steadiness of a mare pays. Lead and you go astray; follow and you find your master. Friends gained southwest, lost northeast. Calm steadiness brings good fortune.
"Khwăn (represents) what is great and originating, penetrating, advantageous, correct and having the firmness of a mare. When the superior man (here intended) has to make any movement, if he take the initiative, he will go astray; if he follow, he will find his (proper) lord. The advantageousness will be seen in his getting friends in the south-west, and losing friends in the north-east. If he rest in correctness and firmness, there will be good fortune."
- What it says to you
- Earth over earth, all six lines open, and the animal on the card is a mare: strong, tireless, and willing to be guided. The text is blunt that leading right now sends you astray, while following finds you the right master. Read that as a job description rather than a demotion. Your work under this sign is to receive, support, and carry things to completion. The lines start with a warning worth heeding: frost underfoot means hard ice is coming, so read small signs early. Later the text recommends a tied sack, which means keeping quiet, and praises the yellow lower garment, modest dress worn at the center. If you have been forcing the lead in something, step back and serve the plan that already exists. Pick the person or project worth backing, and put your full weight behind it.
Matter by matter
- Love
- Receptive and devoted; let the other person set the pace and offer steady care rather than pursuit.
- Work
- Support roles go well. Serve the project, finish what others start, and let credit come later.
- Money
- Steady accumulation through patient, ordinary work; no bold moves, and watch for early warning signs.
- A yes or no question
- Yes, with a condition: follow an established lead rather than starting your own.
The six lines of Earth
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.
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Bottom line, broken
Treading on frost: hard ice is coming.
A small sign is pointing at something bigger. Don't wave it off. Prepare now while the change is still thin underfoot, because it will harden whether or not you are ready.
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Second line, broken
Straight, square, great. Without practice, nothing fails.
Act from your plain nature, honest and level, and you won't need tricks or rehearsal. Things go right on their own when you are simply what you are.
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Third line, broken
Excellence kept hidden; one can stay steady. If you serve the king, claim no success, but see it through.
Keep your talent under wraps for now. If you work for someone else's cause, let the credit go to them. You will bring the matter to a good end anyway.
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Fourth line, broken
A tied-up sack. Neither fault nor praise.
Keep your mouth closed and your plans to yourself. This is a time to stay quiet and careful. You will earn no applause, and you will make no mistakes either.
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Fifth line, broken
A yellow lower garment. Great good fortune.
Yellow was the color of the center, and the lower garment a sign of modesty. Hold a high place without showing off, keep to the middle, and the outcome is very good.
-
Top line, broken
Dragons fight in the wilds. Their blood is dark and yellow.
The yielding side has pushed until it clashes head on with strength, and both sides bleed. If you are in a standoff, see that nobody wins it. Step out before the fight becomes the point.
When all six lines move
All lines six: it pays to stay steady for the long term.
Every line is moving, so pure yielding is turning toward strength. Your patience is about to become firmness. Keep your course long enough and the steadiness itself becomes the reward.
About hexagram 2
What does I Ching hexagram 2 mean?
Hexagram 2, Earth, doubles the trigram for earth. Six open lines like a wide field: the mare's strength lies in following well, receiving, and finishing what others begin. Its judgment reads: Great success; the steadiness of a mare pays. Lead and you go astray; follow and you find your master. Friends gained southwest, lost northeast. Calm steadiness brings good fortune.
Is hexagram 2 a yes or a no?
Yes, with a condition: follow an established lead rather than starting your own.
What does hexagram 2 mean for love?
Receptive and devoted; let the other person set the pace and offer steady care rather than pursuit.
What does hexagram 2 mean for work?
Support roles go well. Serve the project, finish what others start, and let credit come later.
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.