I Ching hexagram 33

I Ching hexagram 33: Retreat

遁 dùn · heaven above a mountain

The mountain rises and heaven draws back: a well-timed withdrawal keeps you whole while a stronger force advances.

The judgment: Retreat brings success. In small matters it pays to hold steady.
"Thun indicates successful progress (in its circumstances). To a small extent it will (still) be advantageous to be firm and correct."
James Legge's translation, 1882
What it says to you: A mountain pushes up from below and heaven, above it, pulls back out of reach. That is the picture: something rising that you cannot stop, and the sensible response is to give ground on your own terms. The text is mild about it. Retreat brings success, it says, and firmness helps in small matters, a deliberately modest promise. This is no rout. The lines describe the bad retreat, caught at the tail or tangled in ties, and the good one, chosen, gracious and free. So ask yourself honestly what you are still holding that is costing you, and which exit you can make cleanly now. Keep the bonds that matter, tied fast like ox hide. Let the rest go. Step back this week, quietly, while stepping back is still your choice.

Matter by matter

Love: Give space rather than chase. A graceful step back protects what is worth keeping; if it's over, leave cleanly.
Work: Withdraw from a losing fight or an overreaching role. Keep a low profile and protect your position.
Money: A time to hold back, not expand. Small, careful moves only; this is no time to press for gains.
A yes or no question: Wait. The text favors stepping back; hold steady only in small things.

The six lines of Retreat

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

Retreating at the tail. Danger. Do not set out anywhere.

You are the last one out, and the most exposed. Don't make a dash for it now. Stay still, keep your head down, and let the dangerous moment pass before you move at all.
Second line, broken

Bound fast with the hide of a yellow ox; no one can work it loose.

Your commitment holds like rawhide. Someone may want to leave or pull you away, but this bond is firm. Hold to what you have pledged and don't let it slip in the general retreat.
Third line, solid

A retreat held back by ties: sickness and danger. Looking after servants and maids brings good fortune.

Ties are tangling your exit and wearing you down. You can't cut everything at once. Look after the people who depend on you in small, practical ways, and that part at least goes well.
Fourth line, solid

A retreat made willingly: good fortune for the noble person, not for the petty one.

You can leave something you still like, cleanly and without bitterness. That takes character. Done with grace, it works. If you leave to sulk or to punish someone, it won't.
Fifth line, solid

A fine, well-judged retreat. Steadfastness brings good fortune.

Your withdrawal is timely and correct, and others can see that it is. Keep to the plan you have made, stay courteous, and don't let anyone talk you back in.
Top line, solid

A rich, unhurried retreat. Nothing that is not favorable.

You are free and far enough away that nothing clings to you anymore. Go cheerfully. This is the kind of leaving that leaves you better off in every direction you look.

About hexagram 33

What does I Ching hexagram 33 mean?

Hexagram 33, Retreat, puts heaven above a mountain. The mountain rises and heaven draws back: a well-timed withdrawal keeps you whole while a stronger force advances. Its judgment reads: Retreat brings success. In small matters it pays to hold steady.

Is hexagram 33 a yes or a no?

Wait. The text favors stepping back; hold steady only in small things.

What does hexagram 33 mean for love?

Give space rather than chase. A graceful step back protects what is worth keeping; if it's over, leave cleanly.

What does hexagram 33 mean for work?

Withdraw from a losing fight or an overreaching role. Keep a low profile and protect your position.

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

The I Ching reads a moment. For the years of your own life, cast your birth chart; on your chart page you can ask three questions of your own, answered against it, for $2.99.

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.