I Ching hexagram 62

I Ching hexagram 62: Small Excess

小过 xiǎo guò · thunder above a mountain

A bird's cry drifts down as it passes: small, careful, humble steps succeed now, and high flights fail.

The judgment: Success. Firmness pays. Small matters can be done, not great ones. A flying bird leaves its call behind: going up is wrong, coming down is right. Great good fortune.
"Hsiao Kwo indicates that (in the circumstances which it implies) there will be progress and attainment. But it will be advantageous to be firm and correct. (What the name denotes) may be done in small affairs, but not in great affairs. (It is like) the notes that come down from a bird on the wing; to descend is better than to ascend. There will (in this way) be great good fortune."
James Legge's translation, 1882
What it says to you: Thunder sounds over the mountain, small and far off, like a bird calling as it flies past. Small Excess is about going slightly beyond the usual in small things: more careful, more humble, more frugal than the occasion seems to need. The judgment is precise. Small affairs can be done, great ones cannot, and the bird should come down to where it can perch instead of climbing into empty sky. If your plan is ambitious, scale it down and do the modest version well. Line one's bird that keeps rising meets misfortune, and line six's bird ends in the net. Line two shows the wise detour: you miss the grandfather but meet the grandmother, miss the lord but find his minister. Accept the lesser connection, keep low, and take extra care.

Matter by matter

Love: Small gestures and humility, no grand declarations. Modest steps keep things safe.
Work: Do the small tasks thoroughly; postpone big launches. Extra care pays.
Money: Cut back, spend carefully, avoid large bets.
A yes or no question: Yes, with a condition. Only for something small; for anything large or high-reaching, no.

The six lines of Small Excess

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

The bird flies up, and so meets misfortune.

You want to soar before you can fly. Rising too fast now invites disaster. Stay close to the ground and build strength first; the high flight is not for this moment.
Second line, broken

He passes his grandfather and meets his grandmother. He does not reach his lord but meets the lord's minister. No mistake.

You will not reach the top person, but you will reach someone who can help. Accept the indirect route. Working through the right intermediary keeps you correct and safe.
Third line, solid

If he does not take extra care to guard against it, someone may come from behind and harm him. Misfortune.

You feel too secure. Danger is near and you are not watching. Take precautions beyond what seems necessary; this is the moment when overcaution is exactly right.
Fourth line, solid

No mistake. He meets it without going too far. Going on is dangerous; be on guard. Do not insist on this forever.

Hold steady where you are and meet things as they come. Pushing ahead is risky. Stay alert, and stay flexible; do not lock yourself into one stance for good.
Fifth line, broken

Dense clouds, no rain, from our western outskirts. The duke shoots with a corded arrow and takes the one in the cave.

Things are building but not yet breaking. You cannot do the big thing alone. Find a capable, hidden helper and bring them out; together you can manage what you cannot alone.
Top line, broken

He does not meet it, he goes past it. The flying bird is caught in the net. Misfortune: this is called disaster.

You have overshot. Going too far, too high, has trapped you. Stop climbing and come down. Pushing on now brings harm you could have avoided.

About hexagram 62

What does I Ching hexagram 62 mean?

Hexagram 62, Small Excess, puts thunder above a mountain. A bird's cry drifts down as it passes: small, careful, humble steps succeed now, and high flights fail. Its judgment reads: Success. Firmness pays. Small matters can be done, not great ones. A flying bird leaves its call behind: going up is wrong, coming down is right. Great good fortune.

Is hexagram 62 a yes or a no?

Yes, with a condition. Only for something small; for anything large or high-reaching, no.

What does hexagram 62 mean for love?

Small gestures and humility, no grand declarations. Modest steps keep things safe.

What does hexagram 62 mean for work?

Do the small tasks thoroughly; postpone big launches. Extra care pays.

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.