39 蹇 Obstruction
Judgement
There is an obstacle ahead, like a swollen river or ground that will not let you pass. It helps to head southwest, where the ground is level, and not northeast, where it gets complicated. It helps to seek someone of judgment. With firmness and integrity, it tends to go well. Do not throw yourself against what does not give: look for the easy side, ask advice and lean on someone who sees farther than you.
Image
A mountain with water on top: the water gathers, cannot move on, and the mountain cannot give way. This is the image of blockage. The wise person turns inward and cultivates their virtue. When the way outward does not open, the work is inside. Ask yourself what part of yourself you can improve while the obstacle remains, without waiting for it to move.
Lines
Line 1
If you advance, you find more difficulty; if you stay still, there is cause for praise. It is sensible to wait when going ahead only complicates things. You need not act to feel useful: sometimes the best action is not to make things worse. Ask yourself what step you are about to take that would only add difficulty.
Line 2
You are like the king's minister who struggles through difficulty after difficulty, and not for personal gain. You carry problems that are not only yours. It is a noble effort, though exhausting. Do not expect thanks. Ask yourself whom you are fighting for, whether that cause deserves what it costs you, and whether someone could share the weight.
Line 3
If you advance, you only reach greater difficulties. You stay still and return to your own people. Falling back to the usual group is not failure: it is seeking support where it already exists. Sometimes going back is the stronger decision. Ask yourself who your people are, and whether you could turn to them before facing this alone.
Line 4
If you advance, you find greater difficulties. You stay still and join the one just above you. An alliance with someone of more weight or more vision helps you overcome what you could not alone. Ask yourself whom you could approach to settle this, who has what you lack, and what you could offer in return.
Line 5
You struggle against the greatest difficulties, and friends come to help you. It is the hardest test, and you are not alone. It is time to accept help and not play the strong one. Ask yourself whether you refuse help out of pride and who might be waiting for you to ask.
Line 6
If you advance, you increase the difficulties; if you stay still, there is great merit. It works in your favor, and it helps to seek someone of judgment. Here stillness is not passivity, it is wisdom. After the effort, the best decision is to stop pushing. Ask yourself what you would have to let go of to be at peace.
Reflection
- What step are you about to take that would only add difficulty?
- Whom could you turn to before facing this problem alone?
- What help are you refusing out of pride?