I Ching Oracle / Hexagrams / 33
The Judgement
Success. In what is small, perseverance furthers.
Timely withdrawal is not defeat but strategy.
The Image
Mountain under heaven; the noble one keeps the inferior man at a distance, not angrily but with reserve.
This hexagram on ten matters
- WorkCAREER
- Conditions are unfavourable; withdrawing intact is the best move. Keep the inferior at a distance, not angrily but with reserve — retreat is not flight, it is distance without rupture.
- LoveRELATIONSHIP
- Distance is needed. Voluntary retreat brings good fortune: parting well is the explicit advice here.
- MoneyFINANCE
- Contract. Cheerful retreat, everything furthers — exiting a position intact is itself a gain.
- HealthBODY
- This hexagram is about withdrawal. Pulling out of what drains you is the most effective prescription here.
- StudyLEARNING
- Setting it down for now is also a strategy. Held fast with yellow oxhide only binds you tighter.
- An examEXAM
- A step back. If you are clearly underprepared, consider postponing or changing the sitting; no need to force it.
- PeopleSOCIAL
- There is someone to move away from. No anger needed; simply widen the distance.
- A choiceDECISION
- Withdraw rather than advance. Friendly retreat, perseverance brings good fortune — choosing to leave is far better than being made to.
- TravelJOURNEY
- Leave where you are. This hexagram carries the sense of departure; a change of environment favours you.
- A lost itemLOST ITEM
- It has already left your reach and is hard to retrieve. Rather than chase it, cut the loss and arrange a replacement.
The Six Lines
At the tail in retreat. This is dangerous. One must not wish to undertake anything.
At the tail in retreat; danger. Last in line. One must not undertake anything: it is too late to run, and staying still is now safer.
He holds him fast with yellow oxhide. No one can tear him loose.
He holds him fast with yellow oxhide; no one can tear him loose. This is not retreat but being held: an intention too fixed to leave.
A halted retreat is nerve-wracking and dangerous. To retain people as men- and maidservants brings good fortune.
A halted retreat is nerve-wracking. You want to go and something holds you. Retaining servants brings good fortune: since you cannot leave, tend what is near.
Voluntary retreat brings good fortune to the superior man and downfall to the inferior man.
Voluntary retreat; good fortune for the superior man, downfall for the inferior. What this line distinguishes is the ability to let go, not the desire to leave.
Friendly retreat. Perseverance brings good fortune.
Friendly retreat; perseverance brings good fortune. An exit done well: right timing, good bearing, no mess left behind.
Cheerful retreat. Everything serves to further.
Cheerful retreat; everything furthers. The furthest and most unhurried departure. The best line here: leaving with nothing left attached.
The governing line
Nuclear · Opposite · Reverse
The nuclear hexagram shows the middle stretch of the matter; the opposite is the same situation seen from the reverse position; the reverse is the view from the other party's side.