I Ching Oracle / Hexagrams / 34
The Judgement
Perseverance furthers.
Great strength is safe only when bounded by propriety.
The Image
Thunder in heaven above; the noble one does not tread upon paths that do not accord with established order.
This hexagram on ten matters
- WorkCAREER
- Great strength needs propriety more, not less. Do not tread on paths outside the established order — the risk here is not weakness but force misapplied.
- LoveRELATIONSHIP
- One side is dominant. A goat butts the hedge and entangles its horns: a head-on clash jams you in place; a step back opens it.
- MoneyFINANCE
- Strength is there but needs restraint. Power in the toes, continuing brings misfortune — spend it all at the start and nothing is left.
- HealthBODY
- Self-control while energy is high. Being able to does not mean you should, especially with excessive training or lost sleep.
- StudyLEARNING
- Drive is strong but must be aimed. When the method is wrong, more effort jams harder.
- An examEXAM
- The ability is there, but beware recklessness. Do not rush — speed is exactly where this hexagram loses marks.
- PeopleSOCIAL
- Conflict comes easily. The superior man does not act through power — strength that declines to use itself is what this hexagram actually means.
- A choiceDECISION
- Decide, but check the method is proper. Forced plans jam at execution.
- TravelJOURNEY
- Feasible, but do not overpack the schedule.
- A lost itemLOST ITEM
- Do not search by brute force; the more you tear through, the worse it gets. Calmly go area by area.
The Six Lines
Power in the toes. Continuing brings misfortune. This is certainly true.
Power in the toes; continuing brings misfortune. All the force spent at the first step, with nothing left for what follows.
Perseverance brings good fortune.
Perseverance brings good fortune. Two words only: in a time of great power, not overreaching is itself the achievement.
The inferior man works through power. The superior man does not act thus. A goat butts against a hedge and gets its horns entangled.
The inferior man works through power, the superior man does not. The goat butts the hedge and its horns catch — force applied head-on jams you in place.
Perseverance brings good fortune. Remorse disappears. The hedge opens; there is no entanglement.
The hedge opens; there is no entanglement. The best line here: strength applied in the right place, and the obstacle gives way of itself.
Loses the goat with ease. No remorse.
Loses the goat with ease; no remorse. Giving up the hard-edged strength deliberately, and so regretting nothing.
A goat butts against a hedge. It cannot go backward, it cannot go forward. If one notes the difficulty, this brings good fortune.
The goat butts the hedge; it can neither go back nor forward. Deadlocked. If one notes the difficulty, good fortune: recognising and accepting the bind is the way out.
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.