I Ching Oracle / Hexagrams / 52
The Judgement
Keeping his back still so that he no longer feels his body. He goes into his courtyard and does not see his people. No blame.
Stillness at the right moment; keep thought within its proper bounds.
The Image
Mountains standing close together; the noble one does not permit his thoughts to go beyond his situation.
This hexagram on ten matters
- WorkCAREER
- Stop when it is time to stop; do not let thought go beyond your situation. Keeping the back still — stopping is not inertia, it is stopping in the right place.
- LoveRELATIONSHIP
- Pause rather than push. Keeping the jaws still, the words have order: fewer and better-ordered words beat more.
- MoneyFINANCE
- Stop trading. Doing nothing is the best action now.
- HealthBODY
- This hexagram moves through the body, and its subject is stillness. Sitting quietly, resting, returning attention to the body — all especially effective now.
- StudyLEARNING
- Time to stop and digest. Cramming forward without consolidating creates disorder later.
- An examEXAM
- Before the exam, stop and be still. Do not cram new material at the last minute; composure matters most.
- PeopleSOCIAL
- Keep distance. He goes into his courtyard and does not see his people — the same space can still hold separate peace.
- A choiceDECISION
- Defer the decision. Noblehearted keeping still, good fortune: holding position is the best available move.
- TravelJOURNEY
- Do not go. This hexagram is about stopping; postpone or cancel. If you are already travelling, stay put and finish what you came for before moving on.
- A lost itemLOST ITEM
- Stay still — it is near where you are. Stop running around searching.
The Six Lines
Keeping his toes still. No blame. Continued perseverance furthers.
Keeping his toes still; no blame. The best position here: stopping before the step is taken, at the lowest cost.
Keeping his calves still. He cannot rescue him whom he follows. His heart is not glad.
Keeping his calves still; he cannot rescue him whom he follows. His heart is not glad. The difficulty is stopping yourself but not the situation.
Keeping his hips still. Making his sacrum stiff. Dangerous. The heart suffocates.
Keeping his hips still, making his sacrum stiff; the heart suffocates. The misfortune is forced stopping — suppression that injures.
Keeping his trunk still. No blame.
Keeping his trunk still; no blame. No longer partial but whole-body stillness.
Keeping his jaws still. The words have order. Remorse disappears.
Keeping his jaws still; the words have order. Remorse disappears. The gain comes from saying less.
Noblehearted keeping still. Good fortune.
Noblehearted keeping still; good fortune. The completion: stopping thoroughly and without strain.
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.