Hexagram 29 of 64
坎
The Abysmal
Kǎn
Upper Trigram
坎
Water
Abysmal, Dangerous
Water · Middle Son
Lower Trigram
坎
Water
Abysmal, Dangerous
Water · Middle Son
The Judgment
The Abysmal repeated. If you are sincere, you have success in your heart, and whatever you do succeeds.
Water repeated — danger upon danger. Yet water never loses its essential nature, always seeks the lowest point, always finds its way. The person who flows through danger with sincerity and steadiness, like water, finds that even the abyss opens a path.
The Image
Water flows on uninterruptedly and reaches its goal — the image of the Abysmal. Thus the superior person walks in lasting virtue and carries on the business of teaching.
Water never stops and never wavers from its nature. The wise person teaches and practices with the same constancy — not for occasional inspiration but as a steady, unbroken flow.
The Six Lines
Line 1
In the abyss one falls into a pit. Misfortune.
Habituating oneself to danger — treating the perilous as normal — deepens the trap rather than escaping it.
Line 2
The abyss is dangerous. One should strive to attain small things only.
In the midst of real danger, do not grasp for grand outcomes. Small, steady achievements are the way through.
Line 3
Forward and backward, abyss on abyss. In danger like this, pause at first and wait, otherwise you will fall into a pit in the abyss. Do not act this way.
When danger surrounds you in every direction, stillness is survival. Movement for its own sake only adds to the peril.
Line 4
A jug of wine, a bowl of rice with it; earthen vessels simply handed in through the window. There is certainly no blame in this.
Simple, genuine offering in the moment of difficulty. Unpretentious sincerity reaches those who are suffering better than elaborate gestures.
Line 5
The abyss is not filled to overflowing; it is filled only to the rim. No blame.
Do not try to overcome the abyss entirely — only escape it. The modest goal of getting through, not of eliminating danger, is the right approach.
Line 6
Bound with cords and ropes, shut in between thorn-hedged prison walls: for three years one does not find the way. Misfortune.
One who has sunk deep into the abyss through their own errors becomes trapped. Only time, patience, and genuine change can work toward release.
For contemplation and self-reflection only. Not a substitute for professional advice.