Hexagram 48 of 64
井
The Well
Jǐng
Upper Trigram
坎
Water
Abysmal, Dangerous
Water · Middle Son
Lower Trigram
巽
Wind
Gentle, Penetrating
Wind/Wood · Eldest Daughter
The Judgment
The Well. The town may be changed, but the well cannot be changed. It neither decreases nor increases. They come and go and draw from the well. If one gets down almost to the water and the rope does not go all the way, or the jug breaks, it brings misfortune.
The well is the inexhaustible source — it does not move even as civilizations rise and fall around it. Wisdom, like the well, is always available but must be properly drawn upon. An inadequate rope or broken vessel means the source is missed despite its presence.
The Image
Water over wood — the image of the Well. Thus the superior person encourages the people at their work, and exhorts them to help one another.
The well serves the whole community. The person of wisdom cultivates the same quality of inexhaustible service — always available, always nourishing, never depleted.
The Six Lines
Line 1
One does not drink the mud of the well. No animals come to an old well.
A well that has been neglected — allowed to fill with mud — serves no one. A teacher or wisdom source similarly left untended loses its draw.
Line 2
At the well hole one shoots fishes. The jug is broken and leaks.
Using the source for trivial purposes, and arriving with inadequate vessels, means nothing is actually gained.
Line 3
The well is cleaned, but no one drinks from it. This is my heart's sorrow, for one might draw from it. If the king were clear-minded, good fortune might be enjoyed in common.
Wisdom that has been refined and is available but goes unrecognized and undrawn — a grief for both sage and seeker.
Line 4
The well is being lined. No blame.
The inner work of strengthening and maintaining the source — though not yet producing outward benefit — is entirely without blame.
Line 5
In the well there is a clear, cold spring, from which one can drink.
The well is clear, accessible, and excellent. This is the moment to draw and to share freely.
Line 6
One draws from the well without hindrance. It is dependable. Supreme good fortune.
A well that is completely open, completely accessible, completely reliable — available to all without limit. This is the fullest expression of inexhaustible nourishment.
For contemplation and self-reflection only. Not a substitute for professional advice.