above Kun, the Receptive, earth · below Gen, Keeping Still, mountain
The theme is modesty, especially when you have achieved something and would like to be seen. With modesty you succeed, says the Judgement. Whoever stands high and stays modest shines, and whoever is lowly and stays modest cannot be passed over. A modest person brings the work to completion, and does so ‘without boasting of what he has accomplished’. Finish what you have started and let the result speak for itself. Don’t show off; fate harms what is full and brings good fortune to what is modest.
What would you see through to the end, even if no one were to notice?
The sign is composed of Gen, Keeping Still, the mountain, and Kun. The mountain is the youngest son of the Creative, the representative of heaven on earth. It dispenses downwards the blessings of heaven, the clouds and rain that gather round its summit, and then shines transfigured in heavenly light. This shows modesty and its effect in people who are high and strong. Above stands Kun, the earth. The attribute of the earth is lowliness, but precisely for that reason it is shown in this sign as raised up, in that it is above, over the mountain. This shows the effect of modesty in lowly, simple people: through it they are raised up.
Some old words keep coming back in Wilhelm’s sayings:
Modesty brings about success.The noble one brings things to completion.
The law of heaven empties what is full and fills what is modest: when the sun stands at its highest, it must by heavenly law move towards its setting, and when it is deepest beneath the earth, it goes towards a new rising. When the moon is full, it wanes by the same law, and when it is empty, it waxes again. This heavenly law works itself out in the destinies of men as well. The law of the earth is to alter what is full and to flow towards what is modest: the high mountains are worn away by the waters and the valleys filled up. The law of the powers of fate is to harm what is full and to bestow fortune on what is modest. And men too hate what is full and love what is modest.
Destinies follow fixed laws that work themselves out of necessity. But man has it in his hands to shape his destiny, depending on whether his conduct exposes him to the influence of the forces that bless or of those that destroy. When a man stands high and shows himself modest, he shines in the light of wisdom. When he is lowly and shows himself modest, he cannot be passed over. Thus the noble one succeeds in bringing his work to completion without boasting of what he has accomplished.
In the midst of the earth there is a mountain:the image of modesty.So the noble one lessens what is too muchand adds to what is too little.He weighs things and evens them out.
One cannot tell by looking at the earth, in which a mountain lies hidden, how rich it is, for the height of the mountain serves to balance out the hollows. So high and low complement each other, and the result is the plain. Here the image of modesty is that what required a long time to take effect appears self-evident and easy. This is what the noble one does when he establishes order on earth. He evens out the social contrasts that are the source of discord and so creates just and level conditions.
In this sign one notices a number of parallels to the prophetic and Christian teaching of the Bible, for example
‘Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled. Whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.’
‘Every valley shall be raised up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and what is uneven shall be made level, and what is rugged shall be made smooth’ (Isa. 40:4).
‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’
The Last Judgement in the Parsi religion, too, shows similar features. And in connection with the last-quoted saying, the Greek notion of the envy of the gods deserves mention.
Wilhelm placed the signs ○ and □ after certain lines (p. 334 f.). They mark the rulers of the hexagram. □ stands by the constituting ruler: the line that gives the hexagram its meaning, however high it stands and whatever its character. ○ stands by the governing ruler. It is always of good character and becomes ruler through the meaning of the time and its position, usually in the fifth place. Where a line is both, it carries ○.
A noble one who is modest in his modestymay cross the great water. Good fortune!
A difficult undertaking becomes easy when you deal with it quickly and simply, without making many demands or standing on ceremony. Approach the matter plainly and set no preconditions. Where no demands are made, no resistance arises, and so even something hard turns out well.
A dangerous undertaking, such as crossing a great water, is made much harder when many claims and considerations come into play. It is easy, on the other hand, when it is dealt with quickly and simply. Therefore the wholly unassuming disposition of modesty is suited to accomplishing even difficult undertakings, because it makes no demands and sets no preconditions but settles the matter lightly and simply; for where no claims are raised, no resistance arises.
Modesty that shows itself. Perseverance brings good fortune.
Here modesty is so genuine that it shows in outward conduct: out of the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks. Let it be seen, and stay with it. That turns out well: your influence lasts, and no one can push you aside.
Out of the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks. When someone is so modest within that this disposition shows in his outward conduct, it brings him good fortune: for in this way he has, of himself, the possibility of a persevering influence that no one can displace.
A noble one, modest in his merit, brings things to completion. Good fortune!
This is the heart of the sign: whoever becomes known through great achievements has to stay modest. Don’t let fame dazzle you, or criticism soon sets in. If you stay modest despite your merits, people like you and you win the helpers you need to bring the work to completion; that turns out well.
Here is the centre of the sign, where its secret is put into words. Through great achievements one soon wins a considerable name. If one lets oneself be dazzled by fame, criticism will very soon set in, and difficulties will arise. If, on the other hand, one stays modest in spite of one’s merits, one makes oneself liked and wins the help that is needed to bring the work one has undertaken to completion.
Nothing that would not be favourablefor modesty in movement.
The line describes a position of great responsibility, between a capable helper below and a kindly superior above. Don’t abuse the trust placed in you from above, and don’t hide the merits of those below you. Modesty here means taking a real interest in the work instead of hiding behind the rules.
Everything has its measure. Modesty in conduct, too, can be overdone. Here it is in place, since the position between a deserving helper below and a kindly ruler above brings very great responsibility with it. The trust of the one above must not be abused, the merits of the one below must not be concealed. There are, to be sure, officials who do not put themselves forward. They shelter behind the letter of the regulations, they decline all responsibility, they accept pay without giving anything in return, they bear titles with no reality to give them meaning. The modesty spoken of here is the opposite of this. Modesty in such a position shows itself precisely in taking an interest in the work.
Not presuming on wealth in dealings with one’s neighbour.It is favourable to attack with force.Nothing that would not be favourable.
Modesty is something other than feeble good nature that lets everything slide. If you carry responsibility, you sometimes have to step in firmly. Make sure beforehand that the people around you are with you, don’t insist on your superiority, and keep strictly to the matter, without wounding anyone personally; that way modesty shows even in severity.
Modesty is different from feeble good nature that lets everything take its course. When one holds a post of responsibility, one must at times act with energy. But for that it is necessary not to seek to make an impression by personally insisting on one’s superiority; rather, one must be sure of those around one. The intervention must be purely objective and must have nothing personally wounding about it. In this, modesty shows itself even in severity.
Modesty that shows itself.It is favourable to send armies on the marchto chasten one’s own city and one’s own land.
If you are truly serious about modesty, you show it in practice, and with real force. When hostility arises, don’t look for the fault in the other person, and don’t retreat, offended, into self-pity. Put things in order, and start with yourself and those closest to you.
He who is truly in earnest about his modesty must see to it that it shows itself in reality. He must go about it with great energy. When hostility arises, nothing is easier than to look for the fault in the other. A weak person may then withdraw into himself, offended, feel sorry for himself and take it for modesty that he does not defend himself. Real modesty shows itself in setting about creating order with vigour, and in beginning the chastening with one’s own self and one’s closest circle. Only by having the courage to send one’s armies marching against oneself does one achieve anything truly forceful.
There are few signs in the Book of Changes in which all the lines are purely favourable, as they are in the sign Modesty. This shows how highly Chinese wisdom values this virtue.
Would you like to put your own question to the I Ching? Six throws of three coins, and the answer appears straight away.
Consult the I ChingTexts by Richard Wilhelm: I Ging. Das Buch der Wandlungen (first edition Jena 1924), translated into English by NUMEN COMPASS from the Diederichs edition, Munich 1996. Wilhelm’s German text is in the public domain. The section ‘What the hexagram says today’, the question for you and the short notes under the lines are our own reading. The I Ching is no substitute for medical, legal or psychological advice.