Hexagram 11, line 3
九三Line 3 of Prosperity
Nine in the third place · 泰 tài
爻辭 The line text
无平不陂，无往不復，艱貞无咎。勿恤其孚，于食有福。The third line, undivided, shows that, while there is no state of peace that is not liable to be disturbed, and no departure (of evil men) so that they shall not return, yet when one is firm and correct, as he realises the distresses that may arise, he will commit no error. There is no occasion for sadness at the certainty (of such recurring changes); and in this mood the happiness (of the present) may be (long) enjoyed.
无往不復，天地際也。'There is no going away so that there shall not be a return' refers to this as the point where the interaction of heaven and earth takes place.
In plain words
Line three sits at the boundary between the two trigrams, and its text is the I Ching's plainest statement of change: 'no plain without a slope, no going without a return; steadiness in hardship, no blame.' Strong at the top of Qian, with the three yins waiting above, this is peace at the point where it first senses its own end. The second half softens it — 'do not grieve over your sincerity; in your eating there is blessing' — which Cheng Yi reads as: keep faith, and the present good can still be enjoyed. The small Image names the spot exactly: this is where heaven and earth meet (天地際也).
If this line is changing
The good time is real and so is its eventual turn; hold steady through the first difficulties without anxiety, and do not let foresight spoil what is still good.
Where the line stands
- A solid line, yang — written 九 (nine), the number of an old yang line that moves when cast.
- It is in its correct place (當位): a yang line in an odd position or a yin line in an even one, which the tradition reads as a line at ease where it stands.
- It belongs to the lower trigram 乾 Qian (the Creative) (heaven).
- It corresponds (應) with line 6: one yin and one yang, the two lines answer each other across the hexagram.
之卦 When this line moves
泰 Prosperity becomes ䷒ 19 臨 Overseeing
Earth over the lake: looking down from the shore. Yang grows and influence approaches — supreme success now, with a warning that the eighth month brings a turn.
What it becomes19 · 臨 OverseeinglínThe six lines of 泰 Prosperity
- 初九Nine at the beginninggrass with its roots · rising together · aim outward
- 九二Nine in the second placebearing the rough · fording the river · no cliques
- 九三Nine in the third placeno plain without slope · the turning point · enjoy with care
- 六四Six in the fourth placefluttering down · not rich · sincere neighbours
- 六五Six in the fifth placeDi Yi marries his sister · ruler humbles himself · central wish
- 上六Six at the topwall into the moat · do not use force · orders in disorder
Read 泰 Prosperity for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Nine in the third place of hexagram 11, Prosperity, mean?
- Line three sits at the boundary between the two trigrams, and its text is the I Ching's plainest statement of change: 'no plain without a slope, no going without a return; steadiness in hardship, no blame.' Strong at the top of Qian, with the three yins waiting above, this is peace at the point where it first senses its own end. The second half softens it — 'do not grieve over your sincerity; in your eating there is blessing' — which Cheng Yi reads as: keep faith, and the present good can still be enjoyed. The small Image names the spot exactly: this is where heaven and earth meet (天地際也).
- What does hexagram 11 become when line 3 changes?
- Prosperity becomes hexagram 19, 臨 Overseeing: Earth over the lake: looking down from the shore. Yang grows and influence approaches — supreme success now, with a warning that the eighth month brings a turn.
- Is line 3 of Prosperity in its correct place?
- It is in its correct place (當位): a yang line in an odd position or a yin line in an even one, which the tradition reads as a line at ease where it stands.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).