Hexagram 15, line 4
六四Line 4 of Humility
Six in the fourth place · 謙 qiān
爻辭 The line text
无不利，撝謙。The fourth line, divided, shows one, whose action would be in every way advantageous, stirring up (the more) his humility.
无不利，撝謙；不違則也。'One, whose action would be in every way advantageous, stirs up his humility the more:'—(but in doing so) he does not act contrary to the (proper) rule.
In plain words
Line four is 'nothing unfavourable; display humility.' Yin in a yin place, it sits above the meritorious ruler at three and below the sovereign at five — a position where a lesser person would either lord it over three or jostle five. The text says instead that it should 撝, spread or wave its humility outward, making its deference visible on both sides. The small Image adds the proviso 'without going against the rule' (不違則也): modesty here is not endless self-lowering but the correct conduct of someone who serves above a better person and below a higher one.
If this line is changing
Placed between someone more deserving below you and someone more senior above, make your deference plain in both directions, but keep it within what the role actually requires.
Where the line stands
- A broken line, yin — written 六 (six), the number of an old yin 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 upper trigram 坤 Kun (the Receptive) (earth).
- It has no correspondence (無應) with line 1: both lines are yin, so this line must find its support in its neighbours or in itself.
之卦 When this line moves
謙 Humility becomes ䷽ 62 小過 Small Excess
Thunder on the mountain: the flying bird leaves its call behind. Success in small things, not great; better to come down than to go up — overdo the small virtues of respect, grief and thrift rather than attempt grand moves.
What it becomes62 · 小過 Small Excessxiǎo guòThe six lines of 謙 Humility
- 初六Six at the beginninghumble upon humble · crossing the river · tending oneself low
- 六二Six in the second placehumility that sounds · from the heart · central and correct
- 九三Nine in the third placemerit with humility · ruler of the hexagram · all submit
- 六四Six in the fourth placenothing unfavourable · showing humility · not breaking the rule
- 六五Six in the fifth placenot rich, yet neighbours · correcting the unsubmissive · humility with force
- 上六Six at the tophumility heard · aim not attained · only one's own town
Read 謙 Humility for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Six in the fourth place of hexagram 15, Humility, mean?
- Line four is 'nothing unfavourable; display humility.' Yin in a yin place, it sits above the meritorious ruler at three and below the sovereign at five — a position where a lesser person would either lord it over three or jostle five. The text says instead that it should 撝, spread or wave its humility outward, making its deference visible on both sides. The small Image adds the proviso 'without going against the rule' (不違則也): modesty here is not endless self-lowering but the correct conduct of someone who serves above a better person and below a higher one.
- What does hexagram 15 become when line 4 changes?
- Humility becomes hexagram 62, 小過 Small Excess: Thunder on the mountain: the flying bird leaves its call behind. Success in small things, not great; better to come down than to go up — overdo the small virtues of respect, grief and thrift rather than attempt grand moves.
- Is line 4 of Humility 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).