Hexagram 18, line 2
九二Line 2 of Corruption
Nine in the second place · 蠱 gǔ
爻辭 The line text
幹母之蠱，不可貞。The second line, undivided, shows (a son) dealing with the troubles caused by his mother. He should not (carry) his firm correctness (to the utmost).
幹母之蠱，得中道也。'He deals with the troubles caused by his mother:'—he holds to the course of the due mean.
In plain words
Line two deals with 'the decay left by the mother', and the text says one 'should not be rigid' (不可貞). It is a strong line in a yielding place and the only line that corresponds to the ruler, the yin line at five, which the image casts as the mother. Correcting a gentle parent's errors calls for gentleness: force would wound the relationship it is trying to save. The small Image credits the line with 'attaining the middle way' (得中道也) — line two is central, and its strength is tempered by its soft position. 朱熹 reads it as a son who mends matters by gentle guidance rather than confrontation.
If this line is changing
Where the fault belongs to someone gentle or vulnerable, correct it by tact and persistence rather than by confrontation; being right is not the same as being helpful.
Where the line stands
- A solid line, yang — written 九 (nine), the number of an old yang line that moves when cast.
- It is not in its correct place (不當位): a yang line in an even position or a yin line in an odd one, which the tradition reads as a line under some strain — often the reason a text sounds a warning.
- It is central (中): the middle line of its trigram, the position the commentaries read as balanced and most favourable.
- It belongs to the lower trigram 巽 Xun (the Gentle) (wind).
- It corresponds (應) with line 5: one yin and one yang, the two lines answer each other across the hexagram.
之卦 When this line moves
蠱 Corruption becomes ䷳ 52 艮 Stillness (Mountain)
Mountain upon mountain: keeping still. Still the back so the self is not felt, walk in the courtyard without seeing the people — rest at the right time, move at the right time.
What it becomes52 · 艮 Stillness (Mountain)gènThe six lines of 蠱 Corruption
- 初六Six at the beginningthe father's decay · taking over · danger then good
- 九二Nine in the second placethe mother's decay · not too rigid · the middle way
- 九三Nine in the third placetoo forceful · small regret · no great blame
- 六四Six in the fourth placeindulgence · letting it slide · regret ahead
- 六五Six in the fifth placepraise · virtue and a helper · the ruler's repair
- 上九Nine at the topnot serving · higher business · a model aim
Read 蠱 Corruption for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Nine in the second place of hexagram 18, Corruption, mean?
- Line two deals with 'the decay left by the mother', and the text says one 'should not be rigid' (不可貞). It is a strong line in a yielding place and the only line that corresponds to the ruler, the yin line at five, which the image casts as the mother. Correcting a gentle parent's errors calls for gentleness: force would wound the relationship it is trying to save. The small Image credits the line with 'attaining the middle way' (得中道也) — line two is central, and its strength is tempered by its soft position. 朱熹 reads it as a son who mends matters by gentle guidance rather than confrontation.
- What does hexagram 18 become when line 2 changes?
- Corruption becomes hexagram 52, 艮 Stillness (Mountain): Mountain upon mountain: keeping still. Still the back so the self is not felt, walk in the courtyard without seeing the people — rest at the right time, move at the right time.
- Is line 2 of Corruption in its correct place?
- It is not in its correct place (不當位): a yang line in an even position or a yin line in an odd one, which the tradition reads as a line under some strain — often the reason a text sounds a warning. It is central (中): the middle line of its trigram, the position the commentaries read as balanced and most favourable.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).