Hexagram 18, line 6
上九Line 6 of Corruption
Nine at the top · 蠱 gǔ
爻辭 The line text
不事王侯，高尚其事。The sixth line, undivided, shows us one who does not serve either king or feudal lord, but in a lofty spirit prefers (to attend to) his own affairs.
不事王侯，志可則也。'He does not serve either king or feudal lord:'—but his aim may be a model (to others).
In plain words
At the top of Gu the work of repair is over, and the top line stands outside it: 'does not serve king or lord, keeps his own business high.' Yang at the end of Gen, stillness, with no correspondent below, this is the one who withdraws after the spoiled affair has been dealt with — or who was never part of the decay. The small Image says the will is one others may take as a model (志可則也). 程頤 reads it as the sage who, having no office to repair, cultivates himself; the Great Image's 'rousing the people and nourishing virtue' is done here by example rather than by office.
If this line is changing
If the mess is not yours to fix, or has already been fixed, step back and attend to your own standards; your example will do more than another intervention.
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 belongs to the upper trigram 艮 Gen (Keeping Still) (mountain).
- It has no correspondence (無應) with line 3: both lines are yang, so this line must find its support in its neighbours or in itself.
之卦 When this line moves
蠱 Corruption becomes ䷭ 46 升 Ascending
Wood growing within the earth: ascending. Supreme success; see the great man; a march to the south brings good fortune — growth by steady, unforced effort.
What it becomes46 · 升 AscendingshēngThe 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 at the top of hexagram 18, Corruption, mean?
- At the top of Gu the work of repair is over, and the top line stands outside it: 'does not serve king or lord, keeps his own business high.' Yang at the end of Gen, stillness, with no correspondent below, this is the one who withdraws after the spoiled affair has been dealt with — or who was never part of the decay. The small Image says the will is one others may take as a model (志可則也). 程頤 reads it as the sage who, having no office to repair, cultivates himself; the Great Image's 'rousing the people and nourishing virtue' is done here by example rather than by office.
- What does hexagram 18 become when line 6 changes?
- Corruption becomes hexagram 46, 升 Ascending: Wood growing within the earth: ascending. Supreme success; see the great man; a march to the south brings good fortune — growth by steady, unforced effort.
- Is line 6 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.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).