Hexagram 2, line 2
六二Line 2 of Earth
Six in the second place · 坤 kūn
爻辭 The line text
直，方，大，不習无不利。The second line, divided, (shows the attribute of) being straight, square, and great. (Its operation), without repeated efforts, will be in every respect advantageous.
六二之動，直以方也。不習无不利，地道光也。The movement indicated by the second line, divided, is 'from the straight (line) to the square.' '(Its operation), without repeated effort, in every way advantageous,' shows the brilliant result of the way of earth.
In plain words
'Straight, square, great: without practice, nothing is not favourable.' Line two is the ruler of Kun — yin in a yin place, central in the lower trigram, correct and central at once, the exact mirror of the fifth line of Qian. The three adjectives are the earth's own qualities: it goes straight, lies square, and holds everything. The small Image says the line's movement is 'straight and square', and that acting without rehearsal succeeds because 'the way of earth shines' (地道光也). Zhu Xi reads 不習 as acting without contrivance: someone whose nature is honest and even does not need to study how to be, and succeeds by simply being what they are.
If this line is changing
Do not over-prepare or strategise; act plainly and squarely from what you are, and the situation will meet you on those terms.
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 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 坤 Kun (the Receptive) (earth).
- It has no correspondence (無應) with line 5: both lines are yin, so this line must find its support in its neighbours or in itself.
之卦 When this line moves
坤 Earth becomes ䷆ 7 師 Troops
Water held within the earth: an army, a disciplined multitude. Success needs a seasoned, upright leader and strict order; force is justified only for a right cause.
What it becomes7 · 師 TroopsshīThe six lines of 坤 Earth
- 初六Six at the beginningtreading on frost · hard ice · small beginnings
- 六二Six in the second placestraight, square, great · without practice · the way of earth
- 六三Six in the third placehidden brilliance · serving without credit · a proper end
- 六四Six in the fourth placetied sack · no blame, no praise · caution
- 六五Six in the fifth placeyellow lower garment · great good fortune · culture at the centre
- 上六Six at the topdragons fight · in the open · yin exhausted
Read 坤 Earth for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Six in the second place of hexagram 2, Earth, mean?
- 'Straight, square, great: without practice, nothing is not favourable.' Line two is the ruler of Kun — yin in a yin place, central in the lower trigram, correct and central at once, the exact mirror of the fifth line of Qian. The three adjectives are the earth's own qualities: it goes straight, lies square, and holds everything. The small Image says the line's movement is 'straight and square', and that acting without rehearsal succeeds because 'the way of earth shines' (地道光也). Zhu Xi reads 不習 as acting without contrivance: someone whose nature is honest and even does not need to study how to be, and succeeds by simply being what they are.
- What does hexagram 2 become when line 2 changes?
- Earth becomes hexagram 7, 師 Troops: Water held within the earth: an army, a disciplined multitude. Success needs a seasoned, upright leader and strict order; force is justified only for a right cause.
- Is line 2 of Earth 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. 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).