Hexagram 32, line 1
初六Line 1 of Constancy
Six at the beginning · 恆 héng
爻辭 The line text
浚恆，貞凶，无攸利。The first line, divided, shows its subject deeply (desirous) of long continuance. Even with firm correctness there will be evil; there will be no advantage in any way.
浚恆之凶，始求深也。'The evil attached to the deep desire for long continuance (in the subject of the first line)' arises from the deep seeking for it at the commencement (of things).
In plain words
'Dredging for constancy: steadiness still brings misfortune, nothing is favourable.' 浚 is to deepen a channel by digging; the first line wants the depth of a long-established bond at the very moment the bond begins. It is yin at the bottom of Xun, the gentle trigram, and it corresponds to the strong fourth line above — the attraction is real, but demanding permanence from it now is asking a seed to be a tree. The small Image names the fault: 'seeking depth at the beginning' (始求深也). Cheng Yi reads it as the error of the eager inferior who expects from a superior the trust that only years can build.
If this line is changing
Do not ask for depth, promises or permanence at the start of something; let it be shallow for now and give the roots the time they need.
Where the line stands
- A broken line, yin — written 六 (six), the number of an old yin 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 lower trigram 巽 Xun (the Gentle) (wind).
- It corresponds (應) with line 4: one yin and one yang, the two lines answer each other across the hexagram.
之卦 When this line moves
恆 Constancy becomes ䷡ 34 大壯 Great Vigor
Thunder above heaven: great strength on the move. Favourable to persevere correctly — real power stays within the bounds of propriety; the ram that butts the hedge gets stuck.
What it becomes34 · 大壯 Great Vigordà zhuàngThe six lines of 恆 Constancy
- 初六Six at the beginningdigging too deep · too much too soon · the start
- 九二Nine in the second placeregret vanishes · long in the centre · steady despite the place
- 九三Nine in the third placeinconstant · shame follows · nowhere welcome
- 九四Nine in the fourth placeno game in the field · wrong place · persistence wasted
- 六五Six in the fifth placeconstant in virtue · to follow one · to decide for oneself
- 上六Six at the topagitated constancy · shaking at the top · no achievement
Read 恆 Constancy for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Six at the beginning of hexagram 32, Constancy, mean?
- 'Dredging for constancy: steadiness still brings misfortune, nothing is favourable.' 浚 is to deepen a channel by digging; the first line wants the depth of a long-established bond at the very moment the bond begins. It is yin at the bottom of Xun, the gentle trigram, and it corresponds to the strong fourth line above — the attraction is real, but demanding permanence from it now is asking a seed to be a tree. The small Image names the fault: 'seeking depth at the beginning' (始求深也). Cheng Yi reads it as the error of the eager inferior who expects from a superior the trust that only years can build.
- What does hexagram 32 become when line 1 changes?
- Constancy becomes hexagram 34, 大壯 Great Vigor: Thunder above heaven: great strength on the move. Favourable to persevere correctly — real power stays within the bounds of propriety; the ram that butts the hedge gets stuck.
- Is line 1 of Constancy 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).