Is line 5 of Confinement 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.

Hexagram 47, line 5

九五Line 5 of Confinement

Nine in the fifth place · 困 kùn

nose and feet cutconfined by the crimson sashslowly released

爻辭 The line text

劓刖，困于赤紱，乃徐有說，利用祭祀。

The fifth line, undivided, shows its subject with his nose and feet cut off. He is straitened by (his ministers in their) scarlet aprons. He is leisurely in his movements, however, and is satisfied. It will be well for him to be (as sincere) as in sacrificing (to spiritual beings).

Its symbolism

劓刖，志未得也。乃徐有說，以中直也。利用祭祀，受福也。

'His nose and feet are cut off:'—his aim has not yet been gained. 'He is leisurely, however, in his movements, and is satisfied:'—his position is central and (his virtue) is correct. 'It will be well for him to be (as sincere as) in sacrificing:'—so shall he receive blessing.

In plain words

The ruler of Kun: 'nose and feet cut off; confined by the crimson knee-sash; slowly there is release; favourable to use for sacrifice' (劓刖，困於赤紱，乃徐有說，利用祭祀). Yang in the central, correct place of Dui, this is the leader who is wounded from above (the nose, cut by the yin at the top) and below (the feet, by the yin at three), and confined by his own officials — the crimson sash is the badge of ministers. The small Image follows the text phrase by phrase: the aim is not yet achieved (志未得也); release comes slowly because the line is central and upright (以中直也); sacrifice brings blessing (受福也). A ruler hemmed in by his own court finds the way out through patience and sincerity rather than through force.

If this line is changing

Those who should be supporting you are the ones hemming you in, and the hurt is real; do not break out by force — hold your centre, stay sincere, and the loosening will come gradually.

Where the line stands

A solid line, yang — written 九 (nine), the number of an old yang 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 upper trigram 兌 Dui (the Joyous) (lake).
It has no correspondence (無應) with line 2: both lines are yang, so this line must find its support in its neighbours or in itself.

之卦 When this line moves

困 Confinement becomes ䷧ 40 解 Release

Thunder and rain: the storm breaks and tension dissolves. Favourable to the southwest; if there is nowhere to go, returning brings good fortune; if there is, act early.

What it becomes40 · 解 Releasexiè

The six lines of 困 Confinement

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Love and relationships Work and career A yes-or-no decision

Questions about this line

What does Nine in the fifth place of hexagram 47, Confinement, mean?: The ruler of Kun: 'nose and feet cut off; confined by the crimson knee-sash; slowly there is release; favourable to use for sacrifice' (劓刖，困於赤紱，乃徐有說，利用祭祀). Yang in the central, correct place of Dui, this is the leader who is wounded from above (the nose, cut by the yin at the top) and below (the feet, by the yin at three), and confined by his own officials — the crimson sash is the badge of ministers. The small Image follows the text phrase by phrase: the aim is not yet achieved (志未得也); release comes slowly because the line is central and upright (以中直也); sacrifice brings blessing (受福也). A ruler hemmed in by his own court finds the way out through patience and sincerity rather than through force.
What does hexagram 47 become when line 5 changes?: Confinement becomes hexagram 40, 解 Release: Thunder and rain: the storm breaks and tension dissolves. Favourable to the southwest; if there is nowhere to go, returning brings good fortune; if there is, act early.
Is line 5 of Confinement 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.

Cast a reading Hexagram 47 in full Changing lines explained

Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).