Hexagram 48, line 2
九二Line 2 of Well
Nine in the second place · 井 jǐng
爻辭 The line text
井谷射鮒，瓮敝漏。The second line, undivided, shows a well from which by a hole the water escapes and flows away to the shrimps (and such small creatures among the grass), or one the water of which leaks away from a broken basket.
井谷射鮒，无與也。'A well from which by a hole the water escapes, and flows away to the shrimps:'—(the subject of this second line has) none co-operating with him (above).
In plain words
Line two is 'a well whose side-hole drains to the minnows; a jar, cracked and leaking' (井谷射鮒，甕敝漏). This is a strong line in the central place of Xun — there is good water here — but it escapes sideways through a fissure, feeding small fish instead of people, and the vessel that should lift it is broken. The small Image names the reason: it has no one to work with (無與也). Line five, its would-be correlate, is also yang, so there is no answering line above to draw the water up. Ability without a partner or a channel runs off downhill and nourishes only what is small.
If this line is changing
Your resources are real but they are leaking into small things because no one above you is drawing on them; find the partner or the channel before more runs off.
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 has no correspondence (無應) with line 5: both lines are yang, so this line must find its support in its neighbours or in itself.
之卦 When this line moves
井 Well becomes ䷦ 39 蹇 Impasse
Water on the mountain: a hard pass. Favourable to the southwest, not the northeast; see the great man — obstruction is a time to turn back and cultivate yourself.
What it becomes39 · 蹇 ImpassejiǎnThe six lines of 井 Well
- 初六Six at the beginningmuddy well · no one drinks · abandoned by time
- 九二Nine in the second placewater leaking to the minnows · a cracked jar · no one above to help
- 九三Nine in the third placecleared but not drunk · a grief · if the king were clear-sighted
- 六四Six in the fourth placelining the well · repair · no blame
- 九五Nine in the fifth placeclear well · cold spring · freely drunk
- 上六Six at the topdrawn to the top · do not cover it · sincerity, great fortune
Read 井 Well for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Nine in the second place of hexagram 48, Well, mean?
- Line two is 'a well whose side-hole drains to the minnows; a jar, cracked and leaking' (井谷射鮒，甕敝漏). This is a strong line in the central place of Xun — there is good water here — but it escapes sideways through a fissure, feeding small fish instead of people, and the vessel that should lift it is broken. The small Image names the reason: it has no one to work with (無與也). Line five, its would-be correlate, is also yang, so there is no answering line above to draw the water up. Ability without a partner or a channel runs off downhill and nourishes only what is small.
- What does hexagram 48 become when line 2 changes?
- Well becomes hexagram 39, 蹇 Impasse: Water on the mountain: a hard pass. Favourable to the southwest, not the northeast; see the great man — obstruction is a time to turn back and cultivate yourself.
- Is line 2 of Well 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).