Hexagram 52 for work
Hexagram 52 Stillness (Mountain) for work and career
At work Gen is the hexagram of knowing where to stop: the project that should not be pushed further, the argument that should not be reopened, the role whose limits are its strength. The Great Image says the superior person 'does not let his thoughts go beyond his position' — not timidity, but attending to one's own charge. The Tuan adds the balance: stop when it is time to stop, move when it is time to move.
The lines show stillness applied well and badly. One and four are correct stops, before the first step and of the whole self. Two is the subordinate who is right and unheard, and should keep still rather than act on frustration. Three freezes the one thing that must stay flexible and is consumed by the strain. Five is leadership by ordered speech; the top line is settled authority that no longer needs to push. A changing line in the lower trigram asks whether your stillness is wise or merely rigid; one in the upper trigram asks whether the stop lets you speak and lead well.
The hexagram in brief
Mountain upon mountain: keeping still. Still the back so the self is not felt, walk in the courtyard without seeing the people — rest at the right time, move at the right time.
Stop when stopping is right; quiet the body and the restless mind, and don't overstep your place.
The judgment
艮其背，不獲其身，行其庭，不見其人，无咎。When one's resting is like that of the back, and he loses all consciousness of self; when he walks in his courtyard, and does not see any (of the persons) in it,—there will be no error.
Which line changed?
A changing line sharpens the answer. Each line of 艮 Stillness (Mountain) has its own page:
- 初六Six at the beginningstill toes · before moving · lasting firmness
- 六二Six in the second placestill calves · cannot rescue · unheard
- 九三Nine in the third placethe loins · rigid stop · scorched heart
- 六四Six in the fourth placethe trunk · self-contained · no blame
- 六五Six in the fifth placethe jaws · ordered speech · regret gone
- 上九Nine at the topgenerous stillness · the summit · a good end
The same hexagram for
Questions
- What does hexagram 52, Stillness (Mountain), mean for a career question?
- At work Gen is the hexagram of knowing where to stop: the project that should not be pushed further, the argument that should not be reopened, the role whose limits are its strength. The Great Image says the superior person 'does not let his thoughts go beyond his position' — not timidity, but attending to one's own charge. The Tuan adds the balance: stop when it is time to stop, move when it is time to move.
- What does Hexagram 52, 艮 Stillness (Mountain), mean?
- Mountain upon mountain: keeping still. Still the back so the self is not felt, walk in the courtyard without seeing the people — rest at the right time, move at the right time.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).