Hexagram 52 as yes or no
Hexagram 52 Stillness (Mountain) as a yes-or-no answer
As an answer to 'should I act?' Gen says stop — but it says it with the Tuan's qualification that stopping and moving each have their time, and that the way is bright only when both happen when they should. The judgment's 'no blame' means that stillness here is sound; what the hexagram does not offer is the energy to begin something, since both trigrams are mountains. The honest reading of a yes-or-no question is usually 'not now', with the reasons in the lines.
A changing line in the lower trigram shows a stop under strain: at one it is easy and must be kept; at two you are right and unheard, and should still wait; at three the stop is damaging and the thing you have frozen should be released, which is the one case where 'move' is the answer. In the upper trigram the stop is maturing: four says settle yourself first, five says the only action is well-ordered speech, and six says the matter has come to a good rest and should be left there.
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
- Does hexagram 52, Stillness (Mountain), mean yes or no?
- As an answer to 'should I act?' Gen says stop — but it says it with the Tuan's qualification that stopping and moving each have their time, and that the way is bright only when both happen when they should. The judgment's 'no blame' means that stillness here is sound; what the hexagram does not offer is the energy to begin something, since both trigrams are mountains. The honest reading of a yes-or-no question is usually 'not now', with the reasons in the lines.
- 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).