Hexagram 52 for love
Hexagram 52 Stillness (Mountain) in love and relationships
Gen is mountain over mountain, the youngest son doubled: two who stand side by side and do not interfere. The judgment pictures stilling the back, where one cannot see oneself, and walking through the courtyard without noticing the people in it — a bond so settled that self-consciousness drops away. For a relationship this is not coldness but rest: the Tuan says the upper and lower lines face each other without engaging, each in its own place. Its promise is only 'no blame', which is the I Ching's word for a situation that is sound.
The lines are the body's parts learning to stop. The toes stop before the first step; the calves stop, unhappy that they cannot correct the one they follow; the waist stops too rigidly and smoulders. The trunk stills the self; the jaws still the tongue so words come in order; the summit is generous stillness that holds. A changing line in the lower trigram usually means the stillness is a strain; one in the upper trigram means it is becoming a settled way of being together.
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
- Is hexagram 52, Stillness (Mountain), a good sign for love?
- Gen is mountain over mountain, the youngest son doubled: two who stand side by side and do not interfere. The judgment pictures stilling the back, where one cannot see oneself, and walking through the courtyard without noticing the people in it — a bond so settled that self-consciousness drops away. For a relationship this is not coldness but rest: the Tuan says the upper and lower lines face each other without engaging, each in its own place. Its promise is only 'no blame', which is the I Ching's word for a situation that is sound.
- 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).