Hexagram 60, line 1
初九Line 1 of Measure
Nine at the beginning · 節 jié
爻辭 The line text
不出戶庭，无咎。The first line, undivided, shows its subject not quitting the courtyard outside his door. There will be no error.
不出戶庭，知通塞也。'He does not quit the courtyard outside his door:'—he knows when he has free course and when he is obstructed.
In plain words
The first line is a strong line in a strong place at the bottom of the lake, and its measure is to 'not go out of the door and courtyard'. Directly above it stands another strong line, nine in the second place, so the way out is blocked; the right limit here is to recognise the obstruction and stay inside. The text says no blame, which is the verdict for someone who has done exactly as much as the moment allows. The small Image makes the point explicit: this line 'knows what is open and what is shut' (知通塞). Limitation at the start is not timidity but a correct reading of the exits.
If this line is changing
The way ahead is blocked for now, and knowing that is the whole skill; stay within your own walls and do not mistake restraint for failure.
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 belongs to the lower trigram 兌 Dui (the Joyous) (lake).
- It corresponds (應) with line 4: one yin and one yang, the two lines answer each other across the hexagram.
之卦 When this line moves
節 Measure becomes ䷜ 29 坎 The Pit (Water)
Water upon water: repeated danger. With sincerity the heart gets through — flow like water, filling each hollow and moving on without losing your nature.
What it becomes29 · 坎 The Pit (Water)kǎnThe six lines of 節 Measure
- 初九Nine at the beginningstaying in · knowing when blocked · no blame
- 九二Nine in the second placemissing the moment · staying in too long · evil
- 六三Six in the third placeno measure · lament · no one else to blame
- 六四Six in the fourth placemeasure at ease · accepting the way above · success
- 九五Nine in the fifth placesweet measure · the centre · going on is honoured
- 上六Six at the topbitter measure · the way exhausted · regret passes
Read 節 Measure for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Nine at the beginning of hexagram 60, Measure, mean?
- The first line is a strong line in a strong place at the bottom of the lake, and its measure is to 'not go out of the door and courtyard'. Directly above it stands another strong line, nine in the second place, so the way out is blocked; the right limit here is to recognise the obstruction and stay inside. The text says no blame, which is the verdict for someone who has done exactly as much as the moment allows. The small Image makes the point explicit: this line 'knows what is open and what is shut' (知通塞). Limitation at the start is not timidity but a correct reading of the exits.
- What does hexagram 60 become when line 1 changes?
- Measure becomes hexagram 29, 坎 The Pit (Water): Water upon water: repeated danger. With sincerity the heart gets through — flow like water, filling each hollow and moving on without losing your nature.
- Is line 1 of Measure 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.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).