Hexagram 60, line 2
九二Line 2 of Measure
Nine in the second place · 節 jié
爻辭 The line text
不出門庭，凶。The second line, undivided, shows its subject not quitting the courtyard inside his gate. There will be evil.
不出門庭，失時極也。'He does not quit the courtyard inside his gate. There will be evil:'—he loses the time (for action) to an extreme degree.
In plain words
Line two repeats the first line's image with one word changed — it 'does not go out of the gate and courtyard' — and reverses the verdict to evil. The difference is in what lies above: line three is yin, so the way out is now open, and a strong central line that still stays inside is applying yesterday's limit to today's situation. The commentators read it as a central line in a yin place, firm enough to act but drawn by its position toward caution. The small Image is severe: it 'loses the time to the utmost' (失時極). Measure means knowing when to stop and equally when to go.
If this line is changing
The obstruction that justified waiting is gone; if you keep holding back out of habit, you will miss the opening entirely.
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 兌 Dui (the Joyous) (lake).
- 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
節 Measure becomes ䷂ 3 屯 Sprouting
Thunder under water: a sprout pushing through hard ground. Beginnings are chaotic and effortful; the growth is real, but it needs order and helpers.
What it becomes3 · 屯 SproutingzhūnThe 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 in the second place of hexagram 60, Measure, mean?
- Line two repeats the first line's image with one word changed — it 'does not go out of the gate and courtyard' — and reverses the verdict to evil. The difference is in what lies above: line three is yin, so the way out is now open, and a strong central line that still stays inside is applying yesterday's limit to today's situation. The commentators read it as a central line in a yin place, firm enough to act but drawn by its position toward caution. The small Image is severe: it 'loses the time to the utmost' (失時極). Measure means knowing when to stop and equally when to go.
- What does hexagram 60 become when line 2 changes?
- Measure becomes hexagram 3, 屯 Sprouting: Thunder under water: a sprout pushing through hard ground. Beginnings are chaotic and effortful; the growth is real, but it needs order and helpers.
- Is line 2 of Measure 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).