Line 1 Yang
Movement circles in place; hold a sound position and establish helpers.
← The 64 hexagrams
HEXAGRAM 03 · Zhūn
Difficulty at the Beginning
A tangled beginning calls for allies and organization.
☵ Above: Kan · Water☳ Below: Zhen · Thunder
Meaning
Thunder stirs beneath rain clouds: new life meets resistance. Establish support, assign responsibilities, and recognize what is not yet ready.
FOR REFLECTION
Are you missing resources, guidance, or an order in which to begin?
The six lines
Read from line 1 at the bottom to line 6 at the top. These are paraphrases, not verbatim translations.
Line 2 Yin
Horses hesitate; the approaching suitor is no raider, but commitment takes time.
Line 3 Yin
Chasing deer into a forest without a guide: abandon a pursuit without direction.
Line 4 Yin
The horses still hesitate; seek a fitting partnership and move together.
Line 5 Yang
Benefits cannot yet spread: secure small matters before undertaking large ones.
Line 6 Yin
Horses keep circling, tears like blood: prolonged paralysis drains the spirit.
References
Classical Zhouyi · 屯James Legge, The Yî King (1882), Sacred Books of the East XVI, hexagram 3
Editorial policy & bibliography →For reference and reflection. This commentary makes no certain claim about the future.