Line 1 Yin
A muddy well cannot be drunk from; an abandoned well draws no birds. Restore the source before expecting useful service.
← The 64 hexagrams
HEXAGRAM 48 · Jǐng
The Well
A shared source of nourishment must be maintained and made accessible.
☵ Above: Kan · Water☴ Below: Xun · Wind
Meaning
The settlement may change while the well remains. Lasting service requires more than good water: the rope must reach, the vessel must hold, and the source must be used.
FOR REFLECTION
Which essential resource is being neglected or failing to reach those who need it?
The six lines
Read from line 1 at the bottom to line 6 at the top. These are paraphrases, not verbatim translations.
Line 2 Yang
Water serves only small fish below, while the jar leaks. The resource exists, but access and containment fail.
Line 3 Yang
The well is clean but unused, causing sorrow. Clear-sighted leadership can put its good water to shared use.
Line 4 Yin
Lining the well is blameless. Quiet maintenance is necessary for dependable nourishment.
Line 5 Yang
The well is clear, its cool spring drunk. Quality fulfills its purpose when people can actually use it.
Line 6 Yin
The well is ready; do not cover it. Keep the shared source open and trustworthy.
References
Classical Zhouyi · 井James Legge, The Yî King (1882), Sacred Books of the East XVI, hexagram 48
Editorial policy & bibliography →For reference and reflection. This commentary makes no certain claim about the future.