Line 1 Yin
Still the toes before a mistaken step. Early restraint needs lasting steadiness rather than a brief effort.
← The 64 hexagrams
HEXAGRAM 52 · Gèn
Stillness
Stopping in the right place keeps attention and action aligned with the task.
☶ Above: Gen · Mountain☶ Below: Gen · Mountain
Meaning
Mountain upon mountain portrays a stable pause. Stillness need not mean forced immobility: the commentary distinguishes the time to stop from the time to move.
FOR REFLECTION
Am I trying to control something beyond my present responsibility?
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
The calves are held, unable to rescue what they follow, and the heart is uneasy. Recognize the limits of your influence.
Line 3 Yang
Rigidly holding the waist seems to split the back and distress the heart. Stillness should not become harmful compulsion.
Line 4 Yin
Keeping one's own body still is blameless. Begin with your conduct rather than requiring everyone else to stop.
Line 5 Yin
Still the jaws so that words become ordered and trustworthy. A pause before speaking reduces regret.
Line 6 Yang
Deeply grounded stillness is favorable. Cultivate settled attention through depth rather than strained suppression.
References
Classical Zhouyi · 艮James Legge, The Yî King (1882), Sacred Books of the East XVI, hexagram 52
Editorial policy & bibliography →For reference and reflection. This commentary makes no certain claim about the future.