Line 1 Yang
Return by your own proper path; an early correction need not bring blame.
← The 64 hexagrams
HEXAGRAM 09 · Xiǎo Xù
Small Restraint
Small forces gather; gentle influence takes patience.
☴ Above: Xun · Wind☰ Below: Qian · Heaven
Meaning
Wind crosses heaven; dense clouds have not brought rain. Attend to what can be shaped, maintain trustworthy ties, and allow influence to accumulate.
FOR REFLECTION
Which small adjustment would help more than trying to change everything?
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
Drawn back together, accept help in recovering a sound direction.
Line 3 Yang
The carriage loses its axle fastening, partners quarrel: effort lacks agreement.
Line 4 Yin
Sincerity lets bloodshed and fear recede; trust reduces the threat of injury.
Line 5 Yang
Trust binds the neighbors; resources are held in a shared prosperity.
Line 6 Yang
Rain has fallen and the moon nears fullness: accumulated strength now needs restraint.
References
Classical Zhouyi · 小畜James Legge, The Yî King (1882), Sacred Books of the East XVI, hexagram 9
Editorial policy & bibliography →For reference and reflection. This commentary makes no certain claim about the future.