Hexagram 18
KuWork on What Has Been Spoiled
Mountain (Gen) · Wind (Xun)
The image
The wind blows low on the mountain: The image of DECAY. Thus the superior man stirs up the people And strengthens their spirit.
This hexagram in one line
The Chinese character ku represents a bowl in whose contents worms are breeding. This means decay. It has come about because the gentle indifference of the lower trigram has come together with the rigid inertia of the upper, and the result is stagnation. Since this implies guilt, the conditions embody a demand for removal of the cause. Hence the meaning of the hexagram is not simply “what has been spoiled” but “work on what has been spoiled.”
Core Meaning
The core judgment of this hexagram.
Mountain contains valley streams
Hexagram Judgment
WORK ON WHAT HAS BEEN SPOILED Has supreme success. It furthers one to cross the great water. Before the starting point, three days. After the starting point, three days.
What has been spoiled through man's fault can be made good again through man's work. It is not immutable fate, as in the time of STANDSTILL, that has caused the state of corruption, but rather the abuse of human freedom. Work toward improving conditions promises well, because it accords with the possibilities of the time. We must not recoil from work and danger—symbolized by crossing of the great water—but must take hold energetically. Success depends, however, on proper deliberation. This is expressed by the lines, “Before the starting point, three days. After the starting point, three days.” We must first know the causes of corruption before we can do away with them; hence it is necessary to be cautious during the time before the start. Then we must see to it that the new way is safely entered upon, so that a relapse may be avoided; therefore we must pay attention to the time after the start. Decisiveness and energy must take the place of the inertia and indifference that have led to decay, in order that the ending may be followed by a new beginning.
Upper and Lower Trigrams
- Mountain (Gen)
- Mountain · Stillness
- Wind (Xun)
- Wind · Penetrating
Lines
What each of the six positions expresses.
Classics
Tuan CommentaryThe reasoning behind the judgment.
Work on What Has Been Spoiled means that the firm is above and the yielding below; gentle penetration and stillness combine, and thus decay can be dealt with. Work on what has been spoiled brings supreme success, and thereby the world is put in order. Three days before the beginning and three days after the beginning mean that an ending is followed by a new beginning. Such is the movement of heaven.
Work on What Has Been Spoiled represents the restoration of order. The firm ascends while the yielding descends, creating gentle upward movement. Through correcting past errors, the world is set right.
Great ImageThe image itself, read as a picture of the situation.
The wind blows low on the mountain: The image of DECAY. Thus the superior man stirs up the people And strengthens their spirit.
When the wind blows low on the mountain, it is thrown back and spoils the vegetation. This contains a challenge to improvement. It is the same with debasing attitudes and fashions; they corrupt human society. To do away with this corruption, the superior man must regenerate society. His methods likewise must be derived from the two trigrams, but in such a way that their effects unfold in orderly sequence. The superior man must first remove stagnation by stirring up public opinion, as the wind stirs everything, and must then strengthen and tranquillize the character of the people, as the mountain gives tranquility and nourishment to all that grows in its vicinity.
Further
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Frequently asked questions
What does Ku / Work on What Has Been Spoiled mean in the I Ching?
What has been spoiled through man's fault can be made good again through man's work. It is not immutable fate, as in the time of STANDSTILL, that has caused the...
How should I study Hexagram 18 on this page?
Start with the judgment and image, then read the line statements in sequence. Rigid adherence to tradition has resulted in decay. But the decay has not yet penetrated deeply and so can still be easily remedied. It is as if a son were compensating for the dec...
How can this hexagram be applied in a modern reading?
Work on What Has Been Spoiled represents the restoration of order. The firm ascends while the yielding descends, creating gentle upward movement. Through correcting past errors, the world is set right.
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Original text from the I Ching; translation based on Richard Wilhelm's German version.