Hexagram 59
HuanDispersion
Wind (Xun) · Water (Kan)
The image
The wind drives over the water: The image of DISPERSION. Thus the kings of old sacrificed to the Lord And built temples.
This hexagram in one line
Wind blowing over water disperses it, dissolving it into foam and mist. This suggests that when a man's vital energy is dammed up within him (indicated as a danger by the attribute of the lower trigram), gentleness serves to break up and dissolve the blockage.
Core Meaning
The core judgment of this hexagram.
Wind moves across water
Hexagram Judgment
DISPERSION. Success. The king approaches his temple. It furthers one to cross the great water. Perseverance furthers.
The text of this hexagram resembles that of Ts'ui, GATHERING TOGETHER (45). In the latter, the subject is the bringing together of elements that have been separated, as water collects in lakes upon the earth. Here the subject is the dispersing and 482dissolving of divisive egotism. DISPERSION shows the way, so to speak, that leads to gathering together. This explains the similarity of the two texts. Religious forces are needed to overcome the egotism that divides men. The common celebration of the great sacrificial feasts and sacred rites, which gave expression simultaneously to the interrelation and social articulation of family and state, was the means employed by the great rulers to unite men. The sacred music and the splendor of the ceremonies aroused a strong tide of emotion that was shared by all hearts in unison, and that awakened a consciousness of the common origin of all creatures. In this way disunity was overcome and rigidity dissolved. A further means to the same end is co-operation in great general undertakings that set a high goal for the will of the people; in the common concentration on this goal, all barriers dissolve, just as, when a boat is crossing a great stream, all hands must unite in a joint task. But only a man who is himself free of all selfish ulterior considerations, and who perseveres in justice and steadfastness, is capable of so dissolving the hardness of egotism.
Upper and Lower Trigrams
- Wind (Xun)
- Wind · Penetrating
- Water (Kan)
- Water · Abysmal
Lines
What each of the six positions expresses.
Classics
Tuan CommentaryThe reasoning behind the judgment.
Dispersion means success. The hard comes and does not exhaust itself. The yielding attains the place without and goes upward in accordance with the hard. The king approaches his temple: the king is in the middle. It furthers to cross the great water: riding on wood brings success.
Dispersion means success. The hard comes and is not exhausted; the yielding gains its place outside and goes upward in union with the hard. The king approaches his temple because he stands at the center. Crossing the great river brings merit because one rides on wood.
Great ImageThe image itself, read as a picture of the situation.
The wind drives over the water: The image of DISPERSION. Thus the kings of old sacrificed to the Lord And built temples.
In the autumn and winter, water begins to freeze into ice. When the warm breezes of spring come, the rigidity is dissolved, and the elements that have been dispersed in ice floes are reunited. It is the same with the minds of the people. Through hardness and selfishness the heart grows rigid, and this rigidity leads to separation from all others. Egotism and cupidity isolate men. Therefore the hearts of men must be seized by a devout emotion. They must be shaken by a religious awe in face of eternity—stirred with an intuition of the One Creator of all living beings, and united through the strong feeling of fellowship experienced in the ritual of divine worship.
Further
Related hexagrams
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Frequently asked questions
What does Huan / Dispersion mean in the I Ching?
The text of this hexagram resembles that of Ts'ui, GATHERING TOGETHER (45). In the latter, the subject is the bringing together of elements that have been separ...
How should I study Hexagram 59 on this page?
Start with the judgment and image, then read the line statements in sequence. It is important that disunion should be overcome at the outset, before it has become complete—that the clouds should be dispersed before they have brought storm and rain. At such t...
How can this hexagram be applied in a modern reading?
Dispersion means success. The hard comes and is not exhausted; the yielding gains its place outside and goes upward in union with the hard. The king approaches his temple because he stands at the center. Crossing the gre...
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Original text from the I Ching; translation based on Richard Wilhelm's German version.