Hexagram 48
ChingThe Well
Water (Kan) · Wind (Xun)
The image
Water over wood: the image of THE WELL. Thus the superior man encourages the people at their work, And exhorts them to help one another.
This hexagram in one line
Wood is below, water above. The wood goes down into the earth to bring up water. The image derives from the pole-and-bucket well of ancient China. The wood represents not the buckets, which in ancient times were made of clay, but rather the wooden poles by which the water is hauled up from the well. The image also refers to the world of plants, which lift water out of the earth by means of their fibers. The well from which water is drawn conveys the further idea of an inexhaustible dispensing of nourishment.
Core Meaning
The core judgment of this hexagram.
Well receives water
Hexagram Judgment
THE WELL. The town may be changed, But the well cannot be changed. It neither decreases nor increases. They come and go and draw from the well. If one gets down almost to the water And the rope does not go all the way, Or the jug breaks, it brings misfortune.
In ancient China the capital cities were sometimes moved, partly for the sake of more favorable location, partly because of a change in dynasties. The style of architecture changed in the course of centuries, but the shape of the well has remained the same from ancient times to this day. Thus the well is the symbol of that social structure which, evolved by mankind in meeting its most primitive needs, is independent of all political forms. Political structures change, as do nations, but the life of man with its needs remains eternally the same—this cannot be changed. Life is also inexhaustible. It grows neither less nor more; it exists for one and for all. The generations come and go, and all enjoy life in its inexhaustible abundance. However, there are two prerequisites for a satisfactory political or social organization of mankind. We must go down to the very foundations of life. For any merely superficial ordering of life that leaves its deepest needs unsatisfied is as ineffectual as if no attempt at order had ever been made. Carelessness—by which the jug is broken—is also disastrous. If for instance the military defense of a state is carried to such excess 412that it provokes wars by which the power of the state is annihilated, this is a breaking of the jug. This hexagram applies also to the individual. However men may differ in disposition and in education, the foundations of human nature are the same in everyone. And every human being can draw in the course of his education from the inexhaustible wellspring of the divine in man's nature. But here likewise two dangers threaten: a man may fail in his education to penetrate to the real roots of humanity and remain fixed in convention—a partial education of this sort is as bad as none—or he may suddenly collapse and neglect his self-development.
Upper and Lower Trigrams
- Water (Kan)
- Water · Abysmal
- Wind (Xun)
- Wind · Penetrating
Lines
What each of the six positions expresses.
Classics
Tuan CommentaryThe reasoning behind the judgment.
The well gives rise to water that is drawn upward. The well nourishes inexhaustibly. The city may be changed, but the well cannot be changed, because the hard is in the middle. If the well has fallen in, it is not used: this means no achievement. If the pitcher is broken, this brings misfortune.
Wood goes down into the water and lifts the water upward: this is the Well. The well nourishes and does not run dry. The town may be changed, but the well may not be changed because firmness is in the middle. If one almost reaches the water but has not yet lowered the rope into the well, there is as yet no achievement. If the vessel breaks, there is misfortune.
Great ImageThe image itself, read as a picture of the situation.
Water over wood: the image of THE WELL. Thus the superior man encourages the people at their work, And exhorts them to help one another.
The trigram Sun, wood, is below, and the trigram K'an, water, is above it. Wood sucks water upward. Just as wood as an organism imitates the action of the well, which benefits all parts of the plant, the superior man organizes human society, so that, as in a plant organism, its parts co-operate for the benefit of the whole.
Further
Related hexagrams
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Frequently asked questions
What does Ching / The Well mean in the I Ching?
In ancient China the capital cities were sometimes moved, partly for the sake of more favorable location, partly because of a change in dynasties. The style of...
How should I study Hexagram 48 on this page?
Start with the judgment and image, then read the line statements in sequence. If a man wanders around in swampy lowlands, his life is submerged in mud. Such a man loses all significance for mankind. He who throws himself away is no longer sought out by other...
How can this hexagram be applied in a modern reading?
Wood goes down into the water and lifts the water upward: this is the Well. The well nourishes and does not run dry. The town may be changed, but the well may not be changed because firmness is in the middle. If one almo...
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Original text from the I Ching; translation based on Richard Wilhelm's German version.