Hexagram 2 of 64
坤 kūn
Earth · The Receptive
坤 (kūn, Earth) above · 坤 (kūn, Earth) below
The Judgment 卦辞
Pure receptivity. This is not the moment to lead but to yield, support and carry. Follow a clear direction rather than setting one; devotion brings success.
The Image 大象
Earth above earth: capacity doubled. The wise person carries all things with generous virtue, supporting others without claiming the front.
The six lines 爻辞
Each line of 坤 has its own classical text. If a line in your cast is changing, its text is the heart of your reading.
Line 1 · 初六
Frost underfoot: solid ice is coming. Small signs now reveal what hardens later.
「履霜，坚冰至」
Line 2 · 六二
Straight, square, great. Without striving, everything favors you — just be yourself fully.
「直方大，不习无不利」
Line 3 · 六三
Hold your brilliance inward. Perfect your work in silence; the right time to show it will come.
「含章可贞」
Line 4 · 六四
Tie the sack shut. Say nothing, commit to nothing — no blame, but no praise either.
「括囊，无咎无誉」
Line 5 · 六五
A yellow garment — modest splendor in a low position. Supreme good fortune.
「黄裳，元吉」
Line 6 · 上六
Dragons fight in the wild; their blood runs dark. Push the yielding to its limit and conflict erupts.
「龙战于野，其血玄黄」
If you drew this in a reading
A favorable pattern. Among the sixty-four patterns, this one belongs to the favorable family: its core movement supports what you would do with it. Favorable does not mean automatic — the hexagram still asks you to hold up your end with steadiness and good faith.
In yes/no questions this hexagram leans yes — the pattern supports proceeding.
The trigrams give the flavor: 坤 (Earth) above — receptive devotion — nourishment, patience, carrying others — over 坤 (Earth) below — receptive devotion — nourishment, patience, carrying others. Where those two energies meet, 坤 is born.
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