Hexagram 53 of 64
渐 jiàn
Gradual Progress
巽 (xùn, Wind) above · 艮 (gèn, Mountain) below
The Judgment 卦辞
The wild goose advances step by step — from the shore to the cliff to the plateau. What develops gradually endures; skip stages and you risk the bare tree.
The Image 大象
Wind on the mountain: gradual progress. The wise person lives in dignity and improves the customs.
The six lines 爻辞
Each line of 渐 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
The goose advances to the shore — the young face danger, criticism flies. No real blame.
「鸿渐于干，小子厉，有言，无咎」
Line 2 · 六二
The goose reaches the flat rock — eating and drinking in peace. Good fortune.
「鸿渐于磐，饮食衎衎，吉」
Line 3 · 九三
The goose on dry land — the husband marches off, the pregnancy fails. Better to defend than pursue.
「鸿渐于陆，夫征不复，妇孕不育，凶；利御寇」
Line 4 · 六四
The goose alights in the tree, finding a level branch. An awkward perch that holds — no blame.
「鸿渐于木，或得其桷，无咎」
Line 5 · 九五
The goose on the plateau — three years barren, yet nothing defeats them. Good fortune in the end.
「鸿渐于陵，妇三岁不孕，终莫之胜，吉」
Line 6 · 上九
The goose's flight ordered like ritual — its very feathers serve as ceremony. Good fortune.
「鸿渐于陆，其羽可用为仪，吉」
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: 巽 (Wind) above — gentle penetration — gradual influence, flexibility, patience — over 艮 (Mountain) below — keeping still — restraint, meditation, knowing when to stop. Where those two energies meet, 渐 is born.
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