易I Ching Notes
33

遯

Dùn · Retreat

Leaving at the right time is a move, not a loss.

Read the judgment

Six lines, read from the bottom up.

Upper 乾 Heaven · Lower 艮 Mountain Tap a line to read it

The judgment

遯:亨,小利貞。

Retreat succeeds. It is favorable to stay true in small matters: withdrawing well is its own skill.

Received text; plain English after the Chinese. Source: 周易經傳 (public-domain). Passage: hex33.judgment.

The image

象曰:天下有山,遁。君子以遠小人,不惡而嚴。

Mountain under heaven: retreat. A capable person keeps distance from petty people without hating them, and stays firm.

Received text; plain English after the Chinese. Source: 周易經傳 (public-domain). Passage: hex33.image.

Leaving at the right time is a move, not a loss.

The six lines

Each line is a stage, from the bottom of the hexagram to the top. Open any line to read it in plain English.

初六 遯尾,厲,勿用有攸往。 Retreating at the tail, last in line. Dangerous; do not try to go anywhere now.

Retreating at the tail, last in line. Dangerous; do not try to go anywhere now.

六二 執之用黃牛之革,莫之勝說。 Held with the hide of a yellow cow: nothing can pull it loose. The bond is firm; do not try to break it.

Held with the hide of a yellow cow: nothing can pull it loose. The bond is firm; do not try to break it.

九三 系遯,有疾厲,畜臣妾吉。 Tied down while retreating: illness and danger. Keeping close servants is lucky, but the big move is blocked.

Tied down while retreating: illness and danger. Keeping close servants is lucky, but the big move is blocked.

九四 好遯君子吉,小人否。 A graceful retreat: lucky for a capable person, not for a petty one. Letting go well is a skill.

A graceful retreat: lucky for a capable person, not for a petty one. Letting go well is a skill.

九五 嘉遯,貞吉。 A praiseworthy retreat. Stay true and it is lucky: you leave with your name intact.

A praiseworthy retreat. Stay true and it is lucky: you leave with your name intact.

上九 肥遯,無不利。 A comfortable retreat. Nothing unfavorable: distance gives you room to live.

A comfortable retreat. Nothing unfavorable: distance gives you room to live.

Cast six lines

Hold one question in mind. Throw three coins, six times, from the bottom line up.