#39 蹇 Lame – Move Rightly on Your Strength

 #39 蹇 Lame – Move Rightly on Your Strength 

 蹇      水山蹇         坎上艮下

This hexagram has a Water trigram on top of a Mountain trigram signifying obstruction of deep water and a tall mountain. 蹇 (Jian) means in Chinese is lame or difficult to move. The water trigram represents danger and the Mountain Trigram represents obstruction and stopping. The teaching of this hexagram is about overcoming difficulties or problems with righteousness, caution, strength, timing, and direction.

Description:

1. 利西南: beneficial for moving southwest
2. 不利东北: not beneficial to move northeast
3. 利见大人: meeting people with power and influence is beneficial
4. 贞吉: perseverance in righteousness is good fortune.

Textual Commentary:

彖曰：蹇，难也，险在前也。  见险而能止，知矣哉！ 蹇利西南， 往得中也； 不利东北，其道穷也。  利见大人，往有功也。 当位贞吉，以正邦也。  蹇之时用大矣哉！

‘蹇 Lame’ means difficulty. There is danger in front. Seeing danger and could stop is wise. Beneficial to move southwest because it is the central path (meaning the fair and right way). It is not beneficial to move North East because there is no way through (meaning it is evil). It is beneficial to meet men of power and influence. Moving forward then will have rewards. Standing in the right position is truly a blessing (will bring fortune). Using righteousness to rule the country is right. The proper use of such teachings at the right time is great.

(In ancient times, the king would sit with his face facing south and his back facing north. Going northwards is moving against the king and it is better to move southward, the direction with less resistance. In application, it is not about the north or south but picking the direction with the least force of resistance).

Pictorial Commentary: 象曰：山上有水，蹇；君子以反身修德

There is water on the mountain top means 蹇 lame or difficult. Wise men reflect on their lives and consider others to build character.

Moral Teachings:

1. Be watchful and alert in life. When meeting difficulties or danger, pause to reflect.
2. Find the right way out. Stick to doing good and righteous things. The way that points South-West (Find the direction of least resistance and way of safety).
3. Don’t follow the path of evil. Don’t take a shortcut and bend the rules. The way of evil, signified by North East, is not a real through road. It is a trap.
4. Always best to seek advice from the wise. Follow their advice which will lead to success.
5. Don’t be in a hurry to move and gain all the time. Spend the time to reflect. Consider the interests of others. That is the way to build character and long-lasting success.

Stage 1 Begin Six: Going forward meets Difficulty. Coming back bring praises. 初六：往蹇，来誉。
The pictorial commentary explains that coming back is praiseworthy because it is waiting for the right time.  象曰：往蹇来誉，宜待也。

When we meet difficulties in moving forward, it is not always right to take lots of action to move forward. The timing could be critical. Just waiting for the right time is much better than struggling without success but just wasting resources. There are things within and there are things beyond our control. For those things beyond us, we just have to follow the market, watch the development, and wait for the right time.

Stage 2 Second Six: The King and his officers are trapped in Difficulty (No progress). That is because they are concerned with the interests of others. (There are many interacting factors beyond their control. Literally, not doing first hand or lack of first-hand knowledge. It takes time to figure things up.). 六二：王臣蹇蹇，匪躬之故。
The pictorial commentary explains that despite the Difficulty, the problems are eventually solved without any bad effects    象曰：王臣蹇蹇，终无尤也。

The difficulty is bigger. It concerns the whole country and involves the Kings and their men. But the way out is about thinking for the interests of the community and not being self-centered.

Stage 3 Third Nine: Going meets Difficulty and hence returns. 九三：往蹇来反。
The pictorial commentary explains that the return is for inner joy and celebration. 象曰：往蹇来反，内喜之也。

While progress is what we all seek. It is good to remember to take time for celebration especially when we meet difficulty in going forward. If the difficulty is beyond our abilities, it is better to just return and celebrate the progress and achievement we have made thus far. It boosts our morale and picks up additional learning to work out the plan for future movement so that we will be ready to move when the time is ripe.

Stage 4 Fourth Six: Going forward meets Difficulty. Return brings union. 六四：往蹇来连。
The pictorial commentary further adds the union is due to a strong and right position. 象曰：往蹇来连，当位实也。

When there is no strong and righteous union as a foundation, moving forward will be difficult. It is better to return to strengthen the unity. Unity is not built on uniformity but on differences. It is about developing a worthwhile mission that could be shared, putting the right talents at the right positions(jobs), and building a strong cohesive relationship on trust. See I-Ching Part 41 38睽 Separation – Synergy of Differences for the details.

Stage 5 Fifth Nine: Great difficulty but friends come to help. 九五：大蹇朋来。
The pictorial commentary explains friends come to help because of proven righteous character and discipline. 象曰：大蹇朋来，以中节也。

When we have the right mission and we have proven track records for our characters, then people will come to join us and support our mission, even though the mission is a difficult one. With today’s internet connection, we can see many worthwhile missions are quickly supported by people with the right talents. Visit ted.com and search for the presentation on helping the poor and protecting the environment.

Stage 6 Top Six: Going forward meet difficulty. Return is great. It is good fortune. Meeting up with leaders of power and influence. 上六：往蹇来硕，吉；利见大人。
The pictorial commentary explains the return is great because of inner determination. Meeting leaders is beneficial because we will go after the worthy goals. 象曰：往蹇来硕，志在内也。 利见大人，以从贵也

Summary:

When meeting obstruction, pause and see clearly. Take the right way that leads to success and not the short-cut evil way that eventually brings failure. Always seek and follow the advice of the wise. Building character will bring long-lasting success.

Wisdom from the Stage Lines:

The building of Internal Strengths to get moving.

1. Wait for the right time to move especially for things beyond our control.
2. Get first-hand knowledge and then work together to seek the interests of the community and not the self.
3. Build Morale – Celebrate and learn from past successes and get ready for the right time to charge forward.
4. Get Alignment – Return to strengthen unity and alignment first. Put the right people at the right jobs.
5. Get Support – Have a meaningful mission and a proven character, and friends will come to support you.
6. Get Talents– Get the support of leaders of power and influence and have worthy pursuits.

Related Hexagrams:

When we encounter an obstacle as in 52 艮 Mountain – Stop, Contentment in Position, we stop. This hexagram 39 Lame tells us to follow this stop with reflection and to seek new direction maintaining our righteous ambition. We can apply the teaching of  47 困 Boxed-In – Rejoice in Difficulty & Break Free and 40 解 Freed – Get with Decisive Actions to Break Free and Stay Free.

We can also find the related hexagrams by looking up the S-Curve & Bell Curve and this I-Ching Life-Cycle map.