Hexagram 48: Jǐng (The Well)

The Judgment

(Looking at) Jing, (we think of) how (the site of) a town may be changed, while (the fashion of) its wells undergoes no change. (The water of a well) never disappears and never receives (any great) increase, and those who come and those who go can draw and enjoy the benefit. If (the drawing) have nearly been accomplished, but, before the rope has quite reached the water, the bucket is broken, this is evil.

井：改邑不改井，无丧无得，往来井井。汔至，亦未繘井，羸其瓶，凶。

Commentary on the Judgment (Tuan)

(We have the symbol of) wood in the water and the raising of the water; which (gives us the idea of) a well. A well supplies nourishment and is not (itself) exhausted. 'The site of a town may be changed, while the fashion of its wells undergoes no change:' - this is indicated by the central position of the strong lines (in the second and fifth places). 'The drawing is nearly accomplished, but the rope has not yet reached the water of the well:' - its service has not yet been accomplished. 'The bucket is broken:' - it is this that occasions evil.

彖曰：巽乎水而上水，井；井养而不穷也。改邑不改井，乃以刚中也。汔至亦未繘井，未有功也。羸其瓶，是以凶也。

The Great Image

(The trigram representing) wood and above it that for water form Jing. The superior man, in accordance with this, comforts the people, and. stimulates them to mutual helpfulness.

象曰：木上有水，井；君子以劳民劝相。

The six lines

1. Line 1 (first): The first SIX, divided, shows a well so muddy that men will not drink of it; or an old well to which neither birds (nor other creatures) resort.

   'A well so muddy that men will not drink of it:' - this is indicated by the low position (of the line). 'An old well to which the birds do not come:' - it has been forsaken in the course of time.

   In plain words: The well is muddy and no one drinks; no birds come to the old well. The first line is at the bottom of the well: the mud. The Small Image says no one drinks because it is at the bottom, and no birds come because the times have abandoned it.

   初六：井泥不食，旧井无禽。 象曰：井泥不食，下也。旧井无禽，时舍也。

2. Line 2 (second): The second NINE, undivided, shows a well from which by a hole the water escapes and flows away to the shrimps (and such small creatures among the grass), or one the water of which leaks away from a broken basket.

   'A well from which by a hole the water escapes, and flows away to the shrimps:' - (the subject of this second line has) none co-operating with him (above).

   In plain words: Water trickles from the well's bottom only to the small fish; the jar is cracked and leaks. The second line is strong and central and has ability, but with no support above, its ability is not put to good use. The Small Image says it has no helpers.

   九二：井谷射鲋，瓮敝漏。 象曰：井谷射鲋，无与也。

3. Line 3 (third): The third NINE, undivided, shows a well, which has been cleared out, but is not used. Our hearts are sorry for this, for the water might be drawn out and used. If the king were (only) intelligent, both he and we might receive the benefit of it.

   'The well has been cleared out, but is not used:' - (even) passers-by would be sorry for this. A prayer is made 'that the king were intelligent:' - for then blessing would be received.

   In plain words: The well has been cleaned, yet no one drinks, and my heart grieves; its water could be drawn; if the king were clear-sighted, all would share the blessing. The third line is strong and correct, with talent and virtue, but is not employed. The Small Image says passers-by grieve that the clean well goes undrunk, and asking for a clear-sighted king is so that all may be blessed.

   九三：井渫不食，为我心恻，可用汲，王明，并受其福。 象曰：井渫不食，行恻也。求王明，受福也。

4. Line 4 (fourth): The fourth SIX, divided, shows a well, the lining of which is well laid. There will be no error.

   'A well the lining of which is well laid. There will be no error:' - the well has been put in good repair.

   In plain words: The well is being lined with brick: no fault. The fourth line is yielding and correct; it cannot yet help others, but it can put itself in order. The Small Image says it is repairing the well.

   六四：井甃，无咎。 象曰：井甃无咎，修井也。

5. Line 5 (fifth): The fifth NINE, undivided, shows a clear, limpid well, (the waters from) whose cold spring are (freely) drunk.

   'The waters from the cold spring are (freely) drunk:' - this is indicated by the central and correct position (of the line).

   In plain words: The well is clear: a cold spring to drink from. The fifth line is strong, central and correct: the well is complete, and its clear spring can nourish people. The Small Image says this is because it is central and correct.

   九五：井冽，寒泉食。 象曰：寒泉之食，中正也。

6. Line 6 (sixth (top)): The topmost SIX, divided, shows (the water from) the well brought to the top, which is not allowed to be covered. This suggests the idea of sincerity. There will be great good fortune.

   'The great good fortune' at the topmost place indicates the grand accomplishment (of the idea in the hexagram).

   In plain words: The water has been drawn: do not cover the well; with sincerity, supreme good fortune. The top line is the end of the hexagram: the well's work is done, and everyone may draw from it. The Small Image says this is great completion.

   上六：井收勿幕，有孚元吉。 象曰：元吉在上，大成也。

Line positions

4 of the six lines stand in their proper place (strong lines in odd places, weak lines in even places).

The second and fifth lines hold the central places of the lower and upper trigrams; both are strong, so they do not correspond.

Of the three pairs of corresponding places (first and fourth, second and fifth, third and top), 1 pair is made of one strong and one weak line.

Strong lines belong in odd places and weak lines in even places; the second and fifth are the central places; first and fourth, second and fifth, third and top correspond, and they "respond" when one is strong and the other weak.

These are structural conventions, not scores of good or bad fortune. Commentators differ: Wang Bi treats the first and top places as beginning and end without fixed yin or yang positions. Read each line with its Small Image and the whole hexagram.

Place in Jing Fang's eight palaces

Jing Fang grouped the 64 hexagrams into eight "palaces" of eight, each headed by a doubled trigram. Changing the lines of the head hexagram one by one from the bottom gives the next five; the last two are the "wandering soul" and "returning soul" hexagrams. The Zhen palace runs: Zhèn (head), Yù (1st change), Xiè (2nd change), Héng (3rd change), Shēng (4th change), Jǐng (5th change), Dà Guò (wandering soul), Suí (returning soul).

A recorded case from Takashima

Jing to Xun: a year in the raw silk trade: In 1897 Takashima cast on the year's foreign trade and got the top line of Jing, "the well is drawn from and left uncovered; supreme good fortune". Japan did not ship its own exports but waited for foreign buyers, as a well waits to be drawn from; counting the fourth to top lines as July–August to November–December, the year-end would be best. Raw silk was indeed slack in the first half and soared in the second.

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English text: James Legge, The Yi King (Sacred Books of the East, vol. 16, 1882), public domain, as transcribed by the Chinese Text Project. Chinese: the received text. Offered for study and reflection, not as prediction.

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