Hexagram 53: Jiàn (Gradual Progress)

The Judgment

Jian suggests to us the marriage of a young lady, and the good fortune (attending it). There will be advantage in being firm and correct.

渐：女归吉，利贞。

Commentary on the Judgment (Tuan)

The advance indicated by Jian is (like) the marrying of a young lady which is attended by good fortune. (The lines) as they advance get into their correct places: - this indicates the achievements of a successful progress. The advance is made according to correctness: - (the subject of the hexagram) might rectify his country. Among the places (of the hexagram) we see the strong undivided line in the centre. 'In (the attributes of) restfulness and flexible penetration we have (the assurance of) an (onward) movement that is inexhaustible.

彖曰：渐之进也，女归吉也。进得位，往有功也。进以正，可以正邦也。其位刚得中也。止而巽，动不穷也。

The Great Image

(The trigram representing) a mountain and above it that for a tree form Jian. The superior man, in accordance with this, attains to and maintains his extraordinary virtue, and makes the manners of the people good.

象曰：山上有木，渐；君子以居贤德，善俗。

The six lines

1. Line 1 (first): The first SIX, divided, shows the wild geese gradually approaching the shore. A young officer (in similar circumstances) will be in a position of danger, and be spoken against; but there will be no error.

   'The danger of a small officer (as represented in the first line)' is owing to no fault of his in the matter of what is right.

   In plain words: The wild goose gradually reaches the shore; the young one is in danger and there is talk, but no fault. This hexagram uses a goose rising from low to high as a picture of gradual progress; the first line is at the bottom, just starting out, and people are bound to talk. The Small Image says in principle there is no fault.

   初六：鸿渐于干，小子厉，有言，无咎。 象曰：小子之厉，义无咎也。

2. Line 2 (second): The second SIX, divided, shows the geese gradually approaching the large rocks, where they eat and drink joyfully and at ease. There will be good fortune.

   'They eat and drink joyfully and at ease:' - but not without having earned their food.

   In plain words: The wild goose gradually reaches the rock; eating and drinking in peace: good fortune. The second line is central and correct and corresponds to the fifth: its position is secure. The Small Image says it does not eat its fill for nothing.

   六二：鸿渐于磐，饮食衎衎，吉。 象曰：饮食衎衎，不素饱也。

3. Line 3 (third): The third NINE, undivided, shows them gradually advanced to the dry plains. (It suggests also the idea of) a husband who goes on an expedition from which he does not return, and of a wife who is pregnant, but will not nourish her child. There will be evil. (The case symbolised) might be advantageous in resisting plunderers.

   'A husband goes and does not return:' - he separates himself from his comrades. 'A wife is pregnant, but will not nourish her child:' - she has failed in her (proper) course. 'It might be advantageous in resisting plunderers:' - by acting as here indicated men would preserve one another.

   In plain words: The wild goose gradually reaches the dry land; the husband goes to war and does not return; the wife conceives but does not give birth: misfortune; it is favourable to ward off raiders. Dry land is no home for a water bird. The third line is strong but not central, rushing ahead and leaving the flock. The Small Image says the husband not returning means leaving his own kind, the wife not giving birth means losing the way, and warding off raiders means protecting one another.

   九三：鸿渐于陆，夫征不复，妇孕不育，凶；利御寇。 象曰：夫征不复，离群丑也。妇孕不育，失其道也。利用御寇，顺相保也。

4. Line 4 (fourth): The fourth SIX, divided, shows the geese gradually advanced to the trees. They may light on the flat branches. There will be no error.

   'They may light on the flat branches:' - there is docility (in the line) going on to flexible penetration.

   In plain words: The wild goose gradually reaches the tree; perhaps it finds a flat branch: no fault. A goose's webbed feet are not made for perching in trees; the fourth line is yielding and finds a suitable foothold. The Small Image says it is yielding and modest.

   六四：鸿渐于木，或得其桷，无咎。 象曰：或得其桷，顺以巽也。

5. Line 5 (fifth): The fifth NINE, undivided, shows the geese gradually advanced to the high mound. (It suggests the idea of) a wife who for three years does not become pregnant; but in the end the natural issue cannot be prevented. There will be good fortune.

   'In the end the natural issue cannot be prevented. There will be good fortune:' - (the subject of the line) will get what he desires.

   In plain words: The wild goose gradually reaches the hill; for three years the wife does not conceive, but in the end nothing prevails against them: good fortune. The fifth line is central and correct and corresponds to the second, but the third and fourth lines keep them apart for a long time; in the end they come together. The Small Image says it gains what it wished for.

   九五：鸿渐于陵，妇三岁不孕，终莫之胜，吉。 象曰：终莫之胜，吉；得所愿也。

6. Line 6 (sixth (top)): The sixth NINE, undivided, shows the geese gradually advanced to the large heights (beyond). Their feathers can be used as ornaments. There will be good fortune.

   'Their feathers can be used as ornaments. There will be good fortune:' - (the object and character of the subject of the line) cannot be disturbed.

   In plain words: The wild goose gradually reaches the high cloud road; its feathers can be used in ceremony: good fortune. Some read the "dry land" here as the paths of the clouds. The top line is at the end of the hexagram, flying high and unburdened by position, a model for others. The Small Image says order must not be thrown into confusion.

   上九：鸿渐于陆，其羽可用为仪，吉。 象曰：其羽可用为仪，吉；不可乱也。

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; being one strong and one weak, they correspond, and both are also in their proper places.

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 Gen palace runs: Gèn (head), Bì (1st change), Dà Chù (2nd change), Sǔn (3rd change), Kuí (4th change), Lǚ (5th change), Zhōng Fú (wandering soul), Jiàn (returning soul).

A recorded case from Takashima

Jian (Gradual) to Jia Ren: a new venture at its start: A friend asked whether a venture would succeed and received the first line of Jian, "the wild goose gradually approaches the shore; the young one is in danger; there is talk, but no fault". Takashima said it must be a first venture, like autumn geese just arrived and still gathered on the riverbank; petty people would get in the way at the start, but holding to his original aim and agreements, there would be no fault, and in four years, at the top line, help would come and large profits with it.

Previous: Hexagram 52 Gèn · Next: Hexagram 54 Guī Mèi

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.

Cast a hexagram · All 64 hexagrams · Worked examples