Obstruction
Judgment
— I Ching · classical
利西南，不利东北。利见大人，贞吉。
The southwest favors you here, the northeast does not. Seeking out someone of real wisdom helps, and holding your ground brings good fortune.
Image
— Great Image
山上有水，蹇，君子以反身修德。
Water sits atop the mountain: this is the image of Obstruction. Facing this, a person of principle turns inward and works on their own character.
Six Lines
— Bottom to top
Modern Readings
— Interdisciplinary
Career & Management
Policy red line or technical dead-end. Charging hard only accelerates the demise; turn around (xi nan), or hire the expert who solves the structural knot (jian da ren).
Psychology & Cognition
Accept the current powerlessness. 'Knowing when to stop yields stability.' Treat reversal as strategic flanking, not defeat.
Decision Guidance
Going leads to obstruction; coming leads to allies (lines 3-5). Reflect on character first; the difficulty itself is the school.
Integrated Reading
— Structure · timing · relations
Obstruction places The Abysmal / Water above Keeping Still / Mountain. Read the lower trigram as the emerging ground and the upper trigram as the field, pressure, or constraint it must answer. The core theme is Obstruction · Limping path · Knowing when to halt. Relations: the opposite hexagram shows the shadow/complement (Opposition); the inverse shows the other-side view (Deliverance); the nuclear hexagram shows the hidden internal mechanism (Before Completion).
Line Path
Line path: Initial Six → Six in the second → Nine in the third → Six in the fourth → Nine in the fifth → Six at the top. Read from bottom to top to see how the situation emerges, develops, crosses thresholds, and resolves.
Reflection Prompt
Am I acting from the proper position of Obstruction, or am I being pulled by pushing alone through obstruction? What is the smallest reversible next move that respects the timing?
Western Parallels
— Cross-cultural
Stockdale Paradox (face the brutal facts of your current reality, yet retain faith in the long-term outcome); the principle 'when stuck, change the question, not the answer'; Marcus Aurelius on the obstacle becoming the way.
· English renderings and modern readings are original editorial writing, cross-checked against public-domain and classical commentary lineages.
· Hexagram Cast does not predict, score, schedule, ward, or recommend rituals.
· Modern inputs are reproducible; traditional casts can be audited line by line from the stored coin/yarrow trace.