The Well
Judgment
— I Ching · classical
改邑不改井，无丧无得，往来井井。汔至，亦未繘井，羸其瓶，凶。
Towns may be relocated, but the well that serves them stays fixed in place — it neither shrinks nor grows, and everyone comes to draw from it in turn. Yet if the rope falls short before reaching the water, or the jug is broken in the last stretch, the outcome turns to misfortune.
Image
— Great Image
木上有水，井，君子以劳民劝相。
Water drawn up through wood: this is the image of the Well. Seeing it, the wise leader urges people on in their labor and calls them to support one another.
Six Lines
— Bottom to top
Modern Readings
— Interdisciplinary
Career & Management
Core technical platform, foundational infrastructure, the unchanging Mission. Guarantee delivery on the last mile (do not break the jug); build open-sharing mechanisms.
Psychology & Cognition
Dig deeply into one core competence (your moat). Do not switch lanes constantly (gai yi bu gai jing); excellence in one domain creates a permanent source from which others draw.
Decision Guidance
The well changes not though the town moves. Maintain the foundational source; never let the last bucket break the jug (line 6 of the judgment).
Integrated Reading
— Structure · timing · relations
The Well places The Abysmal / Water above The Gentle / Wind, Wood. 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 The Well · Source · Foundational infrastructure. Relations: the opposite hexagram shows the shadow/complement (Biting Through); the inverse shows the other-side view (Oppression); the nuclear hexagram shows the hidden internal mechanism (Opposition).
Line Path
Line path: Initial Six → Nine 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 The Well, or am I being pulled by owning a well but failing to draw from it? What is the smallest reversible next move that respects the timing?
Western Parallels
— Cross-cultural
Warren Buffett on 'circle of competence' and deep moats; Charlie Munger on staying within one's lane for decades; Cal Newport's 'so good they can't ignore you'; the Christian metaphor of the 'living water' (John 4); the public-commons tradition (Elinor Ostrom).
· 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.