Hexagram Cast Cast from anything
中文 Sign In
<- Library
<- 1 · Creative 3 · Difficulty at the Beginning ->
FILE · 2 / 64
002 · U+4DC1
䷁

The Receptive

KŪN
Receptivity · Nurturance · Devoted endurance
Upper · Kun ☷ Earth / Lower · Kun ☷ Earth

Judgment

— I Ching · classical

元，亨，利牝马之贞。君子有攸往，先迷后得主。利西南得朋，东北丧朋。安贞，吉。

Sublime success through yielding. The integrity of a mare is favorable. The superior person who has somewhere to go: if they take the lead, they go astray; if they follow, they find a guide. It is favorable to gain friends in the southwest; in the northeast, friends are lost. Quiet steadfastness brings good fortune.

Tuan Commentary

— Ten Wings

How complete is this receptive power — every living thing owes its birth to it, and it answers heaven's lead without resistance. Earth's density is what lets it hold up the whole of creation; its capacity has no visible edge.

Image

— Great Image

地势坤，君子以厚德载物。

Earth's whole nature is devoted receptivity. Seeing this, a person of real character lets the breadth of their own integrity hold up everything around them.

Six Lines

— Bottom to top

Initial Six · 初六 ⚋ yin
履霜，坚冰至。
Frost crunches underfoot now -- a small, early sign that solid ice is on its way.
First weak signal of systemic risk. A trivial anomaly today foretells the structural winter; act on the leading indicator before the lagging one arrives.
Six in the second · 六二 ⚋ yin
直、方、大，不习无不利。
Upright, well-ordered, and generous in scope -- acting from this footing, nothing needs rehearsing beforehand to turn out well.
Acting from straightforward, principled, generous ground requires no manipulation. Integrity is the strategy.
Six in the third · 六三 ⚋ yin
含章可贞，或从王事，无成有终。
Real ability kept out of view, held steady rather than shown off. Serving in someone else's cause here, take no credit yourself -- just see it through to the end.
Talent kept inwardly; serve the larger work without seeking credit. Quiet contribution yields a good ending.
Six in the fourth · 六四 ⚋ yin
括囊，无咎，无誉。
Like a sack cinched tightly shut -- staying closed off draws neither fault nor credit either way.
In a political storm, choose silence over advocacy. Discretion is not weakness — it is operational security.
Six in the fifth · 六五 ⚋ yin
黄裳，元吉。
Like a robe of modest yellow worn beneath -- restrained rank, not flaunted -- this brings the finest fortune.
Authority worn with humility (yellow = the middle, the gold of moderation). Empower others, distribute the wins.
Six at the top · 上六 ⚋ yin
龙战于野，其血玄黄。
Out in the open field, two dragons clash head-on -- the ground is left stained with their mingled blood.
When pure yielding pushes for dominance, the contest devastates both sides. Stay in role; do not invert the structure.

Special Lines

All Sixes · 用六
利永贞。
Holding this steady disposition over the long run is what pays off in the end.
The receptive power, sustained over time, becomes its own form of mastery.

Modern Readings

— Interdisciplinary

Career & Management

Optimal for back-office, operations, HR, infrastructure, culture-building. Not for vanguard charge — for being the foundation that lets the vanguard exist.

Psychology & Cognition

High agreeableness with healthy boundaries; the emotional stabilizer of a team. Risk: self-erasure. Note that the top line warns against finally trying to seize dominance.

Decision Guidance

Follow the legitimate lead, do not race ahead. Read weak signals (frost) as definitive. Build power through carrying, not seizing.

Integrated Reading

— Structure · timing · relations

The Receptive places The Receptive / Earth above The Receptive / Earth. 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 Receptivity · Nurturance · Devoted endurance. Relations: the opposite hexagram shows the shadow/complement (The Creative); the inverse shows the other-side view (The Receptive); the nuclear hexagram shows the hidden internal mechanism (The Receptive).

Line Path

Line path: Initial Six → Six in the second → Six in the third → Six in the fourth → Six 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 Receptive, or am I being pulled by passive compliance without agency? What is the smallest reversible next move that respects the timing?

Western Parallels

— Cross-cultural

Lao Tzu's water principle; Robert Greenleaf's servant-leadership; Carol Dweck's quiet mastery; Stoic 'amor fati' (love what is given). Compare Earth-as-mother archetype to Demeter/Gaia in Greek tradition.

· Classical Chinese source text is normalized from the received Yijing / I Ching tradition; punctuation is editorial.
· 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.
Add Hexagram Cast to your home screen for instant casting anywhere.