I Ching · Hexagram 3 of 64
Hexagram 3: Zhun （屯） — Difficulty at the Beginning
Thunder below and water above: clouds and thunder in the first chaos, the birth of things and the difficulty of every beginning. It also pictures a newborn child, and the first opening of the heavenly gate in one who has just begun the Way. The hexagram shows how to lay the foundation at the start: hold the four virtues, do not rush to expand, appoint helper lords, and endure the six conditions of the beginner.
At a glance
| Hexagram | 3 of 64 |
|---|---|
| Name | Zhun 屯 · Difficulty at the Beginning |
| Upper trigram | Kan （坎）· Water |
| Lower trigram | Zhen （震）· Thunder |
| Structure | Water over Thunder |
| Lines | 6 lines |
The Judgment （卦辞）
Zhun. Great originating, pervading success, beneficial harmony, steadfast perseverance. Do not put oneself forward; it is favorable to appoint helper lords.
ExplainedAt the first stirring of life one must hold fast to the four virtues already possessed: gathering the heart to its one center, communing with heaven, receiving heaven's blessing, and becoming an upright person of complete virtue. Do not rush to develop and display ability, but secure the base first. Let the aim be great as well: treat every beginner as a future lord, and raise up those who will save the world.
Tuan Zhuan — Commentary on the Judgment （彖传）
Zhun: the firm and the yielding first meet, and difficulty is born. Moving within danger, one attains great success through steadfastness. Thunder and rain fill the sky; Heaven creates in dark confusion. A time to appoint helper lords, and to know no rest.
ExplainedQian and Kun first meet and difficulty is born, for every beginning is hard. To move within danger is to walk among the passions as in a flood without being drowned. Only by greatness, by becoming a great person, can one win success and steadfastness amid peril; and when thunder and rain fill the heavens while the world is still dark and confused, it is time to appoint helper lords and accept no rest.
Xiang Zhuan — Image Commentary （大象）
Clouds and thunder: Zhun. Thus the gentleman weaves his web of order.
ExplainedCloud and thunder make a tangle like knotted silk. The gentleman must first set the direction of the four virtues and of appointing helper lords, then weave the tangle into ordered cloth, bringing order to the world and teaching the beginner.
The Six Lines （六爻）
The lines are read from the bottom upward. Each carries its own text, a Small Image commentary, and a plain-English reading.
Line 1 · YangLine 1
Hesitating and turning back: it is favorable to abide in steadfastness, favorable to appoint helper lords.
Small ImageThough he hesitates, his will moves in the right; holding a noble place yet serving the lowly, he greatly wins the people.
ExplainedEvery person is a foundation stone and a great talent, never to be despised. Keep the conscience you already have and set your will on saving all beings; and the higher your station, the more you should serve the lowly, for this is how the people's heart is won.
Line 2 · YinLine 2
Difficult and stumbling, riding on a horse advancing and halting: not robbers, but suitors. The maiden is steadfast and does not consent; after ten years she consents.
Small ImageThe difficulty of the second six: she rides upon the firm. The consent after ten years is a reversal of the normal.
ExplainedBefore the foundation is laid, rushing outward in every direction leaves one stumbling and confused. The first task is to make good connections rather than enemies; to be fastidious and suspicious is to miss the season and never fit into the group.
Line 3 · YinLine 3
Chasing deer without a forester, one only enters the forest. The gentleman, seeing the moment, prefers to let it go; going on brings humiliation.
Small ImageChasing deer without a forester is following game; the gentleman lets it go: going on is humiliation and exhaustion.
ExplainedThe hunter who chases a rare deer without a guide only loses himself in the forest. To pursue profit blindly and carelessly is to fall into hidden traps without knowing it, and to end exhausted.
Line 4 · YinLine 4
Riding on a horse advancing and halting, seeking union by marriage. Going: good fortune, nothing unfavorable.
Small ImageTo seek and then to go: this is clarity.
ExplainedOne whose heart is too small to appoint lords should at least go out and make good connections, and good fortune follows. Drawing near the worthy is light itself; drawing near only to be carried by them while hoarding one's own store is a small steadfastness and no more.
Line 5 · YangLine 5
Storing up the fat: small steadfastness brings good fortune, great steadfastness brings misfortune.
Small ImageStoring up the fat: his giving is not yet shining.
ExplainedThose of narrow heart store up blessing, live sparingly and keep the precepts, yet are stingy in giving. They can cultivate themselves alone but cannot carry the world, and their light does not shine.
Line 6 · YinLine 6
Riding on a horse advancing and halting, weeping tears of blood.
Small ImageWeeping tears of blood: how could this last long?
ExplainedTo be still riding out in every direction at the end of life, having found no home in work, in practice or in marriage, is to weep until tears turn to blood. A life of hesitation, or of blinding greed for gain, ends in ruin.
Key takeaway
At every beginning, hold the four virtues and do not rush to expand: set a great aim, appoint helpers, and endure the six conditions of the beginner.
Frequently asked questions
What does Hexagram 3 (Zhun) mean in the I Ching?
Thunder below and water above: clouds and thunder in the first chaos, the birth of things and the difficulty of every beginning. It also pictures a newborn child, and the first opening of the heavenly gate in one who has just begun the Way. The hexagram shows how to lay the foundation at the start: hold the four virtues, do not rush to expand, appoint helper lords, and endure the six conditions of the beginner.
What is the judgment of Hexagram 3?
Zhun. Great originating, pervading success, beneficial harmony, steadfast perseverance. Do not put oneself forward; it is favorable to appoint helper lords. At the first stirring of life one must hold fast to the four virtues already possessed: gathering the heart to its one center, communing with heaven, receiving heaven's blessing, and becoming an upright person of complete virtue. Do not rush to develop and display ability, but secure the base first. Let the aim be…
What do the six lines of Hexagram 3 say?
Line 1: Hesitating and turning back: it is favorable to abide in steadfastness, favorable to appoint helper lords. Line 2: Difficult and stumbling, riding on a horse advancing and halting: not robbers, but suitors. The maiden is steadfast and does not consent; after ten years she consents. Line 3: Chasing deer without a forester, one only enters the forest. The gentleman, seeing the moment, prefers to let it go; going on brings humiliation. Line 4: Riding on a horse advancing and halting, seeking union by marriage. Going: good fortune, nothing unfavorable. Line 5: Storing up the fat: small steadfastness brings good fortune, great steadfastness brings misfortune. Line 6: Riding on a horse advancing and halting, weeping tears of blood.
What is the main lesson of Hexagram 3 (Difficulty at the Beginning)?
At every beginning, hold the four virtues and do not rush to expand: set a great aim, appoint helpers, and endure the six conditions of the beginner.
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