I Ching · Hexagram 33 of 64
Hexagram 33: Dun （遁） — Retreat
Dun is Heaven above Mountain: the mountain rising toward heaven, withdrawing from the dust of the world. The hexagram honors the retreat that is no escape, but a stepping out of the endless round of fame, gain, grievance and debt, and a turning toward the Way. To withdraw when the time asks it is itself an advance, opening onto a brighter road.
At a glance
| Hexagram | 33 of 64 |
|---|---|
| Name | Dun 遁 · Retreat |
| Upper trigram | Qian （乾）· Heaven |
| Lower trigram | Gen （艮）· Mountain |
| Structure | Heaven over Mountain |
| Lines | 6 lines |
The Judgment （卦辞）
Retreat. Success. In small matters it is favorable to be steadfast.
ExplainedRetreat does not mean vanishing into the far hills; it means turning toward another horizon, for where the road runs out the Way begins. To let go of the pursuit of name and profit, and of the small self-serving view, is the very thing that brings the success promised. Fame and gain give way to the work of service and virtue, and in that turning from the ordinary to the sacred the wisdom matures.
Tuan Zhuan — Commentary on the Judgment （彖传）
Retreat. Success: retreating, and thereby succeeding. The firm is in its place and responds, moving with the time. In small matters favorable to be steadfast: soaking in, it grows. Great indeed is the meaning of the time of Retreat.
ExplainedWhy should withdrawal bring success? Because the way forward is closed and the road bends back on itself, and life rises instead of running downhill. With firm yang in its proper place, the moment is right to step out of the cycle and walk with the time. The text calls it soaking in and growing: virtue is trained quietly, as a root draws water upward, and so Retreat is truly a hexagram of growth.
Xiang Zhuan — Image Commentary （大象）
Under heaven there is a mountain: Retreat. Thus the noble one keeps the petty at a distance, without loathing, yet with dignity.
ExplainedA mountain beneath heaven is withdrawal within the world, not flight from it. The noble one neither hates the small-minded nor makes them feel rejected, but keeps a firm margin: no entanglement of interest, no traffic in gossip, and unfailing courtesy. So practiced, one may be a recluse in court or marketplace alike.
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 · YinLine 1
The tail of retreat: peril. Do not use this to set out anywhere.
Small ImageThe peril of trailing in retreat: if one does not go, what disaster can there be?
ExplainedTo retreat too late is to drag a tail one cannot shake loose: children, household, obligations, unfinished accounts. Knowing the tail is caught, the wise do not force the withdrawal; the hour has not come, and a premature attempt invites harm.
Line 2 · YinLine 2
He holds it with the hide of a yellow ox; no one can pull it away.
Small ImageHolding it with a yellow ox's hide: the will is made firm.
ExplainedThe resolve is complete and well prepared, bound as tightly as ox-hide, so that no persuasion can drag it back. Yet one who leaves while still tied to the world by a thread exhausts himself between two roads and accomplishes nothing that lasts.
Line 3 · YangLine 3
Tied retreat: there is sickness, peril. Keeping servants and handmaids: good fortune.
Small ImageThe peril of tied retreat: sickness and exhaustion.
ExplainedTangled retreat means departing while still bound by a thousand threads; both worlds are lost and the body sickens. The counsel is to contain and delegate: entrust what must be kept to trustworthy hands, settle what cannot be cut, so that one need not run in two directions at once. Such a person cannot manage great affairs; only true renunciation goes all the way.
Line 4 · YangLine 4
Loving retreat: for the noble one, good fortune; for the petty person, not so.
Small ImageThe noble one loves retreat; the petty person does not.
ExplainedTrue withdrawal begins by cutting off what one loves: appetite and craving, food and sex and gain. The noble one who can put away his fondest desires is freed and blessed; the petty person rejects the very thought, for he cannot pass that gate.
Line 5 · YangLine 5
Admirable retreat: steadfastness brings good fortune.
Small ImageAdmirable retreat, steadfast and auspicious: the will is set straight.
ExplainedThe most praiseworthy retreat is aimed at integrity, at becoming a person of upright character and awakened wisdom, and heaven favors such a will and shares its blessing with others. Put away the passions first, set the will on nobility next, and one enters the ample retreat, wide, free and at ease.
Line 6 · YangLine 6
Ample retreat: nothing is unfavorable.
Small ImageAmple retreat, nothing unfavorable: there is no doubt left.
ExplainedAmple means wide and at ease, not fat but free. The heart moves from confusion to calm, then to joy, to light, to compassion, to wisdom, until it acts with mastery and nothing stands in the way. Having no doubt left, one knows one's own nature to be pure, unborn and undying, a treasure already in hand.
Key takeaway
Retreat teaches that honorable withdrawal from the round of fame and grievance, into the Way, is not loss but advance.
Frequently asked questions
What does Hexagram 33 (Dun) mean in the I Ching?
Dun is Heaven above Mountain: the mountain rising toward heaven, withdrawing from the dust of the world. The hexagram honors the retreat that is no escape, but a stepping out of the endless round of fame, gain, grievance and debt, and a turning toward the Way. To withdraw when the time asks it is itself an advance, opening onto a brighter road.
What is the judgment of Hexagram 33?
Retreat. Success. In small matters it is favorable to be steadfast. Retreat does not mean vanishing into the far hills; it means turning toward another horizon, for where the road runs out the Way begins. To let go of the pursuit of name and profit, and of the small self-serving view, is the very thing that brings the success promised. Fame and gain give way to the work of service and…
What do the six lines of Hexagram 33 say?
Line 1: The tail of retreat: peril. Do not use this to set out anywhere. Line 2: He holds it with the hide of a yellow ox; no one can pull it away. Line 3: Tied retreat: there is sickness, peril. Keeping servants and handmaids: good fortune. Line 4: Loving retreat: for the noble one, good fortune; for the petty person, not so. Line 5: Admirable retreat: steadfastness brings good fortune. Line 6: Ample retreat: nothing is unfavorable.
What is the main lesson of Hexagram 33 (Retreat)?
Retreat teaches that honorable withdrawal from the round of fame and grievance, into the Way, is not loss but advance.
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