I Ching · Hexagram 47 of 64
Hexagram 47: Kun （困） — Oppression
Kun is Lake over Water: the lake dried and waterless, as in a great drought when all things are trapped. The hexagram teaches that growth pushed to its limit falls into adversity, and that adversity forces a complete transformation, so that the good person passes through affliction and becomes a person of the Way.
At a glance
| Hexagram | 47 of 64 |
|---|---|
| Name | Kun 困 · Oppression |
| Upper trigram | Dui （兑）· Lake |
| Lower trigram | Kan （坎）· Water |
| Structure | Lake over Water |
| Lines | 6 lines |
The Judgment （卦辞）
Oppression. Success. Steadfastness. The great person, good fortune; no blame. Words are not believed.
ExplainedAffliction, whether illness or poverty or prison, as with King Wen in captivity and Confucius starving between Chen and Cai, can yet bring success, for it steadies the heart, opens kindness and wisdom, and fits one to bear heavy loads. Steadfastness turns iron into steel; the great person receives heaven's mandate and blessing, and karma is cleared. But do not go about complaining, for words are not believed and only make others think less of you.
Tuan Zhuan — Commentary on the Judgment （彖传）
Oppression: the firm is covered over. Danger and yet pleasing; to be oppressed and not lose what makes for success, only the noble one can do it. Steadfastness, the great person, good fortune: because of firmness and centrality. Words are not believed: esteeming the mouth is what brings exhaustion.
ExplainedThe firm and noble is submerged in danger and so oppressed, yet because it is firm it withstands the test, and though in danger it still finds joy, as the sage starved and sang and the great teacher shone even in prison. Not to lose inward clarity, to grow clearer and more confident the more one is tested, is the noble one's alone. Keep the center and the one, and the transformation comes; but complain, and the road runs out.
Xiang Zhuan — Image Commentary （大象）
The lake without water: Oppression. Thus the noble one devotes himself to fate and fulfills his will.
ExplainedThe dried lake shows that heaven's mandate cannot be turned aside and its test has come. When outer resources are gone to the last drop, all that remains is to keep the heart and nourish the nature, turning the light back and refining the divine light all day, wholly gathered into the original nature, and so to fulfill the great will of saving all beings.
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
His seat is oppressed by a tree stump; he enters the dark valley and for three years sees nothing.
Small ImageEntering the dark valley: dark and unenlightened.
ExplainedThis is the ordinary person's trap: sitting by a stump and waiting for a rabbit, guarding one tree, whether a steady job, an income or a household, and hurrying after profit without seeking to grow, entering a dark valley where the truth is not seen for years. Everyone has some tree that traps him, and each stays by it willingly though he might walk away; only the great can let go of their business and so be free.
Line 2 · YangLine 2
Oppressed by wine and food: the crimson sash is coming. Favorable to use the offering; setting out brings misfortune, but no blame.
Small ImageOppressed by wine and food: within there is celebration.
ExplainedThe prosperous are trapped in rich food and drink, but the crimson sash of heavenly rank is on its way: from comfort to nobility, from human rank to heaven's. Use it for offerings, giving to others and saving all beings; expand desire instead and misfortune follows, while the offering makes amends. Guard the central gate rather than the outer gates of eye, ear and appetite, and a palace is built in heaven.
Line 3 · YinLine 3
Oppressed by stone, resting on thorns, entering his house he does not see his wife: misfortune.
Small ImageResting on thorns: he rides over the firm. Entering his house and not seeing his wife: inauspicious.
ExplainedTo be trapped by stone is to be stubborn in one's own rightness, and to rest on thorns is to attack others in self-defense: such a person is always correct and always accusing. In the end he enters his house and does not see his wife, for even his closest have fled in fear. When all avoid you, ill fortune has already begun, and only admission of fault can soften the knot.
Line 4 · YangLine 4
He comes slowly, oppressed by the golden carriage: distress, but there is an end.
Small ImageHe comes slowly: his will is below. Though the place is not fitting, there is support.
ExplainedThe golden carriage is high office and rich salary, and many are trapped by rank, unwilling to let go as the Buddha and Confucius let go. Slowly and with hardship one works free toward the greater road: narrow and regrettable, but the end comes, because the foundation is there. The will is still low and awakening slow, yet though not yet in a heavenly place, there is a chance to take part and to move from administration into the work of the Way.
Line 5 · YangLine 5
Mutilated, oppressed by the crimson sash: slowly there is release. Favorable to use the sacrifice.
Small ImageMutilated: the will is not yet fulfilled. Slowly there is release: because of centrality and uprightness. Favorable to use the sacrifice: to receive blessing.
ExplainedCut of nose and feet means the face utterly lost and no movement possible: the leader oppressed by his own ministers, unheard and unheeded, his commands not reaching below. Do not be hasty then, but be calm and at ease and use the sacrifice, turning to the heavenly and reflecting the light within. With a clear conscience there is no distress; when ruler and minister contend both are ruined, and only reporting to heaven turns the situation and brings blessing.
Line 6 · YinLine 6
Oppressed by the vines, in perilous uncertainty: it is said that to move is regret, and there is regret. Setting out brings good fortune.
Small ImageOppressed by the vines: it is not fitting. Moving is regret, and there is regret: an auspicious course.
ExplainedThe vines are the entanglements of affection, of kin and of love; where they tangle there is uncertainty, suspicion and a haze of doubt. Every movement brings regret, as in a marriage locked in cold silence for half a year, where neither leaving nor staying is right. The way out is repentance: cease blaming others, remember the vow and dissolve the grudge, and the knot opens and the two become true companions.
Key takeaway
Oppression teaches that when growth reaches its limit adversity comes, and that adversity is what forges a person of the Way.
Frequently asked questions
What does Hexagram 47 (Kun) mean in the I Ching?
Kun is Lake over Water: the lake dried and waterless, as in a great drought when all things are trapped. The hexagram teaches that growth pushed to its limit falls into adversity, and that adversity forces a complete transformation, so that the good person passes through affliction and becomes a person of the Way.
What is the judgment of Hexagram 47?
Oppression. Success. Steadfastness. The great person, good fortune; no blame. Words are not believed. Affliction, whether illness or poverty or prison, as with King Wen in captivity and Confucius starving between Chen and Cai, can yet bring success, for it steadies the heart, opens kindness and wisdom, and fits one to bear heavy loads. Steadfastness turns iron into steel; the great person receives heaven's mandate and…
What do the six lines of Hexagram 47 say?
Line 1: His seat is oppressed by a tree stump; he enters the dark valley and for three years sees nothing. Line 2: Oppressed by wine and food: the crimson sash is coming. Favorable to use the offering; setting out brings misfortune, but no blame. Line 3: Oppressed by stone, resting on thorns, entering his house he does not see his wife: misfortune. Line 4: He comes slowly, oppressed by the golden carriage: distress, but there is an end. Line 5: Mutilated, oppressed by the crimson sash: slowly there is release. Favorable to use the sacrifice. Line 6: Oppressed by the vines, in perilous uncertainty: it is said that to move is regret, and there is regret. Setting out brings good fortune.
What is the main lesson of Hexagram 47 (Oppression)?
Oppression teaches that when growth reaches its limit adversity comes, and that adversity is what forges a person of the Way.
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