I Ching · Hexagram 53 of 64
Hexagram 53: Jian （渐） — Development
Mountain below, Wind and Wood above: the wind-horse, a great bird drifting over the mountain on the air. After Keeping Still the stillness turns to movement; with steadiness won and wisdom opened, life unfolds in the light. The hexagram teaches the gradual way of growth within stability, using the wild goose's slow flight as the image of advance from first steps to liberation.
At a glance
| Hexagram | 53 of 64 |
|---|---|
| Name | Jian 渐 · Development |
| Upper trigram | Xun （巽）· Wind |
| Lower trigram | Gen （艮）· Mountain |
| Structure | Wind over Mountain |
| Lines | 6 lines |
The Judgment （卦辞）
Development. The maiden is given in marriage. Good fortune. Favorable to persevere.
ExplainedDevelopment is the daily advance upward, not a single leap. To have the mountain's steadiness and the wind's far ranging is the best marriage portion for a woman: in a marriage where the man yields to the woman, courtesy and accommodation make the match good. It also means establishing a home and a career - with a worthy partner there is good fortune and upright character, wealth with propriety, and benefit to self and others.
Tuan Zhuan — Commentary on the Judgment （彖传）
The advance of Development: the maiden is given in marriage, good fortune. Advancing, it attains its place; going forward, it has merit. Advancing in correctness, it can set the state right. Its place is that the firm attains the middle. It is still, and it is gentle; therefore movement is never exhausted.
ExplainedThe advance of Development is unhurried, like riding slowly in a carriage. Advancing it attains its place: choosing the right work and the right station after establishing a home, one renders merit to the state. Advancing in correctness, one can set the state right. Its place is that the firm attains the middle: the yang line holds the central place, unselfish and firm within while soft without. It is still and it is gentle - with steadiness inside and adaptability outside one is trusted, and so movement is never exhausted, as the household of a well-matched couple is never exhausted.
Xiang Zhuan — Image Commentary （大象）
Trees on the mountain: Development. The gentleman abides in excellent virtue and improves the customs.
ExplainedWind also means wood; a tree on the mountain grows with the wind. The gentleman is like a great tree on the mountain: the more he grows, the more birds, beasts and even spirits gather to him, and by his virtue the customs of a place are improved.
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 wild goose advances to the shore. The young one is in danger; there is talk. No blame.
Small ImageThe danger of the young one: by what is right, no blame.
ExplainedThe great goose ends its long flight at the water's edge - a young person entering society. The shore is rich in food and full of danger: the young are severely tested, and the desire for gain easily loses the nature. Whoever can choose food and shun danger, seeing profit without forgetting what is right, may draw criticism but no blame. The key is rightness: profit gained at the cost of rightness is the road down.
Line 2 · YinLine 2
The wild goose advances to the rock. Eating and drinking in peace and joy. Good fortune.
Small ImageEating and drinking in peace and joy: he does not eat without cause.
ExplainedAs geese roost together, one stands on the rock to watch while the flock feeds in peace. This is the second stage: not only to see profit without losing rightness, but to sacrifice and serve the many. He does not eat without cause - not only filling himself nor taking unjust gain, but eating less and letting the many profit. Heaven rewards only the good.
Line 3 · YangLine 3
The wild goose advances to the dry land. The husband goes and does not return; the wife is with child and does not bear. Misfortune. Favorable to ward off robbers.
Small ImageThe husband goes and does not return: he has left his kind. The wife is with child and does not bear: she has lost the way. Favorable to ward off robbers: guard each other in harmony.
ExplainedThe goose has flown astray to dry inland waste and lost the flock. So a husband marches out and does not return, a wife marries badly and loses her child - all because one clings to worthless companions and has lost the way. The remedy is to fend off robbers: once the false friend and the wicked man are recognized, guard yourself and keep your strength for another day.
Line 4 · YangLine 4
The wild goose advances to the tree. Perhaps it finds a flat branch. No blame.
Small ImagePerhaps it finds a flat branch: yielding and gentle.
ExplainedEven in the waste of the third line, Heaven does not let a man be cut off. The goose's webbed foot cannot grip a round branch, but perhaps it finds a flat one and rests high and safe. Because it has turned from stubbornness to gentleness, Heaven grants the branch: whoever grows gentle and accepts training will find a branch to rest on and be renewed.
Line 5 · YangLine 5
The wild goose advances to the hill. The wife is three years without child. In the end nothing can overcome him. Good fortune.
Small ImageIn the end nothing can overcome him, good fortune: he obtains what he wished.
ExplainedAt the fifth and top lines the immortal crane retreats into the mountains to be transformed, leaving the ordinary for the holy. The wife three years without child means that the work of refining the heart shows no visible result, for the way is formless and hard to verify. Yet in the end nothing can overcome him: the will is fixed as a commoner's will cannot be taken from him, and at last the wish is fulfilled. Confidence hardened turns the heart soft and the nature bright, and that is its own reward.
Line 6 · YangLine 6
The wild goose advances to the clouds. Its feathers can be used for the ritual. Good fortune.
Small ImageIts feathers can be used for the ritual: good fortune, for it cannot be disordered.
ExplainedHere the place is not dry waste but the cloud road: the crane has shed its body and flown. Its fallen feathers are taken by the priest for the rites of Heaven, the feather becoming sacred and able to drive off evil. So one's every word and deed may be a model for others and a ward against what is base. Because he has reached the unmoved mind, nothing evil can shake him.
Key takeaway
Development is growth within stability, shown in the wild goose's slow flight, from first steps to liberation.
Frequently asked questions
What does Hexagram 53 (Jian) mean in the I Ching?
Mountain below, Wind and Wood above: the wind-horse, a great bird drifting over the mountain on the air. After Keeping Still the stillness turns to movement; with steadiness won and wisdom opened, life unfolds in the light. The hexagram teaches the gradual way of growth within stability, using the wild goose's slow flight as the image of advance from first steps to liberation.
What is the judgment of Hexagram 53?
Development. The maiden is given in marriage. Good fortune. Favorable to persevere. Development is the daily advance upward, not a single leap. To have the mountain's steadiness and the wind's far ranging is the best marriage portion for a woman: in a marriage where the man yields to the woman, courtesy and accommodation make the match good. It also means establishing a home and a career - with a…
What do the six lines of Hexagram 53 say?
Line 1: The wild goose advances to the shore. The young one is in danger; there is talk. No blame. Line 2: The wild goose advances to the rock. Eating and drinking in peace and joy. Good fortune. Line 3: The wild goose advances to the dry land. The husband goes and does not return; the wife is with child and does not bear. Misfortune. Favorable to ward off robbers. Line 4: The wild goose advances to the tree. Perhaps it finds a flat branch. No blame. Line 5: The wild goose advances to the hill. The wife is three years without child. In the end nothing can overcome him. Good fortune. Line 6: The wild goose advances to the clouds. Its feathers can be used for the ritual. Good fortune.
What is the main lesson of Hexagram 53 (Development)?
Development is growth within stability, shown in the wild goose's slow flight, from first steps to liberation.
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