I Ching · Hexagram 58 of 64
Hexagram 58: Dui （兑） — The Joyous Lake
The Lake above and below: a wide water, the sea. The waves sound like eloquent argument, like whispering, like words of love, a natural image of speech. The character also means to speak, and to please the ear. The hexagram teaches the art of speech: how to speak fittingly, how to reach the heart, and how to turn others toward good.
At a glance
| Hexagram | 58 of 64 |
|---|---|
| Name | Dui 兑 · The Joyous Lake |
| Upper trigram | Dui （兑）· Lake |
| Lower trigram | Dui （兑）· Lake |
| Structure | Lake over Lake |
| Lines | 6 lines |
The Judgment （卦辞）
The Joyous. Success. Favorable to persevere.
ExplainedThe joyous is speech. Success, favor and perseverance are three of the four virtues of the Creative, the order of benevolence, propriety, rightness and wisdom. Success is the meeting of what is auspicious - Heaven's gift meeting human assent - and courtesy opens the way so that both heavenly and human help gather. Favor is the harmony of rightness: words that benefit all beings bring Heaven's help and great reward. Perseverance means words that turn a person from evil to good and make him a noble one. Speech has immense power: it can make a Buddha, and it can be the giving of teaching, as the words of Confucius, Jesus and Laozi have outlived their ages. Speech must never be taken lightly, for it can make a sage and it can also create the karma of the mouth.
Tuan Zhuan — Commentary on the Judgment （彖传）
The Joyous means speech. Firm within and yielding without, speaking with favor and perseverance; therefore it accords with Heaven and responds to men. When one speaks to the people beforehand, they forget their toil; when one speaks to them in difficulty, they forget death. Great is the power of speech: the people are stirred to effort.
ExplainedFirm within and yielding without is the image: the central lines are firm, so the mind holds a settled and unbiased measure, and the outer line is yielding, so the manner is gentle and persuasive rather than aggressive. To speak with favor and perseverance is to make the content turn others toward good, not to cheat them with a fluent tongue; the great direction is to aspire to sagehood and to seek nothing else. So it accords with Heaven, which protects the good and upholds the law, and responds to men, in whose hearts justice is written. When the words of authority reach the people, they press on and forget their toil; when they are persuaded to face hardship, they forget death. The greatest power of speech is to rouse people to good, so that they need no reward to do right.
Xiang Zhuan — Image Commentary （大象）
Two lakes joined: The Joyous. The gentleman joins friends for discussion and practice.
ExplainedTwo lakes mirroring each other, two lamps lighting each other. The hexagram shows two mouths speaking, and so the gentleman discusses and practices with friends: to learn alone and without a friend is to be narrow, while a companion to argue with trains one's power to express, to persuade and to resolve doubt.
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
Harmonious speech. Good fortune.
Small ImageThe good fortune of harmonious speech: the action is not doubted.
ExplainedHarmonious speech is to speak in a warm and peaceful way. The point is to let the other speak too, to listen carefully and weave his view into one's own, expressing friendliness. The other then holds no doubt of your goodwill and grants what you ask. This is the highest level of conversation, and it requires breadth of mind, wisdom and compassion.
Line 2 · YangLine 2
Sincere speech. Good fortune. Regret vanishes.
Small ImageThe good fortune of sincere speech: the will is trusted.
ExplainedSincere speech is to speak honestly and plainly. It uses no technique but is solid and true, and words that can bear examination can also persuade. Though such words may be hard to hear, when they prove right the regret is gone, for only silence would have brought regret. The other believes in your good intention, and so accepts what you say; even a voice that does not flatter can be believed.
Line 3 · YinLine 3
Coming speech. Misfortune.
Small ImageThe misfortune of coming speech: its place is not right.
ExplainedComing speech is to talk on and on without listening, or to come only to gossip, to sow discord, or to pour out complaints. Such a person wins no one and is the most tiresome of all. The mouth opens and the spirit scatters, the tongue moves and quarrel is born: the more he talks the weaker he grows, and he is known as a sower of discord. Such habits should be given up.
Line 4 · YangLine 4
Discussion speech, not yet at peace. If the illness is removed, there is joy.
Small ImageThe joy of the fourth line: there is blessing.
ExplainedDiscussion speech is the language of consultation, not settled because the matter is still open; in council one must lay down one's own opinion, for communication is not the transfer of a conclusion to the other. To remove the illness is to let the discussion cure a fault, and to do so not by blame but in a tone of counsel that lets the person see for himself. To change a bad habit is the one thing truly worth celebrating.
Line 5 · YangLine 5
Sincere in what strips away. There is peril.
Small ImageSincere in what strips away: his place is right and central.
ExplainedHere one believes a doctrine that strips away life, a false teaching that strips the person, as the authority of a political, religious or business leader can put a whole people to sleep; so, too, the notion that high degrees and high incomes are the only good. Because his place is central and right, his word carries authority and people cannot but believe, and they live out the doctrine in misery. Whoever holds authority must not broadcast his own assumption as truth, and this holds for parents and teachers as well.
Line 6 · YinLine 6
Drawing speech.
Small ImageThe drawing speech of the top line: it is not yet light.
ExplainedDrawing speech is to lead people on - first to attract with what they desire, then to lead them into wisdom, as free haircuts and open vegetarian feasts draw seekers, and as flour once drew the poor to the church. It is a skillful means of drawing people toward the way and no evil comes of saving them, but it is never an open and honorable road and can never be made great. It may serve in an emergency, but should not be taken as the proper path.
Key takeaway
The lake is speech, and the art of speech is to speak fittingly, reach the heart, and turn others toward good.
Frequently asked questions
What does Hexagram 58 (Dui) mean in the I Ching?
The Lake above and below: a wide water, the sea. The waves sound like eloquent argument, like whispering, like words of love, a natural image of speech. The character also means to speak, and to please the ear. The hexagram teaches the art of speech: how to speak fittingly, how to reach the heart, and how to turn others toward good.
What is the judgment of Hexagram 58?
The Joyous. Success. Favorable to persevere. The joyous is speech. Success, favor and perseverance are three of the four virtues of the Creative, the order of benevolence, propriety, rightness and wisdom. Success is the meeting of what is auspicious - Heaven's gift meeting human assent - and courtesy opens the way so that both heavenly and human help gather…
What do the six lines of Hexagram 58 say?
Line 1: Harmonious speech. Good fortune. Line 2: Sincere speech. Good fortune. Regret vanishes. Line 3: Coming speech. Misfortune. Line 4: Discussion speech, not yet at peace. If the illness is removed, there is joy. Line 5: Sincere in what strips away. There is peril. Line 6: Drawing speech.
What is the main lesson of Hexagram 58 (The Joyous Lake)?
The lake is speech, and the art of speech is to speak fittingly, reach the heart, and turn others toward good.
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