I Ching · Hexagram 59 of 64
Hexagram 59: Huan （涣） — Dispersion
Wind above, Water below: wind on the water, scattering the spray. Dispersion means dissolving: in a group, hearts scattered; in a person, the spirit scattered, as in the depression and anxiety of the age. The hexagram asks how what is broken may be gathered again.
At a glance
| Hexagram | 59 of 64 |
|---|---|
| Name | Huan 涣 · Dispersion |
| Upper trigram | Xun （巽）· Wind |
| Lower trigram | Kan （坎）· Water |
| Structure | Wind over Water |
| Lines | 6 lines |
The Judgment （卦辞）
Dispersion. Success. The king approaches his temple. Favorable to cross the great water. Favorable to persevere.
ExplainedDispersion is the scattering of hearts, yet the king saw in it an opening for success: because the tyrant's cruelty had scattered the people, he had his chance to gather them anew, since what has long been joined must part and what has long been apart must join, and to scatter and gather again is new growth. The king approaches his temple: he builds a common spiritual faith to reunite the people, for a faith beyond the visible is easy to share, so that he can cross the great water and accomplish great work. To persevere is to lead a people bound by faith to happiness and to noble character, which is the highest ideal, and not power and technology alone.
Tuan Zhuan — Commentary on the Judgment （彖传）
Dispersion, success. The firm comes and is without end; the yielding obtains its place in the outer and ascends in accord. The king approaches his temple: the king is in the middle. Favorable to cross the great water: riding on wood, there is merit.
ExplainedHow does dispersion succeed? Though all is scattered, a firm and upright energy pours in without ever exhausting itself, like Buddha-light shining everywhere. The yielding line obtains the outer place, the place of the minister, as the king by humility won the tyrant's trust and was made chief of the lords; the king is in the middle, for one who was below rises to the fifth place and builds the temple. To cross the great water riding on wood is to ride with benevolence, for wood belongs to the virtue of benevolence: when hearts are scattered and all deceive one another, only great compassion can gather them back.
Xiang Zhuan — Image Commentary （大象）
Wind over water: Dispersion. The ancient kings sacrificed to God and built temples.
ExplainedWind over water scattering the spray is the scattering of hearts. Facing it, the ancient kings sacrificed to God and established temples: God is the one redeeming power of the universe, formless and inconceivable, and true faith brings a sense of redemption - not money and cures, but the lifting of the spirit, release from guilt, and peace before death. If faith increases hope, confidence, kindness and wisdom day by day it is true; if there is no redeeming power, the faith is mistaken.
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
He rescues with a strong horse. Good fortune.
Small ImageThe good fortune of the first line: it is obedience.
ExplainedTo one whose spirit is scattered and who can go no further, one does not give doctrine but a strong horse to carry him out of his trouble. The good fortune is in obedience: once a person truly accepts the turning from evil to good, the rescuing horse appears. Whoever obeys the heavenly mandate is saved, and whoever resists stays trapped.
Line 2 · YangLine 2
Dispersion runs to its support. Regret vanishes.
Small ImageDispersion runs to its support: he obtains his wish.
ExplainedHaving been redeemed and brought through the danger, one finds the opportunity and must run to it before it slips away, and then regret vanishes. The support is the fulfilling of the wish, which comes only through the earlier obedience to Heaven. Most people begin to cultivate only when disaster is heavy and every road is closed; once redemption is won the opportunity opens, but one must not stop at the wish for relief from trouble.
Line 3 · YinLine 3
Dispersion of the self. No regret.
Small ImageDispersion of the self: the will is outside.
ExplainedTo disperse the self is to scatter one's selfishness, no longer seeking only one's own profit and safety. With gratitude there is no regret, and the will goes outward to benefit and serve others. This is the turning point of a life: from selfishness toward justice, which is exactly the difference between the noble and the petty.
Line 4 · YinLine 4
Dispersion of the group. Supreme good fortune. In the dispersion there is a hill. It is beyond imagining.
Small ImageDispersion of the group, supreme good fortune: it is wide and bright.
ExplainedTurning toward the common good, the crowd of old companions falls away, since the talk is no longer the same. This is supreme good fortune: the cost of loneliness is paid with patience, and the conscience unfolds and returns to the original nature. A whole group is lost and a hill is gained - the noble gather like grains into a tower, and the virtue rises high and long, beyond all imagining.
Line 5 · YangLine 5
Dispersion of sweat, the great proclamation. Dispersion of the king's dwelling. No blame.
Small ImageThe king's dwelling, no blame: his place is right.
ExplainedHaving become a bright noble one, he issues the great proclamation to all under heaven. The dispersion of the king's dwelling means that a sage king of a troubled age can gather the scattered hearts. The sweat stands for free flowing within the body, the vital energies gathered and rising, and the great proclamation for the commands that are exactly and correctly given, so that nothing is done amiss.
Line 6 · YangLine 6
Dispersion of blood. Depart, come out with trembling. No blame.
Small ImageDispersion of blood: he keeps harm far away.
ExplainedThe dispersion of blood is the protection of one's children and people from calamity; to depart and come out is to be free of dread and trembling, no longer living in constant fear. Harm is kept far away and the heart holds no panic. The one who was saved becomes, like the goddess of mercy, a protector of others, and the scattering that began in misfortune is turned into sainthood.
Key takeaway
Dispersion is the scattering of hearts and of the spirit, and the way to gather them again is a common faith and the redeeming power it brings.
Frequently asked questions
What does Hexagram 59 (Huan) mean in the I Ching?
Wind above, Water below: wind on the water, scattering the spray. Dispersion means dissolving: in a group, hearts scattered; in a person, the spirit scattered, as in the depression and anxiety of the age. The hexagram asks how what is broken may be gathered again.
What is the judgment of Hexagram 59?
Dispersion. Success. The king approaches his temple. Favorable to cross the great water. Favorable to persevere. Dispersion is the scattering of hearts, yet the king saw in it an opening for success: because the tyrant's cruelty had scattered the people, he had his chance to gather them anew, since what has long been joined must part and what has long been apart must join, and to scatter and gather again is new growth. The king…
What do the six lines of Hexagram 59 say?
Line 1: He rescues with a strong horse. Good fortune. Line 2: Dispersion runs to its support. Regret vanishes. Line 3: Dispersion of the self. No regret. Line 4: Dispersion of the group. Supreme good fortune. In the dispersion there is a hill. It is beyond imagining. Line 5: Dispersion of sweat, the great proclamation. Dispersion of the king's dwelling. No blame. Line 6: Dispersion of blood. Depart, come out with trembling. No blame.
What is the main lesson of Hexagram 59 (Dispersion)?
Dispersion is the scattering of hearts and of the spirit, and the way to gather them again is a common faith and the redeeming power it brings.
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