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HEXAGRAM 60 – Chieh – Limitation
Above K’AN THE ABYSMAL, WATER
Below TUI THE JOYOUS, LAKE
A lake occupies a limited space.
When more water comes into it,
it overflows.
Therefore limits must be set for the water.
The image shows
· water below and
· water above,
with the firmament between them as a limit.
The Chinese word for limitation really denotes
the joints that divide a bamboo stalk.
· In relation to ordinary life
o it means the thrift that sets fixed limits upon expenditures.
· In relation to the moral sphere
o it means the fixed limits that the superior man sets upon his actions –
§ the limits of
· loyalty and
· disinterestedness.
THE JUDGMENT
LIMITATION.
Success.
Galling limitation must not be persevered in.
· Limitations are troublesome,
but
· they are effective.
If
· we live economically in normal times,
· we are prepared for times of want.
To be sparing saves us from humiliation.
Limitations are also indispensable in the regulation of world conditions.
In nature there are
· fixed limits for summer and winter, day and night, and
· these limits give the year its meaning.
In the same way,
economy, by
· setting fixed limits upon expenditures,
· acts to
o preserve property and
o prevent injury to the people.
But in limitation
we must observe due measure.
If
· a man should seek to impose galling limitations upon his own nature,
o it would be injurious.
And if
· he should go too far in imposing limitations on others,
o they would rebel.
Therefore
it is necessary to set limits even upon limitations
THE IMAGE
Water over lake: the image of LIMITATION.
Thus the superior man
· Creates number and measure, And
· examines the nature of
o virtue and
o correct conduct.
A lake is something limited.
Water is inexhaustible.
· A lake can contain only a definite amount of the infinite quantity of water;
o this is its peculiarity.
· In human life too the individual achieves significance through
o discrimination and
o the setting of limits.
Therefore what concerns us here is
the problem of clearly defining these discriminations,
which are, so to speak,
the backbone of morality.
Unlimited possibilities are not suited to man;
· if they existed,
· his life would only dissolve in the boundless.
To become strong,
· a man’s life needs the limitations
o ordained by duty and
o voluntarily accepted.
The individual attains significance as a free spirit only
· by surrounding himself with these limitations and
· by determining for himself what his duty is.
THE LINES
Nine in the second place means:
Not going out of
· the gate and
· the courtyard
Brings misfortune.
When
· the time for action has come,
· the moment must be quickly seized.
Just as
· water first collects in a lake without flowing out,
o yet is certain to find an outlet when the lake is full,
so it is in the life of man.
· It is a good thing to hesitate
o so long as the time for action has not come,
o but no longer.
Once the obstacles to action have been removed,
anxious hesitation
· is a mistake that
· is bound to bring disaster,
because one misses one’s opportunity.
Six in the fourth place means:
Contented limitation.
Success.
· Every limitation has its value,
but
· a limitation that requires persistent effort
entails a cost of too much energy.
When, however,
· the limitation is a natural one
(as for example, the limitation by which water flows only downhill),
· it necessarily leads to success,
for then it means a saving of energy.
The energy that otherwise would be consumed in
a vain struggle with the object,
· is applied wholly to the benefit of the matter in hand, and
· success is assured.
MOVING HEXAGRAM
HEXAGRAM 17 – Sui – Following
Above TUI THE JOYOUS, LAKE
Below CHEN THE AROUSING, THUNDER
· The trigram Tui, the Joyous,
o whose attribute is gladness, is above;
· Chen, the Arousing,
o which has the attribute of movement, is below.
Joy in movement induces following.
· The Joyous is the youngest daughter,
while
· the Arousing is the eldest son.
An older man
· defers to a young girl and
· shows her consideration.
By this he moves her to follow him.
THE JUDGMENT
FOLLOWING has supreme success.
Perseverance furthers.
No blame.
In order to obtain a following
one must first know how to adapt oneself.
If a man would rule
he must first learn to serve,
for only in this way
does he secure from those below him
the joyous assent that is necessary
if they are to follow him.
If he has to obtain a following
· by force or cunning,
· by conspiracy or
· by creating factions,
he invariably arouses resistance,
which obstructs willing adherence.
But even joyous movement can lead to evil consequences,
hence the added stipulation, "Perseverance furthers"-that is,
· consistency in doing right – together with
· "No blame."
Just as
· we should not ask others to follow us unless this condition is fulfilled,
so it is only under this condition that
· we can in turn follow others without coming to harm.
The thought of obtaining a following through adaptation to the demands of the time is a
· great and
· significant idea;
this is why the appended judgment is so favorable.
THE IMAGE
Thunder in the middle of the lake: The image of FOLLOWING.
Thus the superior man at nightfall
Goes indoors for
· rest and
· recuperation.
In the autumn electricity
· withdraws into the earth again and
· rests.
Here it is the thunder in the middle of the lake that serves as the image –
· thunder in its winter rest,
· not thunder in motion.
The idea of following in the sense of
adaptation to the demands of the time
grows out of this image.
Thunder in the middle of the lake indicates times of
· darkness and
· rest.
Similarly,
a superior man,
after being tirelessly active all day,
allows himself
· rest and
· recuperation at night.
No situation can become favorable until one
· is able to adapt to it and
· does not wear himself out with mistaken resistance.
