Coupang CPNG under CEO Bom Kim

Coupang CPNG under CEO Bom Kim

 

HEXAGRAM 03 – Chun – Difficulty at the Beginning

Above    K’AN    THE ABYSMAL, WATER

Below    CHEN    THE AROUSING, THUNDER

The name of the hexagram, Chun, really connotes

a blade of grass pushing against an obstacle

as it sprouts out of the earth hence the meaning, “difficulty at the beginning.”

The hexagram indicates the way in which heaven and earth bring forth individual beings.

It is their first meeting, which is beset with difficulties.

The lower trigram Chen is the Arousing;

• its motion is upward and
  
• its image is thunder.
  

The upper trigram K’an stands for the Abysmal, the dangerous.

• Its motion is downward and
  
• its image is rain.
  

The situation points to teeming, chaotic profusion;

thunder and rain fill the air.

But the chaos clears up.

• While the Abysmal sinks,
  
• the upward movement eventually passes beyond the danger.
  
• A thunderstorm brings release from tension, and
  
• all things breathe freely again.
  

 

THE JUDGMENT

DIFFICULTY AT THE BEGINNING works supreme success,

Furthering through perseverance.

Nothing should be undertaken.

It furthers one to appoint helpers.

Times of growth are beset with difficulties.

They resemble a first birth.

But these difficulties arise from the very profusion of all that is struggling to attain form.

Everything is in motion:

therefore if one perseveres there is a prospect of great success, in spite of the existing danger.

When it is a man’s fate to undertake such new beginnings, everything is still unformed, dark.

Hence he must hold back, because any premature move might bring disaster.

Likewise, it is very important not to remain alone;

in order to overcome the chaos he needs helpers.

This is not to say, however, that he himself should look on passively at what is happening.

He must lend his hand and participate with inspiration and guidance.

 

THE IMAGE

Clouds and thunder: The image Of DIFFICULTY AT THE BEGINNING.

Thus the superior man

Brings order out of confusion.

Clouds and thunder are represented by definite decorative lines;

this means that in the chaos of difficulty at the beginning, order is already implicit.

So too the superior man has to arrange and organize the inchoate profusion of such times of beginning, just as one sorts out silk threads from a knotted tangle and binds them into skeins.

In order to find one’s place in the infinity of being,

one must be able both

• to separate and
  
• to unite.
  

 

THE LINES

 

Six in the second place means:

Difficulties pile up.

Horse and wagon part.

He is not a robber.

He wants to woo when the time comes.

The maiden is chaste.

She does not pledge herself.

Ten years-then she pledges herself.

We find ourselves beset by difficulties and hindrances.

Suddenly there is a turn of affairs,

as if someone were coming up with a horse and wagon and unhitching them.

This event comes so unexpectedly that we assume the newcomer to be a robber.

Gradually it becomes clear that he

• has no evil intentions but
  
• seeks to be friendly and to offer help.
  

But this offer is not to be accepted, because it does not come from the right quarter.

We must wait until the time is fulfilled; ten years is a fulfilled cycle of time.

Then

• normal conditions return of themselves, and
  
• we can join forces with the friend intended for us.
  

Using the image of a betrothed girl who remains true to her lover in face of grave conflicts,

the hexagram gives counsel for a special situation.

When in times of difficulty a hindrance is encountered and unexpected relief is offered from a source unrelated to us,

we must be careful and not take upon ourselves any obligations entailed by such help;

otherwise our freedom of decision is impaired.

If we bide our time,

• things Will quiet down again, and
  
• we shall attain what we have hoped for. 1
  

 

Six in the fourth place means:

Horse and wagon part.

Strive for union.

To go brings good fortune.

Everything acts to further.

We are in a situation in which it is our duty to act,

but we lack sufficient power.

However, an opportunity to make connections offers itself.

It must be seized.

Neither false pride nor false reserve should deter us.

Bringing oneself to take the first step,

even when it involves a certain degree of self-abnegation, is a sign of inner clarity.

To accept help in a difficult situation is not a disgrace.

If the right helper is found, all goes well.

 

Six at the top means:

Horse and wagon part.

Bloody tears flow.

The difficulties at the beginning are too great for some persons.

• They get stuck and never find their way out;
  
• they fold their hands and give up the struggle.
  

Such resignation is the saddest of all things. Therefore

Confucius says of this line:

“Bloody tears flow: one should not persist in this.”

 

 

MOVING HEXAGRAM

 

 

HEXAGRAM 10 – Lu – Treading (Conduct)

Above    CH’IEN    THE CREATIVE, HEAVEN

Below    TUI        THE JOYOUS, LAKE

1. The name of the hexagram means on the one hand the right way of conducting oneself.
   

• Heaven, the father, is above,
  

and

• the lake, the youngest daughter, is below.
  

This shows the difference between high and low, upon which

composure, correct social conduct, depends.

1. On the other hand, the word for the name of the hexagram, TREADING, 1
   

   means literally treading upon something.
   

   The small and cheerful [Tui] treads upon the large and strong [Ch’ien].
   

   The direction of movement of the two primary trigrams is upward.
   

   The fact that the strong treads on the weak is not mentioned in the Book of Changes,
   

   because it is taken for granted.
   

   For the weak to take a stand against the strong is not dangerous here,
   

   because it happens in good humor [Tui] and without presumption,
   

so that

the strong man is not irritated but takes it all in good part.

 

THE JUDGMENT

TREADING.

Treading upon the tail of the tiger.

It does not bite the man.

Success.

The situation is really difficult.

That which is strongest and that which is weakest are close together.

• The weak follows behind the strong and worries it.
  
• The strong, however, acquiesces and does not hurt the weak,
  

because the contact is in good humor and harmless.

In terms of a human situation, one is handling wild, intractable people. In such a case one’s purpose will be achieved if one behaves with decorum. Pleasant manners succeed even with irritable people.

 

THE IMAGE

Heaven above, the lake below: The image Of TREADING.

Thus the superior man

• discriminates between high and low,
  

And thereby

• fortifies the thinking of the people.
  

Heaven and the lake show a difference of elevation that inheres in the natures of the two,

hence

no envy arises.

Among mankind also there are necessarily differences of elevation;

it is impossible to bring about universal equality.

But it is important that differences in social rank should not be arbitrary and unjust,

for if this occurs, envy and class struggle are the inevitable consequences.

• If, on the other hand, external differences in rank correspond with differences in inner worth,
  

and

• if inner worth forms the criterion of external rank,
  

people acquiesce and order reigns in society.

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