Gǔ · Work on the Decayed
Upper trigram: ☶ Mountain · lower trigram: ☴ Wind
Repair what neglect has spoiled; trace the evil back to its root in order to heal it.
The primitive graph shows a cup or vessel of food above which worms are stirring, evoking the image of a biological decay caused by neglect or lack of upkeep. It symbolises the moment when a situation has rotted with time or through carelessness, often owing to the errors of the past or of previous generations (the "affairs of the parents").
The necessity of a radical clean-up
This configuration corresponds to a phase of crisis in which one suffers the consequences of prolonged neglect. The situation can no longer continue as it is; inertia has generated an imbalance that threatens the whole structure. It is a difficult but indispensable moment of great cleansing, when what has been corrupted must be faced in order to be repaired.
Resolute action and calculated timing
The strategy demands an effort of scale and great firmness. The text counsels acting with method: "Three days before the start, three days after the start". This means analysing the origin of the ill before intervening, then following the effects of one's reform with vigilance. It is not blind destruction, but a conscious reconstruction aimed at restoring life to what had degraded.
Structurally, this figure places the trigram of Wind/Root-Wood (Xun, inner suppleness) below, beneath the trigram of the Mountain (Gen, the halt, stabilisation) above. The Mountain blocks the momentum of the Wind, creating a standing stagnation favourable to corruption. The leading role belongs to Gen (the Mountain), which supplies the force of cohesion needed to stop the rot and move on.
Each line is read only if it is changing in your cast. A changing line transforms the figure: the link under each text shows which hexagram it leads to.
Three-coin or yarrow-stalk cast, changing lines, outlook figure — computed on your device, no account.