初
初六。臀困于株木、入于幽谷、三歳不覿。
Buttocks trapped on a stump; entering a dark valley; three years unseen. Long obscurity—do not despair.
䷮
Hexagram 47
Oppression (Exhaustion) (沢水困)
Takusui-kon / Kùn
Lake drained by water—restriction and fatigue. Endure with inner truth.
Judgment
困。亨、貞、大人吉、无咎。有言不信。
Oppression. Success through correctness; the great person is fortunate and blameless. Words are not believed.
Though trapped, maintain integrity; results will come even if not believed now.
Line-by-Line (Yao)
Interpretations if the line changes.
二
九二。困于酒食、朱紱方來、利用享祀。征凶、无咎。
Oppressed by feasting; red sashes arrive; good to sacrifice. Going to war is bad; staying brings no blame. Ritual over rash action.
三
六三。困于石、據于蒺藜、入于其宮、不見其妻、凶。
Stuck on stone, sitting on thorns; entering the house, not seeing the wife—misfortune. Painful blockage affects home.
四
九四。來徐徐、困于金車、吝、有終。
Coming slowly; trapped in a metal cart—regret, yet there is an end. Slow progress but eventual release.
五
九五。劓刖、困于赤紱。乃徐有説、利用祭祀。
Nose cut, feet shackled; oppressed by red sashes. Slowly there is relief; good to sacrifice. Endurance brings easing.
上
上六。困于葛藟、于臲卼、曰動悔。有悔、征吉。
Entangled in vines, on shaky ground; moving brings regret. If regret is faced, going forth is good. Act after reflection.
Practical Reading: Love, Career, Health & Decisions
When you cast Hexagram 47, Kùn (Oppression), the Book of Changes shows you a situation with Dui (Lake) above and Kan (Water) below. Lake drained by water—restriction and fatigue. Endure with inner truth. Use the cards below to map that pattern onto your specific question — a love reading, a career decision, a health concern, or a yes/no choice.
Love & Relationships
Feeling stuck; be honest and patient. In a love or relationship reading, Hexagram 47 (Kùn) describes the meeting point of Dui (lake) above and Kan (water) below: how the outer situation meets your inner state. Ask whether you are forcing the relationship to fit a picture, or letting it move at the rhythm this hexagram suggests. For a partnered question, read the changing lines to see which side — yours or the other person's — is being asked to shift.
Work & Career
Constrained resources; uphold principles and endure. In work and career, Kùn points to whether the outer market or workplace (Dui (lake)) and your inner stance (Kan (water)) are in alignment. If a project, negotiation, or job change is the question, ask what this hexagram says about timing rather than effort: pushing harder rarely changes a Kùn situation; reading the configuration usually does.
Health & Wellbeing
Fatigue—rest deeply and maintain faith. For a body or wellness reading, treat the lines of Hexagram 47 as descriptions of phases, not diagnoses. Kùn usually signals where energy needs to be conserved versus where it is asking to be expressed. Combine the hexagram's advice with concrete medical guidance — the I Ching is a reflective tool, not a substitute for professional care.
Decision-Making
When the question is a yes/no — should I take the offer, move, leave, commit? — read Hexagram 47 (Kùn, Oppression) as a statement about the configuration of your situation rather than the outcome. The summary "Lake drained by water—restriction and fatigue. Endure with inner truth." is your starting frame. Ask: does this action respect that configuration, or fight it? Changing lines, if any, tell you which specific aspect needs to bend.
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