Two yin lines advance from below while the yang lines withdraw upward, as the mountain rises yet heaven always recedes beyond it. Dun is the art of timely retreat: when opposing forces are gaining, withdraw in good order to preserve your strength. Retreat is not defeat. Done at the right time and with dignity, it prepares the ground for a later return.
Judgment
遯：亨，小利貞。
Retreat: success. Small advantage in steadfastness.
Image
天下有山，遯；君子以遠小人，不惡而嚴。
Beneath heaven, a mountain: retreat. Taking this as a model, the noble one keeps small-minded people at arm's length, firmly but without hostility.
- Timely withdrawal
- Preserving strength
- Dignity without hostility
- Recognizing changing tides
- Strategic patience
- retreat
- withdrawal
- timing
- dignity
- detachment
- strategy
- Withdraw in time, while you still can do so freely.
- Keep distance from negative forces without hatred.
- Retreat preserves strength for a better moment.
The six lines
Lines are numbered from the bottom. In a reading, only the lines that are changing apply to your cast.
Line 1Six at the beginning 初六
Line text
遯尾，厲，勿用有攸往。
Retreating at the tail end: danger. Do not try to go anywhere.
You are the last to retreat and the danger is close. Rather than trying anything new, keep still and wait quietly.
- Late retreat
- Keeping still
- Starting new initiatives in a precarious position
- Safety through stillness
Line 2Six in the second place 六二
Line text
執之用黃牛之革，莫之勝說。
Bound fast with yellow oxhide that no one can loosen.
A firm bond, for example loyalty to someone stronger, holds you even as others withdraw. Your determination to stay true cannot be broken.
- Unbreakable loyalty
- Firm attachment
- Holding on when it no longer serves anyone
- Steadfast support during a retreat
Line 3Nine in the third place 九三
Line text
係遯，有疾厲，畜臣妾吉。
A tied-down retreat: illness and danger. Keeping servants and attendants: good fortune.
Ties and obligations keep you from retreating freely. Make the best of it by caring for those who depend on you, without letting them dictate your course.
- Entangled retreat
- Duties that hold you back
- Being trapped by others' needs
- Turning obligations into loyal support
Line 4Nine in the fourth place 九四
Line text
好遯，君子吉，小人否。
A willing retreat. For the noble one, good fortune; for small-minded people, not so.
Withdrawing willingly and in good spirit is possible for someone with inner freedom. Those who cling to what they leave behind suffer from the change.
- Willing withdrawal
- Inner freedom
- Retreating with resentment
- Leaving gracefully and lightly
Line 5Nine in the fifth place 九五
Line text
嘉遯，貞吉。
A friendly retreat. Steadfastness: good fortune.
The right moment for retreat is recognized, and it is carried out courteously and firmly. A clear, amicable withdrawal brings good fortune.
- Amicable withdrawal
- Clear decision
- Being drawn into arguments about leaving
- A clean, friendly exit
Line 6Nine at the top 上九
Line text
肥遯，无不利。
A cheerful retreat. Nothing is unfavorable.
Free of doubt and attachment, you leave the situation completely and happily. Retreat becomes liberation.
- Complete liberation
- Joyful freedom
- Lingering doubts
- A new life beyond the old situation
Related hexagrams
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Cast a readingChinese text: Zhouyi 周易 (received classical text). English rendering and notes: Site rendering. About our sources
Commentary
Dun belongs to the sixth month, when the light begins to wane: the yin lines grow from below and the strong lines must give way. The reading may suggest that pressing on would mean fighting a losing battle, and that the wise course is to step back, conserve energy and wait. This might mean leaving a conflict, a role or a relationship, at least for now.
The image is about how to retreat: keep away from those who drag you down, but without anger or contempt, with reserve and dignity. A grudging, bitter retreat is not freedom. Only small matters can still be pursued. In relation to a question, Dun may emphasize timing, letting go gracefully and protecting what you value.