The lake has drained away; the water is below, out of reach. Kun is the hexagram of exhaustion and confinement, of being worn out, hemmed in and unheard. It is a test of inner resources. Words won't help now, because no one listens. What helps is staying true to your purpose, conserving strength and keeping your spirit unbroken until the situation changes.
Judgment
困：亨，貞，大人吉，无咎，有言不信。
Confinement: success. Steadfastness: for the great person, good fortune and no blame. There are words, but they are not trusted.
Image
澤无水，困；君子以致命遂志。
The lake has no water: confinement. Taking this as a model, the noble one will give even their life to fulfill their purpose.
- Exhaustion and confinement
- Not being heard
- Inner resilience
- Staying true under pressure
- Testing of character
- exhaustion
- adversity
- resilience
- confinement
- endurance
- purpose
- Adversity tests and reveals character.
- When words aren't believed, let conduct speak.
- Hold to your purpose; the confinement will pass.
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
臀困于株木，入于幽谷，三歲不覿。
Buttocks pinned against a tree stump; one enters a dark valley and for three years sees no one.
Discouragement turns into gloom, and you sink deeper by dwelling on it. Resist withdrawing into darkness; that only prolongs the trouble.
- Sinking into gloom
- Self-pity
- Letting discouragement become despair
- Lifting your gaze before sinking further
Line 2Nine in the second place 九二
Line text
困于酒食，朱紱方來，利用亨祀，征凶，无咎。
Confined amid wine and food. The red sash of office is about to arrive. Favorable to make offerings. Marching on: misfortune, but no blame.
Outwardly you lack nothing, yet inwardly you feel stuck and unfulfilled. Help is on its way; in the meantime, stay inwardly composed rather than acting rashly.
- Inner emptiness amid plenty
- Help approaching
- Acting rashly out of restlessness
- Recognition arriving in time
Line 3Six in the third place 六三
Line text
困于石，據于蒺藜，入于其宮，不見其妻，凶。
Confined by rocks, leaning on thorns. Entering the house, one does not see one's wife. Misfortune.
Restless and agitated, you push against what cannot move and lean on what hurts. Desperate action makes everything worse, even at home.
- Desperate struggle
- Leaning on what hurts
- Thrashing against immovable things
- Stopping before more is lost
Line 4Nine in the fourth place 九四
Line text
來徐徐，困于金車，吝，有終。
Arriving slowly, slowly, confined in a bronze carriage. Regret, but it comes to an end.
You want to help, but wealth or status gets in the way and makes you hesitant. Though it's embarrassing, you get there in the end.
- Slow help
- Status as a hindrance
- Letting comfort slow your response
- Arriving late but arriving
Line 5Nine in the fifth place 九五
Line text
劓刖，困于赤紱，乃徐有說，利用祭祀。
Nose and feet cut off; confined by the one in the red sash. Then gladness comes, slowly. Favorable to make offerings.
Trying to help, you meet obstruction from both sides, especially from those in authority. Stay calm and sincere; relief and quiet joy come gradually.
- Obstructed from all sides
- Slow relief
- Losing faith in your purpose
- Relief that comes slowly but surely
Line 6Six at the top 上六
Line text
困于葛藟，于臲卼，曰動悔有悔，征吉。
Confined by creeping vines, on a shaky perch. One says: "Moving will bring regret." If one does regret it, marching on brings good fortune.
The bonds holding you are weak now; what keeps you stuck is the fear of moving. Recognize that fear, and act. Moving forward brings good fortune.
- Fear of moving
- Weak bonds
- Staying stuck out of anticipated regret
- Breaking free with a decisive step
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
A lake whose water has seeped away underground: depletion. Kun describes a time of being drained, financially, emotionally or physically, or hemmed in by circumstances. The judgment is surprisingly positive: for the person of character, adversity can lead to success, because it strengthens what is essential. The reading may suggest a hard time in which your efforts feel unseen.
The judgment's last phrase is practical advice: when you speak, you won't be believed, so don't waste energy defending yourself. The image asks for the highest commitment: be willing to stake everything on your deepest purpose. In relation to a question, Kun may emphasize endurance, self-reliance and keeping your spirit intact while outward conditions are poor.