Hexagram 57
The GentleXùn 巽
Also translated as Wind, Penetration, Ground.
Wind / Wood above Wind / Wood below
Wind follows wind, reaching into every corner. Xun is gentle, persistent influence: penetration not by force but by steady, repeated pressure, like wind shaping trees or roots splitting rock. Success comes gradually and in small steps, with a clear aim and guidance from someone wise. Indecision is the main danger.
Judgment
巽：小亨，利有攸往，利見大人。
Wind: small success. Favorable to have somewhere to go; favorable to see the great person.
Image
隨風，巽；君子以申命行事。
Wind follows wind: the gentle. Taking this as a model, the noble one repeats their instructions and carries out their affairs.
- Gentle persistence
- Influence through penetration
- Clear direction
- Repetition and consistency
- Avoiding indecision
- gentleness
- persistence
- influence
- penetration
- consistency
- direction
- Steady, gentle pressure accomplishes what force cannot.
- Repeat your message clearly and consistently.
- Have a clear aim; vacillation scatters influence.
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
進退，利武人之貞。
Advancing, retreating. Favorable: the steadfastness of a soldier.
You waver back and forth, unable to decide. What's needed is a soldier's discipline: make a decision and stick to it.
- Indecision
- Disciplined resolve
- Endless wavering
- Clarity through a firm decision
Line 2Nine in the second place 九二
Line text
巽在床下，用史巫紛若，吉无咎。
Wind under the bed. Using chroniclers and diviners in a crowd: good fortune, no blame.
Hidden influences are at work in the dark corners. Track them down patiently and bring them into the open, using every means of understanding available.
- Uncovering hidden influences
- Investigation
- Ignoring what works in the shadows
- Resolving a problem by finding its hidden cause
Line 3Nine in the third place 九三
Line text
頻巽，吝。
Repeated, anxious yielding: regret.
Thinking things over and over without acting, or giving way again and again, leads to embarrassment. At some point you need to decide.
- Overthinking
- Too much yielding
- Analysis without action
- Ending the cycle with a decision
Line 4Six in the fourth place 六四
Line text
悔亡，田獲三品。
Regret passes. The hunt yields game of three grades.
Experience, modesty and energy combine and bring success on several fronts. The gentle approach pays off.
- Success through gentle effort
- Rich results
- Doubting what is working
- Gains in more than one area
Line 5Nine in the fifth place 九五
Line text
貞吉悔亡，无不利。无初有終。先庚三日，後庚三日，吉。
Steadfastness: good fortune; regret passes. Nothing is unfavorable. No good start, but a good end. Three days before the seventh day, three days after it: good fortune.
A correction is needed. The start may be rough, but careful thought before the change and attention afterwards ensure a good outcome.
- Correction with care
- Good end after poor start
- Changing without reflection
- A well-managed improvement
Line 6Nine at the top 上九
Line text
巽在床下，喪其資斧，貞凶。
Wind under the bed. Funds and axe are lost. Persisting: misfortune.
Pursuing hidden influences too far, or yielding too much, costs you the means to defend yourself. Know when to stop.
- Excessive yielding
- Loss of means
- Searching or submitting beyond reason
- Stopping while you still have your strength
Related hexagrams
Have a question on your mind?
Cast a readingChinese text: Zhouyi 周易 (received classical text). English rendering and notes: Site rendering. About our sources
Commentary
Xun doubles the trigram of wind and wood, the eldest daughter, gentle and penetrating. Its strength is not in impact but in continuity. The wind keeps blowing in the same direction and gradually changes the landscape. The reading may suggest that your situation calls for patience and quiet, consistent influence rather than dramatic action.
The judgment allows only small success, which is still real success, and recommends having a goal and seeking guidance. The image adds that instructions should be repeated so that they sink in. The lines warn against both indecision and excessive submissiveness. In relation to a question, Xun may emphasize persuasion, adaptability, clarity of purpose and persistence over time.