Hexagram 29Upper Kan · WaterLower Kan · Water

Kan · The Abyss

坎卦 · 坎为水

Danger
Hardship
Faith
Resilience

The Judgment

Khan, here repeated, shows the possession of sincerity, through which the mind is penetrating. Action (in accordance with this) will be of high value.

习坎。有孚，维心亨，行有尚。

The Image

Water flows on and on to its goal: the repeated abyss. The noble one, in the same way, keeps virtue constant and keeps practising teaching.

水洊至，习坎。君子以常德行，习教事。

Plain-language reading

Your situation

You are going through a time full of difficulties, danger upon danger: one problem is not yet solved before the next arrives. Kan is water upon water, a symbol of falling and of peril. It may leave you exhausted, feeling trapped or even doubting yourself.

Where to put your effort

Hold on to your inner faith: if your heart stays steady, there is a way through. Move like water: do not smash against the rocks and do not stop; flow around them and keep going. Keep practising how to cope; hardship is training. Do not expect to leap out of the pit in one go. Climb out step by step and you will be more resilient than before.

Four areas of life

Career: Step-by-step promotion; stay prepared for trouble at all times.
Wealth: Money flows like water; business runs smoothly.
Family: Building work next door; family ties grow closer.
Health: Diarrhoea; pray sincerely for recovery.

Health notes come from traditional texts and are cultural reference only. If you feel unwell, please see a doctor.

The six lines

Read from the bottom up: the first line is at the bottom, the top line is at the top. Open each line for details.

Six at the beginningThe first line, divided, shows its subject in the double defile, and (yet) entering a cavern within it. There will be evil.Moving

初六：习坎，入于坎窞。凶。

Image：In the repeated abyss, falling into a pit: losing the way brings misfortune.

Career: Seeking fame through luck backfires.
Wealth: Trading at a loss; money goes out and does not come back.
Family: An uneasy house; be careful with marriage.
Health: The wrong treatment; the situation is critical.

Nine in the second placeThe second line, undivided, shows its subject in all the peril of the defile. He will, however, get a little (of the deliverance) that he seeks.Moving

九二：坎有险，求小得。

Image：Seeking a little and getting it: not yet out of the middle.

Career: Small trials pay off; do not aim too big.
Wealth: Careful management can bring a small profit.
Family: Watch the riverbank.
Health: Treatment works, but full recovery is hard.

Six in the third placeThe third line, divided, shows its subject, whether he comes or goes (=descends or ascends), confronted by a defile. All is peril to him and unrest. (His endeavours) will lead him into the cavern of the pit. There should be no action (in such a case).Moving

六三：来之坎坎，险且枕，入于坎窞，勿用。

Image：Pit after pit, coming and going: in the end, no success.

Career: Endure the hard times and wait for the future.
Wealth: Shipping is blocked; hold steady for now.
Family: Fill in the pits; a proposal will not succeed.
Health: Avoid overwork.

Six in the fourth placeThe fourth line, divided, shows its subject (at a feast), with (simply) a bottle of spirits, and a subsidiary basket of rice, while (the cups and bowls) are (only) of earthenware. He introduces his important lessons (as his ruler's) intelligence admits. There will in the end be no error.Moving

六四：樽酒簋贰，用缶，纳约自牖，终无咎。

Image：A jug of wine and a bowl of rice: where firm and yielding meet.

Career: Riding high, hosting honoured guests.
Wealth: The brewing business goes quite well.
Family: Run the house frugally; an auspicious marriage.
Health: Best to pray.

Nine in the fifth placeThe fifth line, undivided, shows the water of the defile not yet full, (so that it might flow away); but order will (soon) be brought about. There will be no error.Moving

九五：坎不盈，祗既平，无咎。

Image：The abyss is not yet full: the centre is not yet great.

Career: Do not be arrogant; your success has limits.
Wealth: Forget short-term gains; think long term.
Family: A pleasing view; a well-matched marriage.
Health: Stay calm and composed.

Six at the topThe topmost line, divided, shows its subject bound with cords of three strands or two strands, and placed in the thicket of thorns. But in three years he does not learn the course for him to pursue. There will be evil.Moving

上六：系用徵纆，寘于丛棘，三岁不得，凶。

Image：Six at the top has lost the way: misfortune for three years.

Career: Unexpected trouble; be careful of legal problems.
Wealth: The textile business takes three years to succeed.
Family: Repair the home; a good match must wait three years.
Health: Hard to move; rest with an easy mind.

Related hexagrams

Judgment and line texts from the public-domain translation by James Legge (1882). Readings by DeepHeart AI.

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