Xiao Xu · Small Accumulation
小畜卦 · 风天小畜
- Small gains
- Holding back
- Building up
- Patience
The Judgment
Hsiâo Khû indicates that (under its conditions) there will be progress and success. (We see) dense clouds, but no rain coming from our borders in the west.
亨。密云不雨，自我西郊。
The Image
The wind moves across the sky: small accumulation. The noble one, in the same way, refines their cultured virtue.
风行天上，小畜。君子以懿文德。
Plain-language reading
Your situation
You have built up something, but not yet enough for a breakthrough. Things feel like dense clouds that will not rain. In Xiao Xu, a gentle force is briefly holding back a strong one, so progress feels quietly pressed down and you cannot use your full strength.
Where to put your effort
Do not force it. This is a time for small, steady steps. Put your energy into developing yourself and doing the small things in front of you well. Resources, connections and reputation are building little by little; when there is enough, the rain will fall on its own.
Four areas of life
- Career
- Nothing special for now; you are held back by others.
- Wealth
- Looks fine on the surface, but there are many hidden costs.
- Family
- Modest comfort, but beware of gossip; a virtuous spouse.
- Health
- Heat and inflammation; mild in children, more serious in adults.
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.
Nine at the beginningThe first line, undivided, shows its subject returning and pursuing his own course. What mistake should he fall into? There will be good fortune.Moving
初九：复自道，何其咎？吉。
Image：Returning to one's own path: its meaning is good fortune.
- Career
- Fall back and protect yourself; no disaster will come.
- Wealth
- Keep the existing business steady; not a time to innovate.
- Family
- Seek nothing from outside and the household will prosper.
- Health
- Rest quietly and you can recover.
Nine in the second placeThe second line, undivided, shows its subject, by the attraction (of the former line), returning (to the proper course). There will be good fortune.Moving
九二：牵复，吉。
Image：Drawn back to the centre: one does not lose oneself.
- Career
- Success through others brings great profit.
- Wealth
- Both starting and preserving a business are favourable.
- Family
- Siblings in harmony; the household flourishes.
- Health
- An old illness returns; take careful care.
Nine in the third placeThe third line, undivided, suggests the idea of a carriage, the strap beneath which has been removed, or of a husband and wife looking on each other with averted eyes.Moving
九三：舆说辐，夫妻反目。
Image：Husband and wife fall out: the household cannot be set right.
- Career
- Yin is strong and yang is weak; unrest at home and abroad.
- Wealth
- Going against the trend can bring profit.
- Family
- Discord at home; unfavourable for marriage.
- Health
- The imbalance is unclear; choose a good doctor carefully.
Nine in the fifth placeThe fifth line, undivided, shows its subject possessed of sincerity, and drawing others to unite with him. Rich in resources, he employs his neighbours (in the same cause with himself).Moving
九五：有孚挛如，富以其邻。
Image：Sincere and bound together: one does not grow rich alone.
- Career
- A period when everything goes your way.
- Wealth
- Gather a wide range of goods and profit will follow.
- Family
- Wealthy and respected, sharing kindness with the neighbours.
- Health
- Numbness in the hands and feet.
Nine at the topThe topmost line, undivided, shows how the rain has fallen, and the (onward progress) is stayed;—(so) must we value the full accumulation of the virtue (represented by the upper trigram). But a wife (exercising restraint), however firm and correct she may be, is in a position of peril, (and like) the moon approaching to the full. If the superior man prosecute his measures (in such circumstances), there will be evil.Moving
上九：既雨既处，尚德载。妇贞厉。月几望，君子征凶。
Image：The rain has come and things are at rest: virtue has accumulated. For the noble one, pressing on brings misfortune: there is doubt.
- Career
- A long-held dream will finally come true.
- Wealth
- Stop once you have profited; do not be greedy.
- Family
- Hardship first, success after.
- Health
- Beware of overeating and over-nourishment.
Related hexagrams
Judgment and line texts from the public-domain translation by James Legge (1882). Readings by DeepHeart AI.
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