Harness your passion positively, letting your enthusiasm guide you through challenges, and boldly stand firm in the pursuit of truth.
From
16
Enthusiasm
To
43
Breakthrough
Recognizing only one chief
One affirms one's determination not to be guided by other leaders. taoscopy.com
Enthusiasm16
Inspiration fuels energy; align enthusiasm with purpose to move forward effectively.
↓ Line 1
Premature action or expression of enthusiasm can lead to problems. It is wise to wait for the right moment.
↓ Line 2
Steadfastness and patience are required. By holding firm, success will come in due time.
↓ Line 3
Overreaching or hesitating can lead to regret. It is important to find a balance and act with confidence.
↓ Line 5
Despite challenges and difficulties, perseverance will lead to survival and eventual success.
↓ Breakthrough 43
Break through obstacles with determination and clarity. Confront negativity openly while maintaining integrity and wisdom. The truth must be revealed, yet patience is required.
Other titles: The Symbol of Harmonious Joy, Repose, Happiness, Providing-for/Provision, Excess, Merriment, Self-confidence, Contentment, Harmonize, Excitement, Intemperance, Self-deception "Repose in the absolute confidence that the action now being taken is right. Also refers to music." -- D.F. Hook
Judgment
Legge: Enthusiasm indicates that feudal princes may be set up and the army advantageously mobilized.
Wilhelm/Baynes:Enthusiasm. It furthers one to install helpers and to set armies marching.
Blofeld:Repose profits those engaged in building up the country and sending forth armies. [This means that perfect certainty as to the rightness of our cause is of great value under the conditions mentioned. The usual meaning of this character is "beforehand" or "happiness." In the English translation of Wilhelm's version, it appears as "enthusiasm." "Repose" was suggested by the Chinese experts who kindly vetted this manuscript. At first I felt hesitant about adopting it, until I realized that, where it is used favorably, it must be understood as the kind of mental repose which follows absolute confidence that the action now being taken is the right one. In lines one, three and six, however, it clearly means failure to act when action is essential; in line five, failure to act owing to incapacity.]
Liu:Happiness. It is of benefit to build up the country (or business), and send the army forth. [Receivers of this hexagram should be wary of exhibiting excessive enthusiasm when beginning a new undertaking. If they are not, there will be misfortune. The hexagram also advises that everything necessary for advancement should be made ready. Then if an opportunity presents itself, it should be seized immediately, without hesitation.]
Ritsema/Karcher: Providing-for , Harvesting: installing feudatories to move legions. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of what is needed to meet the future. It emphasizes that accumulating strength through foresight and prudence so things can be fully enjoyed is the adequate way to handle it. To be in accord with the time, you are told to: provide-for!]
Shaughnessy: Excess: Beneficial to establish a lord and to move troops.
Cleary (1):Joy. It is advantageous to set up a ruler and mobilize the army.
Wu:Merriment indicates the advantage of establishing principalities and taking military actions.
The Image
Legge: Thunder exploding out of the Earth -- the image of Enthusiasm. The ancient kings, in accordance with this, composed their music and honored virtue, offering it especially to God when they worshipped him at the service of their ancestors.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Thunder comes resounding out of the earth: the image of Enthusiasm. Thus the ancient kings made music in order to honor merit, and offered it with splendor to the Supreme Deity, inviting their ancestors to be present.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes thunder over the earth. The ancient rulers venerated heaven's gifts with solemn music and they sacrificed abundantly to the Supreme Lord of Heaven in order to be worthy of their ancestors.
Liu: Thunder arising from the earth symbolizes Happiness. The ancient kings composed music to honor virtue, offering it to God and the spirits of their ancestors.
Ritsema/Karcher: Thunder issuing-forth-from earth impetuously. Providing-for. The Earlier Kings used arousing delight to extol actualizing-tao. Exalting worship's Supreme Above. Using equalizing the grandfather predecessors. [Actualize-tao:ability to follow the course traced by the ongoing process of the cosmos... Linked with acquire, TE: acquiring that which makes a being become what it is meant to be.]
Cleary (1): When thunder emerges the earth stirs: Thus did the kings of yore make music to honor virtue, offering it in abundance to God, thereby to share it with their ancestors.
Wu: Thunder breaks out above the earth with a boom; this is Merriment. Thus the ancient kings used music to praise virtuous accomplishments and made grand offerings to the Supreme Being to be accompanied by their ancestors.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: Enthusiasm shows one dynamic line inspiring responsive obedience in all the others: devoted obedience takes action. Such obedient action conforms to natural law and creates order and discipline in the people. The planets and the seasons follow their natural cycles. The sages similarly obey the laws of their nature and the people acknowledge their regulations and punishments as just.
Legge:Enthusiasm shows harmony and contentment throughout the kingdom -- a time when the people rejoice in their sovereign and readily obey him. At such a time his appointments and any military undertakings would be hailed and supported. Because he is close to the fifth place of dignity, the dynamic fourth line is seen as the chief executive officer of the ruler. The ruler has confidence in him, and all of the magnetic lines yield their obedience. Obedience is the attribute of the lower trigram which here takes the initiative and uses Movement, which is the attribute of the upper trigram.
The symbolism of the Image is more obscure than usual. The use of music at sacrifices is supposed to assist in producing the union between God and his worshippers as well as the present and past generations.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: Delegate authority and gather your forces.
The Superior Man synchronizes his will with the intent of the Self via the principles of the Work.
Enthusiasm is the reverse of the preceding hexagram of Temperance. In Temperance we saw the calm strength of a mountain concealed within the earth. In Enthusiasm we see thunder exploding out of the ground into the sky: the strength that was formerly tempered and restrained is now released. It is significant to note that while every line of Temperance is more or less "favorable,” every line of Enthusiasm is either negative or cautionary -- even the generally positive fourth line carries a hint of warning about “doubt.”
Negatively, Self-Deception (the passion of True Believers) seems to be what this hexagram is portraying. The figure often suggests a callow or deluded buoyancy -- the kind of outlook associated with romantic idealists. In its most negative aspect, Enthusiasm is Intemperance -- the exact opposite of the moderation and restraint shown in the preceding hexagram. The behavior of an untrained Great Dane puppy suddenly bursting into a formal dinner party could be described as "enthusiasm,” but hardly a desirable form thereof. The lower trigram of Obedient Devotion has suddenly employed the action and energy of the upper trigram of Thunderous Shock to express itself. This is inconsistent with the code of the superior man.
Conversely, in its most positive sense, Enthusiasm suggests the surety of total self-confidence. Blofeld translates this as Repose, explaining that the name was suggested to him by his Chinese advisors. We begin to understand this subtle distinction when we compare the seemingly obscure connection with music in the Image with a passage from Chuang- tse:
He who understands the music of heaven lives in accordance with nature in his life and takes part in the process of change of things in his death. In repose, his character is in harmony with the yin principle; in activity, his movement is in harmony with the yang principle. Therefore he who understands the music of heaven is not blamed by heaven or criticized by men ... It is said, "In action he is like heaven. In repose he is like the earth ... Because his mind has found repose, therefore the creation pays homage to him.”
To understand “the music of heaven” is to attain Repose, which is another way of describing the tranquility that comes with furthering the intent of the Self. The only dynamic line in the hexagram is in the minister's place just below the fifth-line ruler. He has the confidence of his sovereign and his actions therefore accord with heaven. We can turn to the Stoics to find an illustration of this idea:
My will is simply that which comes to pass. For I esteem what God wills better than what I will. To Him will I cleave as His minister and attendant; having the same movements, the same desires, in a word the same will as He. -- Epictetus
Thus we see that the hexagram can describe either one of two opposite conditions -- the intemperate Enthusiasm of ego-confidence (a synonym for Self-Deception), or the calm Repose of true SELF-confidence. The fifteenth and sixteenth hexagrams, each the inverse of the other, represent magnetic and dynamic aspects of the same general idea: Enthusiasm, when it emanates from the Self, is just Temperance in action.
Line 1
Legge: The first line, magnetic, shows its subject proclaiming her pleasure and satisfaction. There will be evil.
Wilhelm/Baynes:Enthusiasm that expresses itself brings misfortune.
Blofeld: The crowing of the cock bespeaks repose -- an evil omen! [A sleepy cockcrow is not likely to bring men leaping from their beds, yet the traditional role of the cock is to sound the call to renewed action.]
Liu: Happiness that shows itself off brings misfortune.
Ritsema/Karcher: Calling Provision. Pitfall. [Provide(-for)/Provision, YU: ready, prepared for; prearrange, take precaution, think beforehand; satisfied, contented, at ease.]
Shaughnessy: Calling out in excess; inauspicious.
Cleary (1): Trumpeting joy is inauspicious.
Wu: Crowing over merriment will be foreboding.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: Her wishes have been satisfied to overflowing. Wilhelm/ Baynes: This leads to the misfortune of having the will obstructed. Blofeld: The evil mentioned in this passage is that which results from utter exhaustion of the will-power. Ritsema/Karcher: Purpose exhausted, pitfall indeed. Cleary (2): Trumpeting joy bodes ill when the aspiration reaches an impasse. [The first yin harmonizes with the fourth yang above and rejoices in this; having no real qualities in oneself, only aspiring to cleave to others, how can one not come to an impasse?]Wu: Lacking aspiration will be foreboding.
Legge: Line one is magnetic, with a dynamic correlate in the fourth place. She may well enjoy the happiness of the time, but unable to contain herself, she erupts in boastful enthusiasm and calls undue attention to herself. Enthusiasm has thus been her undoing.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: At the outset, the man is enthusiastic and boastful.
Wing: Although you may have a harmonious connection with someone in a high position, it does not necessarily indicate that you are on top of the situation. Furthermore, if you boast of your advantage, you will surely invite disaster.
Editor: The meaning here can be subtle. Something (a strong emotion or attitude perhaps) is upsetting one’s equilibrium. In addition to the usual meaning of “enthusiasm,” this can symbolize any release or loss of energy (even despair, anguish, depression or grief – “Anti-Enthusiasm,” if you will), which serves to demolish Repose. Shaughnessy labels it Excess. Wilhelm and Blofeld render the Confucian commentary in terms of the obstruction or exhaustion of willpower. Ritsema/Karcher describe a loss of purpose; Cleary and Wu, blocked aspiration. If this is the only changing line, the hexagram changes to Shock, a plausible consequence in this case.
But woe unto you that are rich! For ye have received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! For ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! For ye shall mourn and weep. Luke 6: 24-25
A. A false sense of well-being – or, a false sense of despair. Examine the situation to determine where your conscious outlook or emotional response does not conform with the goals of the Work.
B. Ego/Self Repose is obstructed by inappropriate belief.
Line 2
Legge: The second line, magnetic, shows one who is firm as a rock. She sees a thing without waiting till it has come to pass; with her firm correctness there will be good fortune.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Firm as a rock. Not a whole day. Perseverance brings good fortune.
Blofeld: Unmoved as a rock; before the end of day, righteous persistence will bring good fortune. [Unmoved as a rock because of the repose which results from absolute confidence in a decision already taken.]
Liu: Firm and stable like a rock. Do not wait a whole day. Continuing brings good fortune.
Ritsema/Karcher: Chain-mail tending-towards petrification: Not completing the day. Trial: significant.
Shaughnessy: Scratched on a rock; not to the end of the day; determination is auspicious.
Cleary (1): Firm as a rock, not procrastinating, rectitude is good.
Wu: He is upright like a rock. In less time than the passing of the day, he discriminates the good from the bad. To be persevering is auspicious.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: This is shown by the central and correct position of the line. Wilhelm/Baynes: Because it is central and correct. Blofeld: This is indicated by the suitable position of this line which is central to the lower trigram. Ritsema/Karcher: Using centering correcting indeed. Cleary (2):
It is balanced in the right way. Wu: Because he is central and correct.
The Master said:"Does not he who knows the inception of things possess spirit-like wisdom? The superior man, in his intercourse with the high, uses no flattery, and, in his intercourse with the low, no coarse freedom: does not this show that he knows the inception of things? Those beginnings are the slight stirrings of movement, and the earliest indications of good fortune or ill. The superior man sees them, and acts accordingly without waiting for the delay of a single day. As is said in the I Ching, `He is firm as a rock, and acts without waiting for the delay of a single day. With firm goodness there will be good fortune.' Firm as a rock, how should he have to wait a single day to ensure his knowing those beginnings and his course? The superior man knows the minute and the manifested; he knows what is weak, and what is strong: he is a model to ten-thousand."
Legge: The magnetic second line is in her correct central position in the lower trigram. Quietly and firmly she is able to abide in her place and exercise a far-seeing discrimination. All is indicative of good fortune.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man is quiet, but firm as a rock, yet sensitive to the first imperceptible signs of impending changes. He does not delay in taking action.
Wing: To be able to recognize the early signs of a change in fortune is a tremendous gift. While others may be swept away by compelling rhythms and fads, you adhere firmly to the underlying principles of your nature and react appropriately to the demands of the time. Such is the behavior of leaders.
Editor: All translations except Legge and Cleary's render the second sentence in the imagery of "not waiting for a whole day to pass,” which suggests action taken on the basis of foresight, premonition or intuition. This line is sometimes an injunction to follow your common sense -- saying in effect, that an oracle is unnecessary to proclaim the obvious.
You don't need a weatherman to know
which way the wind blows.
-- Bob Dylan
A. Proper discrimination knows when to act, and when to refrain from action.
B. Your own intuition already knows the answer to your query.
Line 3
Legge: The third line, magnetic, shows one looking up for favors, while she indulges the feeling of pleasure and satisfaction. If she would understand! If she be late in doing so, there will indeed be occasion for repentance.
Wilhelm/Baynes:Enthusiasm that looks upward creates remorse.
Shaughnessy: A bowl's excess; regret; being slow there is regret.
Cleary (1): Looking up to joy, if repentance is tardy, there will be regret.
Cleary (2): Looking up in joy, repent. If too late, there is regret.
Wu: Gazing at merriment will bring regret. Loitering about will bring regret.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: This is intimated by the position not being the appropriate one. Wilhelm/Baynes: The place is not the appropriate one. Blofeld: This is indicated by the line's unsuitable position. Ritsema/ Karcher: Situation not appropriate indeed. Cleary (2): Wu: Because his position is improper.
Legge: Line three is magnetic in a dynamic place. She looks upward and depends upon the ruling line above while she does nothing herself but indulge in pleasure. Unless she changes her attitude, the auspice is bad.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man looks upward for favors and continues his dependency upon others. He indulges in visions of pleasure and affluence. Unless he changes immediately, he will be sorry.
Wing: You have waited complacently for a cue from someone else to motivate you. Whatever the reasons for your hesitation, whether it is idle pleasure in the present or simply inertia, you are losing your independence and self-reliance. You can still save yourself. Move.
Editor: This line is magnetic when the times call for dynamic action, giving us an image of indolent dependency. Without doing anything, she wants to "have her cake and eat it too.” Sometimes one receives this line when in a state of despair: feeling as if abandoned to one's fate by an incomprehensible cosmos. The idea is that fate isn't going to make the transition for you: you must do it yourself.
To those who are self-conceited and vain of their imaginary knowledge of exterior things, having no real wisdom, nothing can be shown, because the perverted action of their own minds opposes the harmonious action of the Universal Mind and repulses it. The spheres of their souls become narrow and contracted, and cannot expand towards the whole. They rest self-satisfied, buried in the shadow of their own ignorance, and are inaccessible to the light of Nature. Paracelsus -- Philosophia Sagax
A. Stop indulging yourself and do what you know to be correct in the matter at hand.
B. Your confidence is misplaced.
C. The image suggests weakness and dependency.
Line 5
Legge: The fifth line, magnetic, shows one with a chronic complaint, but who lives on without dying.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Persistently ill, and still does not die.
Blofeld: Illness is presaged, but it will not last long or cause death.
Liu: Long illness, but still living.
Ritsema/Karcher: Trial: affliction. Persevering, not dying.
Shaughnessy: Determination is illness; if constant you will not die.
Cleary (1): There is a persistent illness, but one never dies.
Cleary (2): Chaste in illness, one never dies.
Wu: It is like having a persistent illness, but not fatal.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: She is mounted on a dynamic line in the central position, and her memories of the past have not yet perished. Wilhelm/Baynes: It rests upon a hard line. That it nevertheless does not die is due to the fact that the middle has not yet been passed. Blofeld: Illness is indicated because this yielding line comes immediately above a firm one. Recovery rather than death is to be expected because this line is, nevertheless, central to the upper trigram. Ritsema/Karcher: Trial: affliction. Riding a solid indeed. Persevering, not dying. Center not-yet extinguished indeed. Cleary (2): Being chaste in illness means riding on firmness. Never dying means not losing balance. Wu: Because its position remains central.
Legge: Line five is magnetic in the place of a dynamic ruler, and in danger of being carried away by the lust of enthusiasm. Her proximity to the powerful influence below is a source of danger. Hence she is represented as suffering from a chronic complaint.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man is continually complaining. Yet the very struggling against the daily troubles constitutes his immediate incentive for living.
Wing: Total harmony is obstructed and impossible. Yet the very awareness of this will keep you from sinking again into chaos and eventual defeat.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Here enthusiasm is obstructed. A man is under constant pressure, which prevents him from breathing freely. However, this pressure has its advantage – it prevents him from consuming his powers in empty enthusiasm. Thus constant pressure can actually serve to keep one alive.
Anthony: The situation is difficult and uncomfortable. We are still under the influence of striving to achieve results or hedging to prevent them. However, our discomfort is useful in causing us to seek out these attitudes which block our progress.
Editor: At its most neutral, the image suggests a chronic condition currently not amenable to being cured. Sometimes this feels like ironic irritation: the oracle seems to be asking: "When are you ever going to learn?” The ego is clinging to outmoded ways (the "memories" mentioned in Legge's Confucian commentary), and is yet unable to fully comprehend the demands of the Work. If this is the only changing line, the hexagram becomes #45, Gathering Together, with a corresponding line hinting that the source of our illness may be less-than-pristine dedication. Cleary (2): “Gathering around the position, there is no blame. If those who are not loyal remain ever-faithful to their original commitment, regret vanishes.”
Better is one’s own dharma, though imperfectly performed, than the dharma of another well performed. Bhagavad Gita
A. A chronic problem remains unresolved.
B. Nobody’s perfect: do the best you can with what you have.
Other titles: Break-through, The Symbol of Decision, Resolution, Determination, Parting, Removing Corruption, Eradication
Judgment
Legge: Recognizing the risks involved in criminal prosecution, justice demands a resolute proof of the culprit's guilt in the royal court. One informs one's own city that armed force is not necessary. In this way progress is assured.
Wilhelm/Baynes:Break-through. One must resolutely make the matter known at the court of the king. It must be announced truthfully. Danger. It is necessary to notify one's own city. It does not further to resort to arms. It furthers one to undertake something.
Blofeld: Resolution. When a proclamation is made at the court of the King, frankness in revealing the true state of affairs is dangerous. [In vital matters, frankness may prove dangerous.] In making announcements to the people of his own city, it is not fitting for the ruler to carry arms. [It is better to repose trust in our own people.] It is favorable to have some goal (or destination).
Liu: Determination. Someone is proud in the king's court, and the king trusts him. If one exposes the truth, danger. It must be told to one's own people. Using force does not benefit. It does benefit to do something else. [You must decide how to deal with a situation before it reaches a dangerous point, or things will take their own course and overwhelm you.]
Ritsema/Karcher:Parting, displaying tending-towards kingly chambers. Conforming, crying-out, possessing adversity. Notifying originates from the capital. Not Harvesting: approaching arms. Harvesting: possessing directed going. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of separation and diverging directions. It emphasizes that resolutely dividing your energies is the adequate way to handle it...]
Shaughnessy:Resolution: Raised up at the royal court, returning crying out; there is danger. Announcing from the sky; not beneficial to regulate the belligerents; beneficial to have someplace to go.
Cleary (1): Parting is lauded in the royal court. The call of truth involves danger. Addressing one’s own domain, it is not beneficial to go right to war, but it is beneficial to go somewhere. [The royal court is the abode of the mind-ruler, where true and false are distinguished.]
Cleary (2): Decision is brought up in the royal court. A sincere statement involves danger, etc.
Wu:Eradication indicates a conceited pronouncement in the royal court on the one hand, and a concerted call for vigilance on the other. It is essential to make the danger known to the people, but not to resort to force now. It is advantageous to have undertakings.
The Image
Legge: The image of the waters of a marsh mounting over heaven forms Resoluteness. The superior man, in accordance with this, does not hoard his wealth, but shares it with his subordinates.
Wilhelm/Baynes: The lake has risen up to heaven: the image of Break-through. Thus the superior man dispenses riches downward and refrains from resting on his virtue.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes a marshy lake being drawn (sucked) towards the sky. The Superior Man distributes his emoluments to those below; dwelling in virtue, he renounces them.
Liu: The lake ascends to heaven, symbolizing Determination. The superior man distributes wealth below him, without displaying his favors.
Ritsema/Karcher: Above marsh with-respect-to heaven. Parting. A chun tzu uses spreading-out benefits to extend to the below. A chun tzu uses residing-in actualizing tao, by- consequence keeping-aloof. [Actualize-tao: Ability to follow the course traced by the ongoing process of the cosmos... Linked with acquire, TE: acquiring that which makes a being what it is meant to be.]
Cleary (1): Moisture ascends to heaven, which parts with it. Thus do superior people distribute blessings to reach those below, while avoiding presumption of virtue. [After people get mixed up in temporal conditioning, the discriminatory consciousness takes charge of affairs; wine and sex distract them from reality, the lure of wealth deranges their nature, emotions and desires well forth at once, thoughts and ruminations arise in a tangle, and the mind-ruler is lost in confusion. Because habituation becomes second nature over a long period of time, it cannot be abruptly removed. It is necessary to work on the matter in a serene and equanimous way, according to the time: Eventually discrimination will cease, and the original spirit will return; the human mind will sublimate and the mind of Tao will be complete – again you will see the original self.]
Cleary (2): … If they presumed on their virtue, they would be resented.
Wu: The marsh rises to heaven; this is Eradication. Thus the jun zi distributes his emolument to those below and is loath to monopolize virtues.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: Resoluteness is the symbol of displacing or removing. We see the dynamic lines displacing the magnetic line. The figure displays the attributes of Strength and Cheerfulness. There is displacement, but harmony continues. The exhibition of the criminal's guilt in the royal court is shown by the magnetic line mounted on five dynamic lines. The awareness of danger and appeal for justice makes the matter clear. If he has recourse to arms, what he prefers will soon be exhausted. When the advance of the dynamic lines is complete, there will be an end to displacement.
Legge:Resoluteness represents the third month when the last vestige of winter, represented by the sixth line, is about to disappear before the advance of summer. The single yin line at the top symbolizes an inferior man, a feudal prince or high minister who is corrupting the government. The five yang lines below are the representatives of good order. The lesson of the hexagram is how to remove corruption from the kingdom. He who would do this must do so by the force of his character more than the force of arms. Never forgetting the dangerous nature of his undertaking, he must openly denounce the criminal in the court and awaken general sympathy to his cause. Among his own adherents ("In his own city") he must prevent any tendency to resort to armed conflict. As a worthy statesman he is not motivated by private feelings.
Hu Ping-wen says: "If but a single inferior man is left, he is sufficient to make the superior man anxious; if but a single inordinate desire be left in the mind, that is sufficient to disturb the harmony of the heavenly principles. The eradication in both cases must be complete, before the labor is ended."
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment:Resoluteness involves astute discernment of what is wrong and a discreet re-establishment of order without polarizing the situation. Be clear in your own strategy, but let common sense be your guide about how much you need to disclose to others. Avoid aggression at all costs.
The Superior Man maintains equilibrium by distributing his energy equitably -- he smoothes things out.
The forty-third hexagram is an image of the eradication of an inferior force from the situation at hand: five yang lines resolutely advance on the single yin line, which is about to be pushed out of the hexagram at the top. This is a negative image of the twenty-third hexagram, Disintegration, which shows the opposite situation of five lower yin lines undermining one upper yang line. It is instructive to compare the nearly identical message for the superior man in the Images of each of these figures. The idea is one of fostering an equitable distribution of energy within the situation -- Disintegration and the Resoluteness required to rectify it are extreme situations requiring extreme measures. Such extremes must always be neutralized through a justly distributed balance of forces.
It's not the concern of law that any one class in the city fare exceptionally well, but it contrives to bring this about for the whole city, harmonizing the citizens by persuasion and compulsion, making them share with one another the benefit that each class is able to bring to the commonwealth. And it produces such men in the city not in order to let them turn whichever way each wants, but in order that it may use them in binding the city together. Plato --The Republic
Compare the nuances of meaning in each translation of the Judgment. Wilhelm's is most radical, advising a direct (albeit dangerous), expose of what is wrong. Most of the others imply room for discretion about what needs to be revealed. Diplomacy is the art of knowing when full- disclosure only prevents resolution of the problem. Ritsema/Karcher allude to the proper mind-set required to manage such situations: "[A chun tzu uses] residing-in actualizing tao, by-consequence keeping-aloof." To "reside in actualizing tao," is to live directly from one's essence, and when this is associated with "keeping-aloof" we get an image of quietly rectifying a situation without revealing our purpose or strategy.
Psychologically interpreted,Resoluteness, like Disintegration, depicts an extreme situation which must first be rectified, then prevented from re-occurring through the maintenance of a just balance of power which is administered by the ego under the will of the Self.