Other titles: The Taming Power of the Small, The Symbol of Small restraint, The Lesser Nourisher, Taming the Small Powers, Small Accumulating, Small Harvest, Small Obstruction, Nurturance by the Small, Restraint by the Weak, Restrained, Minor Restraint, The Weak Force, The Force of the Small, Weak Forces Restrain Strong Forces "The restraint is small, success follows. Overcoming something small which is poisoning or nagging. Partially relieving a situation. Influencing that which one cannot change.” -- D.F. Hook
Judgment
Legge:Passive Restraint brings about progress and success. We see dense clouds, but no rain coming from our western borders.
Wilhelm/Baynes: The Taming Power of the Small has success. Dense clouds, no rain from our western region.
Blofeld: The Lesser Nourisher. Success! Dense clouds giving forth no rain approach from the western outskirts. [On the whole, this hexagram presages good for us. The wind blowing across the heavens does not have the nourishing virtues of rain, but it refreshes us and makes us feel better. Thus, if things are going reasonably well with us, we may expect an improvement, especially in the future when, presumably, the nourishing rain will fall. However, as lines three and six indicate, if we are in serious trouble, we must not expect much help from the rather mild good fortune that is blowing our way. The conception of something weak or yielding bringing great benefit has been greatly developed by the Taoists who, as though they were familiar with judo, recognize the strength to be found in softness and the dangerous weakness sometimes occasioned by too much strength. The name of this hexagram understood somewhat differently may also be taken to mean that the time is propitious for undertaking additional activity or the care of the young.]
Liu: Taming the Small Powers: success. Thick clouds come from the west. No rain. [This situation symbolizes the preparation which precedes a new development.]
Ritsema/Karcher:Small Accumulating, Growing. Shrouding clouds, not raining. Originating-from my Western suburbs. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of a variety of seemingly unconnected events and impulses. It emphasizes that retaining and hoarding these experiences through adapting to them is the adequate way to handle it...]
Shaughnessy:Small Harvest:Receipt; dense clouds do not rain from our western pasture.
Cleary (1):Nurturance by the small is developmental. Dense clouds do not rain, proceeding from one’s own western province.
Cleary (2): At small obstruction, nurturing the small succeeds… (etc.)
Wu:Restraint of the Small indicates pervasiveness. There are dense clouds, but no rain coming from our western countryside.
The Image
Legge: The image of the sky with the wind moving above it forms Passive Restraint. The superior man, in accordance with this, adorns the outward manifestation of his virtue.
Wilhelm/Baynes: The wind drives across heaven: the image of The Taming Power of the Small. Thus the superior man refines the outward aspect of his nature.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes wind blowing across the sky. The Superior Man displays his scholarly accomplishments.
Liu: The wind blows across the sky, symbolizing Taming the Small Powers. The superior man improves his ability and virtue.
Ritsema/Karcher: Wind moving above heaven. Small Accumulating. A chun tzu uses highlighting the pattern to actualize-tao.[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): Wind blowing up in the sky is small nurturance; thus do superior people beautify cultured qualities.
Cleary (2): Wind moving up in the sky, nurturing the small. Thus do leaders beautify cultured qualities.
Wu: The wind blows in the sky above; this is Restraint of the Small. Thus the jun zi refines his splendorous virtue.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: In the ninth hexagram the magnetic line takes her proper place, and all the lines above and below obey her -- hence the name Passive Restraint. The figure is composed of the trigrams of Strength plus Flexibility. Dynamic lines occupy the central places, and their will is accomplished -- this means progress and success. Dense clouds but no rain depict the advancing dynamic lines, but their source in the west shows that their beneficial influence has yet to be felt.
Legge: The symbolism of the hexagram Passive Restraint is taken from the magnetic line in the fourth place which holds all of the dynamic lines in restraint. This is because the fourth place is properly passive (magnetic), and the response of the other lines is therefore one of submission to her authority.
The second sentence of the Judgment indicates the time and place of King Wen whose homeland was the western portion of China in the twelfth century B.C. Rain coming and moistening the ground causes the luxuriant growth of the natural world, and symbolizes the blessings which flow from good government. Therefore from the west, the hereditary territory of the legendary author of the I Ching, come the blessings which might enrich the whole kingdom. Here, however, they are somehow restrained -- the dense clouds do not yet empty their stores. Ch'eng-tzu, Wang Feng, and other scholars say, in effect: Dense clouds should give rain. That they exist without doing so shows the restraining influence of the hexagram at work. But the dynamic influence of the other lines still continues, and the rain will eventually fall. The wind moves in the sky and then ceases -- it can restrain for a time, but not indefinitely.
Cleary (1): Being strong, yet acting submissively, the submissiveness subdues the strength, and strength cannot act on its own. The heart grows daily humbler, while the virtue grows daily higher. One can thereby gradually get to the realm of sages. This is why nurturance by the small is developmental.
Cleary (2): When you encounter situations that obstruct you and bog you down, if you do not get resentful or bitter, but just nurture yourself to digest them, you will be successful … Indeed, events and situations that formerly obstructed you can become means of self-development; this is how you succeed …This line (Sic) indicates the value of not grabbing for easy success and the value of long-term results.
Wu:Restraint of the Small means literally small accumulation or small restraint. “Small” is another name for yin. “Small accumulation” or “small restraint” can also mean accumulation or restraint of the yin … When there are clouds, but no rain, it means that something has intervened and prevented the cycle from completion ... The judgment simply means: Many factors can derail a potential success and we should weigh them carefully before making a decision.
Anthony: Our influence is limited by the circumstances… We should avoid ambition to make progress as this exerts a negative pressure on people. It also indicates that we do not yet trust our path of non-action or the power of truth to change the situation…
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: Power is accumulated by gently withholding its expression.
The Superior Man transforms his insights into components of his conscious will. Or: He works on his outer, conscious (as opposed to inner, unconscious), awareness. Or: He lives his beliefs.
Wilhelm's translation of the title of this hexagram is The Taming Power of the Small. I have substitutedPassive Restraintas a phrase more compatible with contemporary English. The titles rendered by the other translators, in my opinion, do not convey the meaning of the hexagram: Liu's Taming the Small Powers even seems diametrically opposed to it, though it is obvious that the title has multiple meanings. In describing the action of the trigrams in this hexagram, Wilhelm conveys its essential meaning. (From Lectures on the I Ching):
The function of wind is to tame creative forces, to accumulate these and to make them visible. It is exceedingly difficult to understand this relationship of forces, because the power used here is not expressed with might, but it is the softest, gentlest, force imaginable. Wind is the least visible of all phenomena, and this invisible wind is now needed to concentrate that which strives upward, the strongest of all phenomena ... The unconscious acts and creates as it must, and we should submit to the surgings of its waves. Only in the peripheral region, in the small free zone of consciousness, can work be taken up each day, and whatever needs refining can be refined. This is not superfluous work. Although this small zone of consciousness and freedom is only a thin rind, its contact with the forces of the unconscious is vigorous ... Hence, that which is seemingly small and insignificant is, after all, the power that succeeds in taming chaos by means of steady work and perseverance.
Lines one through four of the ninth hexagram show different forms of restraint during a time of building tension. The dark clouds are accumulating, and we know that eventually the rain will fall and the tension will be released. Rain always symbolizes a union between Heaven and Earth in the I Ching,which in turn means a synthesis of some sort. In the present instance, the synthesis is still building, and although the tension seems to demand action we are counseled to remain still. The magnetic force must hold the overwhelming pressure of the dynamic forces in check.
The fifth line depicts the focal point at which the forces are gathered, and the sixth line shows the restraint necessary to allow the new transformation to stabilize. If we turn the hexagram over we get Cautious Advance, which depicts a different situation in which very careful action is called for. In the present instance however, no action is correct action.
Through the activity of divine providence, an abundance of blessing descends on the creatures, but this awakening of the power of providence is dependent on the deeds of created beings, on "awakening from below." Gershom Scholem – Kabbalah
Line 1
Legge: The first line, dynamic, shows its subject returning and pursuing his own course. What mistake should he fall into? There will be good fortune.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Return to the way. How could there be blame in this? Good fortune.
Blofeld: How could returning to this path be blameworthy?
Liu: Return to the correct way. Then how can one be blamed? It is good fortune.
Shaughnessy: Returning from the way, what could its trouble be? Auspicious.
Cleary (1): Returning by the path – how could that be blameworthy? It bodes well.
Wu: By returning to his own course, how can he be blamed? It will be auspicious.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: He returns and pursues his own path -- it is right there should be good fortune. Wilhelm/Baynes: This is something that bodes well. Blofeld: This passage assures us of good fortune. Ritsema/Karcher: One's righteousness significant indeed. Cleary (2): It is right that there should be good fortune. Wu: “By returning to his own course” means good fortune.
Legge: Line one is the first line of the trigram of Strength, here occupying its proper place. Therefore, notwithstanding the check of line four, he resumes his movement and will go forward according to his strong nature.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: At the outset, the man presses forward. When obstacles are encountered, however, he returns to the state of greater choice. By not forcing his way, he eventually gains his objective.
Wing: In forcing your way, you meet with obstacles. It is best to hold back to a position where you have the choice of advance or retreat. Then you may concern yourself with the true nature of the situation and react accordingly.
Anthony: In taking hold of the problem, we adopt an either-or attitude, to force some sort of conclusion. This impatience springs from desire and our ego’s attempt to dominate the situation. This is doomed to failure. It is best to return to the path of acceptance and modesty.
Cleary (1): Being strong yet remaining humble, concealing one’s light and nurturing it in obscurity, embracing the Tao and keeping settled, not injuring inner reality by outward artificiality, is to be able to return by way of the path. Being able to return by way of the path, though the nurturance is small, one can gain its nourishment, and strong energy grows day by day; not only is it blameless, it brings good fortune. This is the nurturance of being great yet being humble and appearing small.
Cleary (2): In the first yang, accurate knowledge is strong, so obstacles caused by events cannot do any harm, and so one “returns by the path.”
Editor: Legge's commentary here is inconsistent with his own translation of the line. The strong first line wants to forge ahead, but the idea of the figure is passive restraint, and the symbol of that restraint is his correlate fourth line. He accepts her message and returns to virtue by restraining his forward impetus. Wilhelm's translation expresses this idea as a command to "Return to the way” -- i.e.: "Get back where you belong.” Ritsema/Karcher's rendering of "Returning originating-from tao” is perhaps the most powerful image. This line is sometimes received when doubts arise about the Work or our way of processing it: it is telling us to trust our inner knowing. If this is the only changing line, the new hexagram becomes #57, Penetration, with the corresponding advice: “In advancing and retreating, the perseverance of a warrior furthers.”
A knowledge of the opinions of others may guide us in our researches as long as we cannot find the truth in ourselves, but such knowledge is as liable to mislead us as to lead us right; the only way to arrive at the recognition and understanding of the truth is the development of the knowledge of self. F. Hartmann -- Paracelsus: Life and Prophecies
A. Don't get ahead of yourself. Restrain your compulsive need to act. Don't exceed your authority.
B. Image of a return to normalcy.
C. Remain persevering in your conduct of the Work. You know exactly what that is.
Line 2
Legge: The second line, dynamic, shows its subject, by the attraction of the former line, returning to the proper course. There will be good fortune.
Wilhelm/Baynes: He allows himself to be drawn into returning. Good fortune.
Blofeld: Compelling ourselves to go back brings good fortune.
Liu: One is influenced to return to the correct way. Good fortune.
Wu: Returning to his own course through association will be auspicious.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: By the attraction of the first line he returns to his own course and is in the central place: neither will he err in what is due from him. Wilhelm/Baynes: Being drawn into returning derives from the central position. Also, he does not lose himself. Blofeld: The idea of not getting lost is also implied. Ritsema/Karcher: Truly not originating-from letting-go indeed. Cleary (2): Leading back into the center and not losing oneself. Wu: The association is central. His position is not compromised.
Legge: The second place is dynamic, and though a magnetic place is not appropriate to him, that place is central. Because of this he restrains himself, does not exceed his authority, and makes common cause with line one.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man does not expose himself needlessly to rebuff by pushing forward when the time is not propitious. He retreats with kindred souls.
Wing: Although you might like to take action, it would be wise to re-evaluate the situation and study the examples of others who have come before you. The time suggests that a retreat leads to good fortune.
Editor: Both lines one and two have a strong urge to advance, but they impose virtuous restraint on this urge and return to their proper places. Sometimes the line can imply not throwing oneself away on an ill-timed venture.
By this method the discerning Kabbalist can decide that it is not wise to move against the tide, but wait for the flow to turn and place an impulse in the ebb that will bear fruit when the active phase begins again. Z.B.S. Halevi -- The Work of the Kabbalist
A. An image of voluntary restraint and a return to harmony (balance).
B. Preserve your integrity by voluntarily retreating from contention.
Line 3
Legge: The third line, dynamic, 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.
Wilhelm/Baynes: The spokes burst out of the wagon wheels. Man and wife roll their eyes.
Blofeld: The chariot is separated from the spoked wheel. Husband and wife stand glaring at each other.
Liu: The wheels separate from the wagon. Husband and wife are in disharmony.
Ritsema/Karcher: Carting stimulating the spokes. Husband, consort, reversing eyes.
Shaughnessy: The cart throws its axle-strut; the husband and consort cross eyes.
Cleary (2): The wheels are detached from the cart. Husband and wife look away from each other.
Wu: The wooden pieces holding the axle firmly underneath a carriage come off. The husband and wife look at each other with averted eyes.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: Line three is like a husband who cannot maintain correctly his relations with his wife. Wilhelm/Baynes: When "man and wife roll their eyes," it is a sign that they cannot keep their house in order. Blofeld: Disorder reigns within the house. Ritsema/Karcher: Not able to correct the home indeed. Cleary (2): They cannot cohabit. Wu: They cannot maintain proper relations.
Legge: Line three, though dynamic and in its proper place, is not in the center and therefore is less able to resist the restraint of the fourth line.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The circumstances favor the weak. Progress is frustrated by external, apparently minor, impediments. The net effectiveness is that of a wheel without spokes.
Wing: The opposition appears minor and advance seems possible. Yet the situation is not in your control. If you insist upon forging ahead confidently you will be defeated by no end of annoyances. This has a most undignified appearance.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Here an attempt is made to press forward forcibly, in the consciousness that the obstructing power is slight… External conditions hinder the advance… We do not yet heed this hint from fate, hence there are annoying arguments like those of a married couple…
Anthony: This symbolizes a thing falling apart, losing its shape, integrity and usefulness. The situation falls apart when we bring controversial matters up, rather than allowing them to arise spontaneously. We rush things when we are afraid that the right time may not occur soon enough. Under the influence of fear we are unable to attain the objectivity we need to find the right solution.
“Power lies with the weak.” True power, in dealing with the obstinate power of the ego, or with Fate itself, is in letting go, not taking hold in trying to make points, or engaging in arguments, or striving to overcome the situation. It also lies in reticence, tranquility and detachment.
Cleary-2: In the third yang, one relies on unfertile intellect and so is stymied by obstacles that arise in the course of events: concentration and insight are both damaged.
Editor: Progress is halted due to a polarization of thoughts and feelings: emotion refuses to conform to reason. Psychologically: when our emotions don’t match our rationalizations, progress is impeded. This line often portrays a situation in which logic and affect clash with fated circumstances: emotion rules when reason fails to resolve a seemingly simple dilemma. If this is the only changing line, hexagram #61, Inner Truth, is evoked, with a corresponding line portraying the effects of inconstancy and lack of will.
If a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. Mark 3:25
A. Inner turmoil creates disunion and halts advancement.
B. Thoughts and feelings are out of synch with what is happening.
C. An image of impotent frustration which blocks the Work.
Line 4
Legge: The fourth line, magnetic, shows its subject possessed of sincerity. The danger of bloodshed is thereby averted, and her ground for apprehension dismissed. There will be no mistake.
Wilhelm/Baynes: If you are sincere, blood vanishes and fear gives way. No blame.
Blofeld: Owing to confidence, bloody and terrible deeds are avoided -- no error.
Liu: If you are forthright, bloodshed and fear vanish; no blame.
Ritsema/Karcher: Possessing conformity. Blood departing, awe issuing-forth. Without fault.[Possessing conformity: "Inner and outer are in accord; confidence of the spirits has been captured..."]
Shaughnessy: There is a return; blood departs, warily exiting; there is no trouble.
Cleary (2): If there is truthfulness, blood goes and fear leaves, and there is no fault.
Wu: There is self-confidence. Blood vanishes and vigilance diminishes. There will be no blame.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: The subjects of the lines above agree in aim with her. Wilhelm/Baynes: The one at the top agrees in attitude. Blofeld: The will of our superiors is identical with our own. Ritsema/Karcher: Uniting purposes above indeed. Cleary (2): There is a consonance of will with on high. Wu: He shares a common goal with the person above.
Legge: Line four, the lone magnetic line surrounded by dynamic lines, might well expect wounds and feel apprehension in trying to restrain the others. But she is in her proper place and is the first line of the trigram of Docile Flexibility. She is said to have sincerity, and the dynamic lines are moved to sympathy and help, and there is no mistake.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man follows the path of righteous flexibility, thereby eliminating anxieties and averting the dangers of bloodshed. He is always mindful of the question: what if you are wrong?
Wing: If you are honest and sincere and influence others with the correct advice, you can avoid existing and terrible dangers. Fear and anxiety will give way only to truth. Then no error will be made.
Editor: Line four gives the symbolism of the hexagram its meaning. It is the passive strength of non-action properly holding all dynamic impetus in check.
As the individual takes up the situations and experiences of his life, step by step, from the very beginning, and brings before the bar of his adult consciousness the acts of his ignorant and unconscious former self, he finds himself obliged to take responsibility for certain acts, performed in ignorance, for which at the time he could not take responsibility... As (he) follows through this process of taking responsibility for his former unconsciousness, the actions that were at that earlier time outside of his control, completely autonomous, lost to the personality, are joined to consciousness. Something of himself that has been in possession of the dragon is redeemed, and that amount of the dragon's energy is captured for the individual's own use. M. E. Harding --Psychic Energy
A. The courage of your convictions will help you overcome a difficult situation. Sincere devotion to the Work resolves all problems, weathers all storms.
Other titles: Standstill, The Symbol of Closing, Stagnation, Obstruction, The Wife, Obstructed, Decadence, Disjunction, Impasse, "Yin supporting yang which is wrong, they part company. Bad prospects for marriage or partnership. " -- D.F. Hook
Judgment:
Legge: Divorcement means there is a lack of communication between the different classes of men. This is unfavorable to the superior man. The great has departed and the inferior has arrived.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Standstill . Evil people do not further the perseverance of the superior man. The great departs; the small approaches.
Blofeld: Stagnation (obstruction) caused by evil doers. Although the omen portends ill for the Superior Man, he must not slacken his righteous persistence. The great and the good decline; the mean approach. [When heaven and earth cease to co-operate, no growth is possible and stagnation results. The trigram (earth), when in intercourse with heaven, has the auspicious meaning of glad acceptance; but, when separated from heaven, it represents weakness and darkness, etc.]
Liu: Stagnation. Stagnation is of no benefit, although not of man's doing. The superior man carries on (according to his principles). The great is departing. The small is arriving.
Ritsema/Karcher: Obstructing it , in-no-way people. Not Harvesting: chun tzu, Trial. the great going, the small coming. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of being blocked or interfered with. It emphasizes that accepting the hindrances that temporarily interrupt the flow of life and thwart communication is the adequate way to handle it. To be in accord with the time, you are told to: accept obstruction!]
Shaughnessy: The wife's non-persons; not beneficial for the gentleman to determine; the great go, the little come.
Cleary (1): Obstruction’s denial of humanity does not make the superior person’s rectitude beneficial. The great goes and the small comes.
Cleary (2): … Does not make the leader’s correctness beneficial, etc.
Wu:Stagnation is destined to cause obstruction of normal course of action. It is not beneficial to the jun zi who takes a persevering stand. The great goes out and the small comes in.
The Image:
Legge: Heaven and earth are estranged -- the image of Divorcement. The superior man preserves his virtue by withdrawing from evil, and refuses both honor and wealth.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Heaven and earth do not unite: the image of Standstill. Thus the superior man falls back upon his inner worth in order to escape the difficulties. He does not permit himself to be honored with revenue.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes heaven and earth cut off from each other. To conserve his stock of virtue, the Superior Man withdraws into himself and thus escapes from the evil influences around him. He declines all temptations of honor and riches. [To understand why the trigrams for heaven and earth arranged in what seems to be their natural positions have this inauspicious significance, see notes on the preceding hexagram, (Harmony).]
Liu: Heaven and earth are not united, symbolizing stagnation. The superior man restrains himself to avoid danger. He seeks neither honor nor wealth.
Ritsema/Karcher: Heaven, earth, not mingling. Obstruction. A chun tzu uses parsimonious actualizing-tao to cast-out heaviness. A chun tzu uses not permitting splendor to use benefits. [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 heaven and earth do not commune, there is obstruction. The superior person therefore is parsimonious with power and avoids trouble, not susceptible to elevation by emolument.
Cleary (2): … Leaders … should not prosper on wages.
Wu: … The jun zi practices the virtue of frugality to alleviate difficulties, but does not allow himself to be honored with official salary.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: The unfavorable auspice of Divorcement is because heaven and earth are not in communication, and all things consequently fail to unite. High and low, superior and inferior, do not meet in union, and there are no well- regulated states in the kingdom. The lower trigram consists of magnetic lines, and the upper of dynamic lines: darkness is within, clarity without; weakness within, strength without. The lower trigram represents the advancing inferior men, the upper trigram represents the retreating superior men.
Legge: The form of Divorcementis the exact opposite of Harmony, and much of what has been said on the interpretation of that will apply to this. Divorcement is the hexagram of the seventh month when the process of growth has ended and increasing decay may be expected. The trigram of Earth is below and that of Heaven is above, and since it is always proper for the lower trigram to take the initiative, how can Earth take the place of Heaven? As in nature, it is Heaven that originates, not Earth, and in a state the upper classes must take the initiative, and not the lower.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: The time is out of joint -- decadence waxes and virtue is mocked.
The Superior Man refuses to participate in the prevailing disorder.
If the preceding hexagram images the fruitful union of heaven and earth in a holy marriage, this figure shows their Divorcement.
Divorcement: The act, process, or an instance of separating things closely joined -- the state of being separated.
To receive this figure without changing lines suggests that you are separated from truth or virtue, or that for the moment at least, the situation at hand affords no possibility of reconciliation. During such conditions it would be the height of folly to "wed oneself" to the prevailing disorder.
Note however that every line but the third shows some kind of effort to reunite that which has been separated. The first shows an alliance of closely related elements bent on serving the Work; line two depicts a kind of holding action which is necessary to allow a superior element to prevail. The third line identifies recalcitrant forces which prevent union, and four depicts another alliance -- a higher octave of its first line correlate. Line five images nearly complete re-unification and six shows the end of Divorcement. These images suggest that although disunion prevails, the energy in the situation is promoting connection.
As regards the Judgment:
Plato seems to have expressed Confucius' idea perfectly. In The Republic he makes Socrates say that the true philosopher, finding himself in an evil environment, "will not join in the wickedness of his fellows, but neither is he able singly to resist all their fierce natures, and therefore seeing that he would be of no use to the State or to his friends, and reflecting that he would have to throw away his life without doing any good either to himself or others, he holds his peace, and goes his own way ... he is content, if only he can live his own life and be pure from evil or unrighteousness, and depart in peace and good-will, with bright hopes." H.G. Creel -- Confucius and the Chinese Way