Gu · Work on the Decayed

Judgment

元亨，利涉大川。

Sublime success. It is favourable to cross the great water.

The Chinese above is the received classical text. The English below it is a plain-language rendering written for this site — not a scholarly translation. The classical wording is terse and genuinely open to more than one reading, so where interpretations diverge we follow the mainstream one.

The Image (Da Xiang)

山下有风，蛊，君子以振民育德。

山下起风，这是蛊卦，弊病积久、亟待整治的卦象，君子应当振奋民心，培养德性以图革新。

The Six Lines

• First line干父之蛊，有子考无咎，厉终吉。初六 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Second line干母之蛊，不可贞。九二 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Third line干父之蛊，小有悔，无大咎。九三 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Fourth line裕父之蛊，往见吝。六四 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Fifth line干父之蛊，用誉。六五 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Top line不事王侯，高尚其事。上九 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.

Modern Interpretive Reference

Quality: Challenging

Tendency: Accumulated decay requiring deliberate repair.

Guidance: Address root causes rather than symptoms. Reform takes courage and thoroughness.

This section is editorial reflection written for this site, not classical commentary. Hexagram qualities are not fixed outcomes — context and response matter more than the label. For cultural reflection only; not a basis for any decision.