Dun · Retreat

Judgment

亨，小利贞。

Success. In small matters perseverance is rewarded.

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)

天下有山，遁，君子以远小人，不恶而严。

天下之下有山，这是遁卦，退避隐遁的卦象，君子应当远离小人，态度严正而不与之交恶。

The Six Lines

• First line遁尾，厉，勿用有攸往。初六 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Second line执之用黄牛之革，莫之胜说。六二 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Third line系遁，有疾厉，畜臣妾吉。九三 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Fourth line好遁，君子吉，小人否。九四 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Fifth line嘉遁，贞吉。九五 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Top line肥遁，无不利。上九 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.

Modern Interpretive Reference

Quality: Challenging

Tendency: Retreat; strategic withdrawal from an unfavourable position.

Guidance: This is not defeat but positioning. Step back to preserve what matters.

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.