Gen · Keeping Still

Judgment

艮其背，不获其身。

Keeping the back still, so that the body is no longer felt.

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)

兼山，艮，君子以思不出其位。

群山层叠相连，这是艮卦，止而不动的卦象，君子所思所想应当不越出自己的本位。

The Six Lines

• First line艮其趾，无咎，利永贞。初六 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Second line艮其腓，不拯其随，其心不快。六二 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Third line艮其限，列其夤，厉薰心。九三 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Fourth line艮其身，无咎。六四 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Fifth line艮其辅，言有序，悔亡。六五 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Top line敦艮，吉。上九 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.

Modern Interpretive Reference

Quality: Neutral

Tendency: Keeping still; knowing when to stop.

Guidance: Do not exceed your proper position. Stillness here produces inner clarity.

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.