Jie · Limitation

Judgment

亨，苦节不可贞。

Success. Limitation that is harsh cannot be maintained.

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)

泽上有水，节，君子以制数度，议德行。

泽上还有水，将满欲溢，这是节卦，节制有度的卦象，君子应当制定礼数法度，审议德行得失。

The Six Lines

• First line不出户庭，无咎。初九 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Second line不出门庭，凶。九二 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Third line不节若，则嗟若，无咎。六三 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Fourth line安节，亨。六四 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Fifth line甘节，吉，往有尚。九五 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Top line苦节，贞凶，悔亡。上六 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.

Modern Interpretive Reference

Quality: Moderately Auspicious

Tendency: Limitation; useful boundaries and measured restraint.

Guidance: Set limits, but do not make them punitive. Excessive restriction defeats itself.

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.