Hexagram 16 of 64
豫 Yù · Enthusiasm
上 震 Thunder (Zhèn) over 下 坤 Earth (Kūn)
Find your gladness, then set forth.
Judgment
Zhouyi, hexagram 16, judgment. English translation in preparation.
Image
In short: thunder bursts from the earth.
Zhouyi, hexagram 16, Great Image. Short gloss by Koyonari; full translation in preparation.
Commentary
Yù is thunder bursting from the earth; sound stirs first, and action follows in its wake. Yù speaks of genuine zest: let your heart become truly glad before setting forth. A buoyant spirit moves the day forward far more effectively than an itemized checklist; tasks can be filled in along the way, but once enthusiasm grows cold, rekindling it proves difficult.
Koyonari commentary.
The Six Lines
“Boasting enthusiasm; misfortune.” Making a display of one’s pleasure and self-satisfaction is “contentment that makes itself heard.” Yù means ease and enjoyment; “misfortune” means an inauspicious outcome. Already boasting of this comfort while still at the starting point, one displays the frivolous complacency against which this line cautions.
Zhouyi, hexagram 16, line 1. Koyonari translation.
“The Initial Six proclaims its enthusiasm: its ambition exhausted, which brings misfortune.” Relying on the strong backing of the Nine in the Fourth, the Initial Six grows complacently proud amid pleasure; because its ambition is destitute and exhausted, misfortune ensues.
Zhouyi, hexagram 16, line 2. Koyonari translation.
“Firm as a rock, not waiting out the day; steadfastness brings good fortune.” Integrity is firm as stone, without sinking into ease and enjoyment. On noticing the first signs of a development, one acts promptly, without waiting until the day ends. “Steadfastness brings good fortune” means that holding to the right path brings an auspicious outcome. Firmness combined with timely decision is the essential point of this line.
Zhouyi, hexagram 16, line 3. Koyonari translation.
“Not waiting the full day, steadfast and auspicious: because of being centered and correct.” The Six in the Second remains firm like a rock, reaching a decisive conclusion before the day is out; maintaining rectitude brings good fortune because it is centered and upright.
Zhouyi, hexagram 16, line 4. Koyonari translation.
“Gazing upward in hesitation for pleasure brings remorse. Delay brings remorse.” Xū means opening the eyes wide and looking upward. Looking up to another person and seeking ease and enjoyment through dependence on them leaves “regret,” meaning remorse. Delaying a change also brings regret. The passage both identifies the problem of seeking pleasure through dependence and cautions against putting off the change.
Zhouyi, hexagram 16, line 5. Koyonari translation.
“Gazing upward in enthusiasm brings regret: the position is improper.” The Six in the Third gazes up at superiors seeking ease and pleasure, which brings regret, because a yin line occupies a yang position and the place is improper.
Zhouyi, hexagram 16, line 6. Koyonari translation.
“Source of enthusiasm; great gains. Do not doubt. Friends gather like hairpins.” The ease and enjoyment of others arise from this line, and much can be gained. There is no need for doubt: friends will come together. Yù means ease and enjoyment, while hé zān means gathering. Nine in the fourth place is the line on which everyone’s contentment depends; the passage depicts friends gathering.
Zhouyi, hexagram 16, line 7. Koyonari translation.
“Source of enthusiasm, great gains are made: the ambition prevails on a grand scale.” The Nine in the Fourth is the one from whom all people derive their pleasure; that he attains great gains is because his aspirations prevail on a grand scale.
Zhouyi, hexagram 16, line 8. Koyonari translation.
“Persistently afflicted, yet continually surviving.” “Persistent illness” means suffering from disease over a long period; “continually not dying” means that, though illness is frequent, it does not lead to death. Ancient commentaries compare this to holding an honored position while constrained by a firm line below, unable to enjoy ease freely. Yet occupying the central place and retaining the position allow the situation to continue.
Zhouyi, hexagram 16, line 9. Koyonari translation.
“The Six in the Fifth is constantly ailing: riding upon the firm. Constantly not dying: the center is not yet lost.” The Six in the Fifth suffers chronic illness because its yielding yin rides atop the unyielding yang of the Nine in the Fourth. Persistently ailing without perishing is because it occupies the central position and has not yet been lost.
Zhouyi, hexagram 16, line 10. Koyonari translation.
“Blind enthusiasm; if transformed after completion, no blame.” Sinking into ease and enjoyment without clear awareness is “benighted contentment.” Even though this state has already taken shape, changing it can still bring “no blame,” meaning no fault and no cause for reproach. At the end of Yù, the possibility of turning back from this absorption in pleasure remains open.
Zhouyi, hexagram 16, line 11. Koyonari translation.
“Blind enthusiasm at the top: how could it last long?” The Top Six is benighted and immersed in unrestrained dissipation; occupying a high rank without vigilant caution, how could such a chaotic and deluded state possibly endure for long?
Zhouyi, hexagram 16, line 12. Koyonari translation.