Hexagram 18 of 64
蠱 Gǔ · Repairing the Spoiled
上 艮 Mountain (Gèn) over 下 巽 Wind (Xùn)
Today is for mending what is old.
Judgment
Zhouyi, hexagram 18, judgment. English translation in preparation.
Image
In short: wind below the mountain.
Zhouyi, hexagram 18, Great Image. Short gloss by Koyonari; full translation in preparation.
Commentary
Gǔ depicts wind swirling trapped beneath the mountain; stagnant air breeds rot and decay over time. Gǔ addresses the repair of what has spoiled: tasks left neglected are ripe for attending to today. Begin with the oldest item without insisting on clearing everything in a single stroke; the act of stirring things up alone allows fresh air to circulate once more.
Koyonari commentary.
The Six Lines
“Remedying the father's decay; having a worthy son brings no blame. Danger, in the end good fortune.” This concerns remedying longstanding problems left by the father. A son capable of carrying on the work brings the father no blame, meaning no reproach. (The text is usually punctuated with the break after “son” (zǐ) rather than after “father” (kǎo).) Despite danger, good fortune can ultimately be attained. “Danger” signals the need for care when making corrections.
Zhouyi, hexagram 18, line 1. Koyonari translation.
“Managing the father’s corruption: the intent is to carry on the deceased father.” Taking on the task of correcting the decay left by one's father aims at continuing the father's enterprise; it means carrying it on in spirit and remedying faults, rather than keeping everything unchanged.
Zhouyi, hexagram 18, line 2. Koyonari translation.
“Remedying the mother's decay; one must not be too rigid.” Gǔ refers to affairs that have deteriorated over time. In remedying longstanding problems left by the mother, it is inappropriate to insist rigidly on carrying everything through. The warning against steadfastness here does not mean abandoning the right path. It calls for a measured approach to correcting faults, using gentle means.
Zhouyi, hexagram 18, line 3. Koyonari translation.
“Managing the mother’s corruption: one attains the middle path.” Correcting the decay left by one's mother maintains proper balance, blending firmness with gentleness, and according with the golden mean of avoiding excessive harshness or haste.
Zhouyi, hexagram 18, line 4. Koyonari translation.
“Remedying the father's decay; slight remorse, but no great blame.” In remedying longstanding problems left by the father, acting too forcefully may bring some regret, but no major fault. Regret means feeling remorse; no great blame means the absence of serious wrongdoing. The third yang line emphasizes excessive firmness in making corrections: although the approach is imperfect, it can still undertake the work of remedying accumulated problems.
Zhouyi, hexagram 18, line 5. Koyonari translation.
“Managing the father’s corruption: in the end, no blame.” Though rectifying the father's decay may seem somewhat too firm and hurried, because one's intention is upright, one will ultimately avoid blame.
Zhouyi, hexagram 18, line 6. Koyonari translation.
“Indulging the father's decay; going forward brings distress.” Yù here means indulgence. Treating longstanding problems left by the father too leniently allows them to persist. Continuing in this way brings humiliation, meaning a regrettable or embarrassing situation. The fourth yin line indicates that indulging accumulated problems and leaving them unaddressed cannot put affairs that have deteriorated over time right.
Zhouyi, hexagram 18, line 7. Koyonari translation.
“Tolerating the father’s corruption: going forward, one will not succeed.” Being lax and lenient toward the father's decay, indulging and delaying, means that proceeding in this way will fail to achieve results or reverse the decline.
Zhouyi, hexagram 18, line 8. Koyonari translation.
“Remedying the father's decay meets with praise.” Remedying longstanding problems left by the father earns praise. Gàn means taking responsibility and putting things right; gǔ refers to affairs that have deteriorated over time. The fifth yin line describes inheriting the work of predecessors and correcting its faults. The resulting reputation comes from successfully making those corrections.
Zhouyi, hexagram 18, line 9. Koyonari translation.
“Managing the father’s corruption brings praise: receiving it with virtue.” Gaining praise for correcting the father's corruption is because one succeeds the predecessor's enterprise through virtue.
Zhouyi, hexagram 18, line 10. Koyonari translation.
“Not serving kings and princes, keeping one's aspirations noble.” Rather than undertaking service for kings and princes, one keeps one's own pursuits noble. At the highest position in Gǔ, the top yang line presents a choice of life that does not make official advancement its aim. It maintains personal integrity through lofty intentions and conduct. The emphasis is on principles that stand apart from an official career.
Zhouyi, hexagram 18, line 11. Koyonari translation.
“Not serving kings and princes: the aspiration can be taken as a model.” Not serving kings and princes in mundane affairs shows noble aspirations and detachment; such conduct and integrity serve as a worthy model to follow.
Zhouyi, hexagram 18, line 12. Koyonari translation.