Hexagram 52 of 64
艮 Gèn · Keeping Still
上 艮 Mountain (Gèn) over 下 艮 Mountain (Gèn)
Stop where stopping is right.
Judgment
Zhouyi, hexagram 52, judgment. English translation in preparation.
Image
In short: mountain beside mountain.
Zhouyi, hexagram 52, Great Image. Short gloss by Koyonari; full translation in preparation.
Commentary
Gèn is mountain beside mountain, stopping where stopping is right. Gèn speaks of halting: not being unable to go on, but choosing to stop right here. Stopping precisely saves far more effort than walking far; what should be done today may simply be to bring a certain matter to a clear stop, and dwell on it no more.
Koyonari commentary.
The Six Lines
“Keeping the toes still: no blame. Favorable in lasting perseverance.” Gèn means stopping. Keeping the toes still means knowing to stop just as action is about to begin, hence no blame, meaning no fault. Favorable for lasting steadfastness means that keeping to the right course over time is favorable. What matters is not merely pausing briefly, but continuing without departing from the right path.
Zhouyi, hexagram 52, line 1. Koyonari translation.
“‘Keeping toes still’: not having lost correctness.” Initial Six stands at the hexagram’s start, halting its toes before taking a step. Halting at the earliest inkling shows it has not strayed from the correct path and rules.
Zhouyi, hexagram 52, line 2. Koyonari translation.
“Keeping the calves still, unable to rescue what follows: one's heart is not glad.” The calf is held still, but the person one follows cannot be rescued, causing unhappiness. Féi means the calf; its movement and stillness follow other body parts. The second line, a six, is central and correctly placed but weak. It cannot correct the excessively rigid, unbalanced stopping of the third line, a nine, which it follows. Being led along leaves no peace of mind.
Zhouyi, hexagram 52, line 3. Koyonari translation.
“‘Not rescuing what follows’: refusing to step back and listen.” Six in the second place holds the center and desires stillness, but Nine in the third place above is too rigid, forcing a halt at the boundary between the upper and lower trigram. Six in the second place, yielding and set low, cannot rescue the entangled predicament, while Nine in the third place stubbornly refuses to step back and listen, leaving Six in the second place stifled and distressed.
Zhouyi, hexagram 52, line 4. Koyonari translation.
“Keeping the waist still, stiffening the spine: danger suffocates the heart.” Xiàn means the waist, and yín means the muscles and sinews beside the spine. Forcing the waist to stay still makes these tissues feel as though they are being torn apart (liè is understood as splitting). Such a rigid way of stopping brings danger, while anxious fear presses upon the heart like scorching heat.
Zhouyi, hexagram 52, line 5. Koyonari translation.
“‘Keeping the waist still’: danger scorches the heart.” Nine in the third place is rigid and uncentered, forcibly halting at the waist where the upper and lower body join, severing the bodily connection. This unnatural, rigid immobilization is perilous in the extreme, with anxiety and danger scorching the heart like blazing fire.
Zhouyi, hexagram 52, line 6. Koyonari translation.
“Keeping the torso still: no blame.” One keeps oneself still and avoids rash movement. Shēn means the torso and also represents oneself; what the fourth line, a six, can do is restrain its own actions. The judgment is no blame, meaning no fault. The emphasis is on keeping one's conduct within bounds.
Zhouyi, hexagram 52, line 7. Koyonari translation.
“‘Keeping the torso still’: resting in the body.” Six in the fourth place is yielding and correct, able to keep its torso still. Applying the practice of stillness and self-restraint directly to one’s own person, one curbs behavior to prevent rash, improper conduct, thereby avoiding blame.
Zhouyi, hexagram 52, line 8. Koyonari translation.
“Keeping the jaws still: words orderly, remorse disappears.” Keeping the sides of the cheeks still makes speech orderly and measured, so regret disappears. Fǔ refers to the areas on either side of the cheeks adjoining the mouth, used here to represent restraint in speech. Stopping here does not mean complete silence, but speaking with moderation and in an orderly way.
Zhouyi, hexagram 52, line 9. Koyonari translation.
“‘Keeping the jaws still’: through central correctness.” Six in the fifth place occupies the central position of the upper trigram, resting still at the cheeks and jaws; speaking cautiously and in orderly fashion is precisely because it upholds the way of central correctness, ensuring both words and deeds conform to moderate and balanced restraint.
Zhouyi, hexagram 52, line 10. Koyonari translation.
“Generous in keeping still: good fortune.” A kind, sincere heart holds to knowing when to stop. Dūn means kindness and earnest sincerity, indicating firm, lasting stopping. At the final line of Gèn, the hexagram of stopping, what matters is maintaining this throughout. The judgment is therefore good fortune, meaning a favorable outcome.
Zhouyi, hexagram 52, line 11. Koyonari translation.
“‘The good fortune of earnest stillness’: ending with solid sincerity.” Top Nine stands at Gèn’s end, preserving stillness with an honest, steadfast attitude. Being able to maintain this to the very end brings good fortune.
Zhouyi, hexagram 52, line 12. Koyonari translation.