Hexagram 47: Kun (Oppression)

Hexagram 47 Meaning & Interpretation

In the received King Wen sequence of the Book of Changes (Zhouyi), Hexagram 47 — Kun (Oppression) is the 47th six-line figure, formed by placing the upper trigram Lake (Dui ☱) above the lower trigram Water (Kan ☵). It forms a structural pair with Hexagram 48 (Jing, The Well), contrasting their complementary stages of change across the sixty-four hexagrams.

The classical Judgment (gua ci) and the Great Image (da xiang) read the interaction between outer Lake (Dui ☱) and inner Water (Kan ☵) as an integrated pattern of timing and conduct. The Great Image states: "Lake emptied of water; remain composed and true to vision." In classical commentary, the Judgment names the macro climate sitting before you, while the Image describes how a discerning person (junzi) aligns daily posture with that climate before examining any individual moving lines.

Hexagram 47 Unchanging (No Changing Lines)

When all six positions come out settled — only 7s and 8s, with no moving 6 or 9 — the figure is a static hexagram (jing gua). Under Zhu Xi's rule in the Zhouyi Benyi, there is no relating figure and no moving line statement; the reading rests on the Judgment (gua ci) and the Great Image (da xiang) of Hexagram 47. Because Kun (kun, Oppression or Exhaustion — distinct in tone and character from Hexagram 2, Kūn, The Receptive) has no seventh all-moving statement, an unchanging cast describes a season of tight constraint where resources are drained and words alone carry no weight.

Structurally, Hexagram 47 places Lake (Dui, ☱) above Water (Kan, ☵): water has leaked out beneath the bed of the lake, leaving the marsh dry. The Judgment delivers one of the most practical observations in the Zhouyi: "When one has something to say, it is not believed." When you are boxed in or exhausted, trying to talk, argue, or explain your way out only wastes the little breath you have left.

The Great Image shows how character survives dry seasons: "Lake emptied of water; remain composed and true to vision." Quiet action and inner steadiness prove what speeches cannot.

• Where are you exhausting yourself trying to convince people who are not listening? Save your breath and let consistent conduct speak over time.
• Which drain at the bottom of the lake can you stop feeding? Conserve energy, attention, and resources while the basin refills.
• What core commitment remains intact even when outer conditions are dry? Hold to your inner dignity without bitterness.

Hexagram 47 in Love & Relationships

In questions of love and relationships, Hexagram 47 describes emotional exhaustion, feeling boxed in or misunderstood, or a stretch where the more you try to explain your feelings, the less your partner seems to hear ("words are not believed"). Paired in the King Wen sequence with Hexagram 48 (Jing, The Well), where Kun is the drained lake above water, Jing lowers the bucket back down to the inexhaustible spring below. When cast unchanging, Hexagram 47 counsels stopping circular arguments, protecting your quiet self-respect, and letting calm actions replace exhausted pleading.

When individual lines move, the six positions show six distinct ways people feel trapped in relationships — and how the vines finally loosen:

1. First position — Sitting trapped on a bare stump and entering a dark valley for three years: Brooding in gloomy isolation after a hurt only deepens the rut; sitting on the stump keeps you in the dark longer than the situation itself requires.
2. Second position — Weighed down even at a table of food and drink, yet relief approaches: Sometimes a relationship looks comfortable on the outside while feeling heavy or stifling inside; quiet steadiness and gratitude open the way for fresh air.
3. Third position — Hemmed in by rocks and leaning on thorny brambles; returning home to an empty room: Grasping at sharp, defensive arguments or leaning on unreliable distractions during a crisis only bruises your hands and alienates the very partner you need.
4. Fourth position — Coming very slowly, delayed in a bronze carriage; a hard start reaches completion: Pride, social status, or overthinking slows down an honest apology or reunion, yet persistence eventually gets through the bottleneck.
5. Fifth position — Nose and feet hemmed in, yet relief comes slowly through calm sincerity: Feeling misunderstood from above and below is painful, but refusing to lash out allows trust and breathing room to return gradually.
6. Top position — Bound only by creeping vines on a high ledge; saying "if I move I will regret it," then moving and breaking free: At the top of Kun, the trap is mostly mental fatigue and fear of regret; the moment you resolve to change course and step forward, the dry vines snap.

Questions to sit with:
- Have repeated explanations stopped working here, and what would quiet, self-respecting action look like instead?
- Are you trapped by real stone walls, or by the "creeping vines" of fear and habit in Line 6?
- How can you step away from the dry surface and reconnect with the deep spring of Hexagram 48 (Jing)?

Hexagram 47 in Career & Decisions

Hexagram 47 governs the brutal psychological and financial conditions of acute organizational distress:
1. **The Discredited Discourse Axiom **: When a firm defaults on debt or fails clinical trials, issuing emotional press releases is suicidal. Creditors and users interpret public excuses as fraudulent spin. Silence PR; channel all remaining caloric energy into shipping verified fixes.
2. The Toxic Bramble Trap (Line 3): Desperate executives grab toxic lifelines: predatory subprime debt, deceptive revenue-share agreements, or selling out core patents ("Leaning on thorny brambles"). This false savior lacerates the balance sheet and results in total abandonment ("Enters his home, sees no wife; disaster").
3. The Entangling Vine Breakthrough (Line 6): The ultimate barrier to turnaround is not the external creditor, but the executive's own paralyzed defeatism ("Trapped by creeping vines"). The moment the leader resolves that even a flawed offensive is superior to passive death ("Action brings remorse; repentance yields favorable outcomes"), the psychological chains dissolve.

The Six Lines of Hexagram 47

1. Line 1 (Initial Yin): Confined on a Bare Tree Stump.

tun kun yu zhu mu, ru yu you gu, san sui bu di — "the buttocks are confined on a bare tree stump; entering a dark valley, for three years seeing nothing."

At the bottom of the deep water trigram, the first response to difficulty is to sit down on a dead stump and retreat into a shadowy valley of one's own making. What prolongs the confinement for three years is not the outer obstacle alone, but the inward withdrawal into gloom where light cannot reach.

This line asks: where has a real difficulty been made darker by your own retreat into brooding?

2. Line 2 (Second Yang): Confined Amid Wine and Food.

kun yu jiu shi, zhu fu fang lai, li yong xiang si; zheng xiong, wu jiu — "confined amid wine and food, scarlet knee-covers are just arriving; it furthers one to make offerings; marching forward brings a setback, yet no blame."

Not all confinement is scarcity: here a capable person at the center of the lower trigram feels weighed down by abundance, obligations, and approaching honors (zhu fu, ceremonial knee-covers). Forcing a march outward brings a setback, whereas quiet inner dedication keeps one's center clear until the work arrives.

This line asks: how do you keep your inner purpose alive when comfort and obligation feel like a cage?

3. Line 3 (Third Yin): Confined by Stone, Leaning on Thorns.

kun yu shi, ju yu ji li, ru yu qi gong, bu jian qi qi, xiong — "confined by stone and leaning on thorns; entering one's house and not seeing one's wife, a setback."

Restless at the top of the danger trigram, this line pushes against an immovable rock above (Line 4) while resting its weight on sharp thorns below (Line 2). When one fights the wrong battles outside and leans on what cannot support one, even the refuge of home feels empty.

This line asks: what rock are you pushing against that does not actually block your true path?

4. Line 4 (Fourth Yang): Slow in a Metal Carriage.

lai xu xu, kun yu jin che, lin, you zhong — "coming slowly, confined in a metal carriage; regret, yet there is a good end."

Line 4 wishes to help its counterpart at the very bottom (Line 1), yet its own heavy carriage and the intervening stone of Line 2 slow its arrival to a crawl. Though the delay is awkward and causes regret, the sincerity of the bond holds through to a sound conclusion.

This line asks: what heavy trappings are slowing you down from reaching the people you actually care to help?

5. Line 5 (Fifth Yang): Bruised Above and Below, Slowly Released.

yi yue, kun yu chi fu, nai xu you yue, li yong ji si — "nose and feet cut, confined by crimson knee-covers; then slowly comes release; it furthers one to make offerings."

Even in the fifth place, pressure is felt from both ends — like having the nose cut above and the feet cut below — while official duties (chi fu) weigh heavily on the chest. Yet because lines 5 and 2 share central steadiness, the tightness loosens bit by bit as one returns to quiet sincerity rather than frustration.

This line asks: when your reach is clipped from above and below, can you let relief arrive slowly without losing heart?

6. Line 6 (Top Yin): Confined by Creeping Vines.

kun yu ge lei, yu nie wu, yue dong hui you hui, zheng ji — "confined by creeping vines on a precarious height; saying 'if I move I will regret it' brings regret, yet setting forth brings a favorable outcome."

At the very end of exhaustion, the bonds holding one back are no longer stone or metal, but creeping vines and the anxious thought that any move will be a mistake. Once you recognize that the hesitation itself is the last knot, stepping forward breaks the hold of confinement.

This line asks: are you still held fast by the situation, or only by the habit of telling yourself that moving will hurt?

This figure carries no additional all-moving statement. When all six lines move, read the transformed figure.

Hexagram 47 FAQ