Hexagram 12, Pǐ (Standstill): Line 5

否卦九五 · 天地否 · 中文版

九五:休否,大人吉。其亡其亡,系于苞桑。

The line (Legge)

In the fifth NINE, undivided, we see him who brings the distress and obstruction to a close,--the great man and fortunate. (But let him say), 'We may perish! We may perish!' (so shall the state of things become firm, as if) bound to a clump of bushy mulberry trees.

Small Image commentary

The good fortune of the great man' arises from the correctness of his position.

象曰:大人之吉,位正当也。

In plain words

Bringing the blockage to rest: good fortune for the great person. "It may perish, it may perish!": keep this in mind, and one is as firm as if tied to a clump of mulberry, whose deep roots are hard to pull up. The fifth line is strong, central and correct in the place of honour and can end the blockage; the better things get, the more one should keep danger in mind. The Small Image says this is because its position is right.

Applying it to your situation

If you are turning a hard situation around, this line suggests staying more alert the better it gets. What risk do you need to keep reminding yourself of?

Position

A solid (yang) line in the fifth place, which is a yang (odd) place, so it is in its proper place. It holds the centre of the upper trigram. Its partner is line 2; one is yin and the other yang, so they respond to each other.

If this line moves

With this line moving alone, Pǐ changes into Hexagram 35 Jìn (Progress). The Jiaoshi Yilin verse for this change (Chinese): 焦氏易林·否之晋.

The hexagram

Hexagram 12 Pǐ (Standstill). The Judgment: In Pi there is the want of good understanding between the (different classes of) men, and its indication is unfavourable to the firm and correct course of the superior man. We see in it the great gone and the little come.

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English text: James Legge, The Yi King (Sacred Books of the East, vol. 16, 1882), public domain, as transcribed by the Chinese Text Project. Chinese: the received text. Offered for study and reflection, not as prediction. Plain-English readings and position notes by this site.

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