I Ching Oracle Result: Transformation from Hexagram 29 with Changing Lines 1, 3, 6 to Hexagram 9

Yin Yang symbol, representing balance

Yì Jīng’s Response: Hexagram 29.1.3.6 -> 9

Old Yin Young Yang Young Yin Old Yin Young Yang Old Yin

29. Repeated Depth

Yang Yang Yin Yang Yang Yang

9. The Taming Power of the Small

29. Repeated Depth (坎 Kǎn)

Trigrams

Above
☵ Kǎn (Water) — 水 · Depth
Below
☵ Kǎn (Water) — 水 · Depth

The Symbolism of Hexagram 29

Hexagram 坎 (Kǎn) describes repeated descent into depth. It represents recurring exposure to danger, requiring continuity of movement and internal stability.

Hexagram 29 Judgment

The Judgment reads:
Original Chinese:
習坎，有孚，維心亨，行有尚。
(Xí kǎn, yǒu fú, wéi xīn hēng, xíng yǒu shàng.)
English Translation:
"Repeated depth. There is underlying alignment. In the heart, there is smooth progress. Movement has value."

The situation involves recurring entry into difficulty. Stability must come from within, not from external conditions.

Continuity of movement is required. Stopping within danger leads to entrapment.

Hexagram 29 Image

The Image reads:
Original Chinese:
水流至坎，習坎。君子以常德行，習教事。
(Shuǐ liú zhì kǎn, xí kǎn. Jūn zǐ yǐ cháng dé xíng, xí jiào shì.)
English Translation:
"Water flows on into the depths: repeated depth. The superior person keeps conduct constant and practices the work of instruction."

Water does not resist the terrain—it continues through it. This reflects persistence through danger rather than avoidance.

Consistency of behavior provides stability when conditions are unstable.

Line 1 Changing

This line reads:
Original Chinese:
習坎，入于坎窞，凶。
(Xí kǎn, rù yú kǎn dàn, xiōng.)
English Translation:
"Repeated depth. Entering into a pit within the depth. Unfavorable outcome."

Instead of passing through danger, one descends further into it.

This represents loss of direction within a hazardous condition.

Line 3 Changing

This line reads:
Original Chinese:
來之坎坎，險且枕，入于坎窞，勿用。
(Lái zhī kǎn kǎn, xiǎn qiě zhěn, rù yú kǎn dàn, wù yòng.)
English Translation:
"Approaching depth upon depth. Danger accumulates. Entering a pit within it—do not engage."

Conditions compound rather than resolve. Movement leads deeper into instability.

At this point, action increases risk instead of resolving it.

Line 6 Changing

This line reads:
Original Chinese:
係用徽纆，寘于叢棘，三歲不得，凶。
(Xì yòng huī mò, zhì yú cóng jí, sān suì bù dé, xiōng.)
English Translation:
"Bound with cords and placed among thorns. For three cycles, there is no release. Unfavorable outcome."

Entrapment occurs due to prolonged exposure to danger without resolution.

Failure to move through earlier stages results in sustained confinement.

Changing to:

9. The Taming Power of the Small (小畜 Xiǎo Chù)

Trigrams

Above
☴ Xùn (Wind) — 風 · Penetrating
Below
☰ Qián (Heaven) — 天 · Creative

The Symbolism of Hexagram 9

Hexagram 小畜 (Xiǎo Chù) describes the restraining and accumulating of small forces. Progress is present, but it is limited in scale. Influence works through subtlety, gradual shaping, and attention to minor conditions rather than decisive action.

Hexagram 9 Judgment

The Judgment reads:
Original Chinese:
小畜，亨。密云不雨，自我西郊。
(Xiǎo chù, hēng. Mì yún bù yǔ, zì wǒ xī jiāo.)
English Translation:
"Small restraint brings smooth progress. Thick clouds gather, yet no rain falls; they arise from the western outskirts."

This describes a situation where conditions are forming but not yet releasing into full effect. There is movement and accumulation, but not culmination.

The presence of clouds suggests potential, yet the absence of rain indicates that the moment has not fully matured. Progress depends on patience and careful containment rather than forceful advance.

Hexagram 9 Image

The Image reads:
Original Chinese:
风行天上，小畜。君子以懿文德。
(Fēng xíng tiān shàng, xiǎo chù. Jūn zǐ yǐ yì wén dé.)
English Translation:
"Wind moves across heaven: the taming power of the small. The superior person refines cultivated expression."

The wind moves lightly across the sky, shaping without force. This reflects influence that operates through subtle refinement rather than direct imposition.

The image shows a situation in which order is developed through pattern, expression, and disciplined shaping. Small forces work gradually, but they still alter the whole.

Peace and wisdom on your journey!

With gratitude,
The I Ching Team