I Ching vernacular full translation

Chapter 50 Well Gua
The well hexagram is composed of the lower sunda and the upper ridge, and the shape of the hexagram is "", which symbolizes "water well".The upper hexagram "Kan" is water, and the lower hexagram "Xun" is wood: there is water seeping from the top of the tree, just like well water being drawn up, which means the image of "well".The whole hexagram personifies the "well", and by showing the various virtues of the well "nourishing people", for example, a "gentleman" should cultivate himself at all times and benefit endlessly.

Well: If you change the town but not the well, you will have no loss and no gains.If you go to and from the well, the well will come, but if you don't have a well, it will be fierce if you lose the bottle.

The translation of the hexagram well symbolizes water wells: cities and villages can be moved, but water wells never move. The well water is pumped out but never injected. People who come and go use the well constantly.When drawing water, the water is about to come out of the mouth of the well, but the water bottle is broken, it must be dangerous.

Interpretation The lower hexagram of this hexagram is Sunda, and Sunda is wood; the upper hexagram is Kan, and Kan is water.Soaking in water makes it moist, and trees get water to grow. This is the hexagram of the well.The well feeds people with water, and it lasts for a long time. This is the quality of the hexagram of the well.The hexagram "change the city but not the well, no loss, no gain" is about the characteristics of the well.In ancient times, people mostly lived by water and grass. Water is absolutely indispensable to people's life and is the source of human life.Generally, wherever there are cities, villages and other places where people live together, there must be wells.But after a while, for one reason or another, the cities and villages moved, but the wells remained there.Moreover, the amount of water drawn from the well is not too small, and the spring flow is not too much, which shows the permanence of the well. "Changai" means "one who goes and comes," and can be translated as people who come and go. "Well well", Zhu Xi's "The Original Meaning of the Book of Changes" explains it as "well its well".The well has been personified here.The Hexagram of Wells shows the virtues of water wells "nourishing people" to describe the principle that people should cultivate themselves and benefit endlessly; Unswerving, impartial and selfless.When the well water has been drawn close to the well mouth and is about to come out of the well, if the water bottle is broken, then nothing will be obtained, and the result will be dangerous.These few sentences are actually a metaphor for "Jing De", if a person fails to start well and end well, he will definitely lead to disaster.The well hexagram not only requires people to have good virtue and cultivate themselves more, but also to persevere, to start well and end well.

"Yuan" said: Sunda is close to the water and goes up to the water, the well.Well support but not poor also. "Change the city but not the well" is just in the middle. "Going to and from the well, the well will arrive, and there is no well", no merit. "Love its bottle", so it is inauspicious.

The translation "Zhuan Zhuan" says: When you enter the water and make the water go up, it is a well, and the well can nourish people without end.Cities and villages can be moved, but water wells never move, because the masculine gentleman can stay in the middle and conserve.When drawing water, the well water will be drawn out of the mouth of the well but has not yet come out of the well, which shows that the well has not fulfilled the function of benefiting people at this time.If the bottle used for drawing water is broken, it will inevitably lead to danger.

Interpretation of the well hexagram is that Xun goes down and goes up the ridge, Xun is the wind, and the ridge is water, and people go up to the water, that is to say, things (referring to bottles and cans for drawing water) enter the water and make the water move upwards. It is the image of drawing water from the well, so the hexagram on Xunxiakan is named after the well.There is neither time limit nor quantity limit for the well water to be used by people. People can take whatever they want, and there is no loss, no gain, and everything is taken and given.Therefore, water wells have the infinite virtue of nourishing people.This sentence not only inherits the meaning of the famous well of the hexagram from the previous article, but also inspires the following article to explain the words of the hexagram. "Change the city but not the well, but use the rigidity" to explain the hexagrams with the ninety-two and ninety-five line images.The ninety-two and ninety-five lines are centered with masculinity, just like a masculine gentleman, who has the virtue of masculinity; rigidity is strong and solid, middle is not biased, and reality is not biased, how can it migrate?Therefore, the conservation of the ninety-two and ninety-five is just in the middle, which determines that the virtues of wellness are permanent and unswerving.Water wells are for people to draw water. If the well water is drawn to the mouth of the well but still does not come out of the well in the end, the water well has not played the role of benefiting people.Therefore, "Zhu Zhuan" said: "The well is full, and there is no well, and there is no merit." It is said that this is a sign of danger, but in fact it means that self-cultivation should be stopped before it is completed, which is harmful to the career.

"Xiang" said: There is water on the wood, well.The gentleman persuades the prime minister by laboring the people.

The translation "Xiang Zhuan" says: The lower hexagram of this hexagram is Sunda, and Sunda is wood; the upper hexagram is Kan, and Kan is water.Trees grow when submerged in water, this is the hexagram image of the well hexagram.A gentleman observes this hexagram and takes the method of nourishing people with well water, so as to encourage the people to work hard and encourage each other.

The most difficult thing to explain here is "wood".Zheng Xuan said "Sunda wood is also orange".This means that "wood" is "orange".The ancients used a crossbar to support a wooden post, with a water pump on one end and a heavy object on the other end, and the water was drawn by moving up and down through the principle of leverage. "Jujia" refers to this kind of hanger for drawing water, which is the meaning of "wood" in "Xiang Zhuan".We don't want to stick to the literal meaning too much.This sentence roughly means that the water well can be lifted up with a hanger.The hanger can help the bottle and jar to draw up water, which is the image of well water being drawn up to support people, so it becomes a symbol of "well". "Xiang Zhuan" says that "a gentleman persuades his ministers by laboring the people", which is the enlightenment that a gentleman receives when he sees this hexagram.It means that on the one hand, we should benefit the people with our own virtue, and on the other hand, we should use reasonable methods to encourage the common people to support and help each other. "Xiang Zhuan" requires us to imitate the virtue of "well nourishing endlessly" in our own life journey, so as to cultivate ourselves, do good deeds, benefit others, and benefit endlessly.

Sixth day: Well mud does not eat.There are no poultry in the old well.

"Elephant" says: If the well mud does not eat, it will fall.There are no poultry in the old well, so is the time house.

Translation Sixth Day: The bottom of the well is stagnant with sludge, making the well water filthy and unable to drink. In addition, it has become an old and abandoned well without repairs for a long time, and even the birds do not come to patronize it.

"Xiang Zhuan" said: There is sludge at the bottom of the well, and the well water is dirty and cannot be eaten. The reason is that the sixth place of the first day is soft, dark and humble.It has not been repaired for a long time and has become an abandoned well, and even the birds do not come to patronize it, which shows that the sixth day of the first day has been abandoned by humans and birds at this time.

Interpretation Wells are for drinking water.If the well is full of stagnant sludge and is not repaired for a long time, the well water will become sewage and turbid water, and people will not come to draw water again.This is exactly the image of the sixth day.On the sixth day of the sixth day, Yu Rouyao resides at the beginning of the well hexagram, with a low status and being in the dark, which means that it is at the bottom of the well, and there is a phenomenon of well mud.Well water can feed people, but well mud is a pure useless thing, and even birds don't come to patronize it.Once the water well cannot be repaired for a long time, it will be abandoned by others.It means that once dirt seeps into the well and becomes turbid, it must be abandoned by everyone.

Ninety-two: Jinggu shootfish.The urn leaks.

"Elephant" says: Jinggu shoots fish, and there is nothing to do with it.

Translation [-]: There are jets of water from the holes at the bottom of the well, but they are only used to feed small fish.Even if there is a urn for drawing water, it is leaky and broken, and there is still no way to draw water.

"Xiang Zhuan" said: There is water ejected from the hole at the bottom of the well, which is only enough to feed small fish, which shows that there is no support at this time in [-].

The general tendency of interpreting Jing Gua is that upward is good, but downward is not good.Because the function of a well is to feed people with water coming out of the well.Although Jiu Er is a masculine talent, he is in an inappropriate position, and he is the closest to the sixth yin line of the first day, so he is in the bottom and cannot go up, which is an extremely bad situation.It is true that if you are close to vermilion, you will be red, and if you are close to ink, you will be black.As a Gangyang, Jiuer could have been useful in the world and benefited the common people, but because of his inappropriate position, and "being close to the villain and far away from the virtuous minister", wouldn't he suffer even more?However, in [-], we can ask for external support!The position corresponding to the [-]nd is the [-]th, and both of them are Yang lines, which cannot form a positive response, so the [-]nd cannot find foreign aid for the [-]th. The phrase "Jinggu Sheyu" means that the hole at the bottom of the well has water gurgling out, indicating that it is not a mud well, but there is not much water, only enough for "sheyu".Shooting means injecting, which means that the injected water can only feed small fish.It's not that I don't want to draw out the well water, but that I really can't.Because the water is scarce, and the urn used to draw water is broken and leaky, and it is no longer usable. How can we draw water without tools?As a man of masculinity, Jiuer should have been able to save all things, benefit the people, and make great achievements for him. However, up to now, he has not made any achievements, but he has ended up like "the wells shoot fish, the urn leaks" the result of.The lesson of its failure is because it did not win foreign aid, right?I think that if there is support in [-], he will definitely be able to achieve the merits of Jingde.

Jiusan: I don't eat well, I feel sorry for me.Available to draw.Wang Ming, and be blessed by him.

"Xiang" said: "Well, you don't eat, but you walk with compassion."Ask Wang Ming to be blessed.

Translation [-]: After the wells have been cleaned and become clean, no one drinks them, which makes people feel sorry.The clean well water should be drawn quickly.If the king's way is sage, the monarch, his ministers and the common people will all share the blessings.

"Xiang Zhuan" said: The well was cleaned and became clean, but no one drank it, which shows that Jiusan's behavior was not understood by people, which made people feel sorry.I hope that the king and the sage can appoint Jiusan so that the monarchs, ministers and common people can bear the blessings.

Interpretation In this line, the well is cleaned and becomes clean and ready to drink, but no one draws it.It means that although Jiusan has a masculine quality and a useful talent, he has not been able to use it.Since ancient times, a thousand-mile horse must be appreciated by Bole, and a talented person cannot make full use of it unless he meets a sage king. "I don't eat well", Jiusan's behavior is not understood by others, so that he will not be appreciated by Mingjun, how many people sigh for it!It is the ignorance of the people that the well water is clean but people do not drink it; the ignorance of the king is that the talented people are not employed and cannot play a role.In fact, once a talented person is appointed, is it not only the luck of one person to play a role?Just as well water nourishes people and benefits endlessly, the monarch, ministers and common people can all benefit from talented people!Therefore, the Nine Three Lines Ci and Xiang Ci are full of hope, showing the eagerness that the well water is clear and should be used as soon as possible.In fact, this passage is to hope that the sage monarch will be thirsty for virtuous people, and he will give them talents, so that talented people can be like water wells, and they will be effective and benefit the people.

June [-]th: Jingdeng, no blame.

"Xiang" says: "There is no blame for the well, and it is also for repairing the well."

Translation Sixty-Four: The wells are repaired, and there is no harm.

"Xiang Zhuan" said: There is no harm in repairing wells, which shows that at this time of June [-]th, only wells can be repaired, and we should not rush to benefit and nourish all things.

Interpretation Judging from the image of June Fourth, the situation is still not optimistic.June Fourth used the soft line to occupy the soft position. It can be said that he is right and can be exempted from blame, but June Fourth is weak and weak, and he has nothing to do. This determines that he should not rush to make progress and achieve great things.That's why the line said, "There is no blame for a well", and it is possible to do work like repairing a well without any harm, but it cannot support people endlessly. "Xiang Zhuan" emphasizes "repairing wells", and it also reminds June Fourth that it is appropriate to cultivate one's moral character at this time to make up for the lack of quality and behavioral mistakes, and not to rush to benefit all things.To support others because of one's own shortcomings is to harm others with its own shortcomings.

Ninth Five: Well, cold spring, food.

"Xiang" said: "The food of the cold spring is Zhongzheng."

Translation Nine Five: The water is clean and the spring is cold, cool and delicious, and can be eaten.

"Xiang Zhuan" said: The ninety-five line talks about clean water, cold springs, cool and delicious, because the ninety-five line is in the middle of the upper hexagram, which symbolizes that people get the right way.

The Interpretation of the Ninth Five-Year Plan regards masculinity and integrity as the honorable position. It has both masculinity and integrity, and it is perfect with both talents and virtues.As far as the water well is concerned, it is a cool and sweet spring. As far as talents are concerned, it is the time when Kunpeng spreads its wings and can show its grand plans and play a role.Since there is sweet and clean water in the well, people like to drink it, which shows that this well can nourish people and nourish them endlessly.This is the most beautiful realm of "Jingde" to nourish people infinitely, which symbolizes that a virtuous monarch is in a high position and will benefit people endlessly.

Upper Six: Jingshou Wumu, Youfu, Yuanji.

"Xiang" said: Yuanji is on the top, and great success is also achieved.

Translation [-]: After the well water is drawn up for drinking, do not cover the mouth of the well; you should believe that the well water will flow out endlessly at this time, and you cannot use it from time to time. This is the most auspicious.

"Xiang Zhuan" said: The upper six are in the top position, the most auspicious, and Jingde has accomplished so far.

Interpreting that the upper Liuzheng is at the top of the well hexagram, it means that the well water has been drawn up, and it is time to complete the work, so it is of course "Yuanji".Wells are for drawing water for drinking. If you cover the well mouth immediately after drawing water for drinking, how can others use water?If a well is only for personal use but not for everyone, this is the tragedy of the well.The more people draw and use the well water, the wider the range of water wells can be used. This is what the hexagrams mean.The following "youfu" means faith, which means that we believe that the well water is endless and will never end, which echoes the "no loss, no gain" in the hexagram.Only in this way, the function of water wells to nourish people, that is, the virtue of water wells, can be carried forward forever.

(End of this chapter)