61.1

[dobro p]

Hi. Is there any way in which the first term in 61.1 (yu) can mean 'self-satisfied'?

'Vigilance' seems a better translation, considering the only other place it crops up (3.3).

 

[bradford_h]

Hi Dobro

More like preparedness, just looking ahead, estimating, providing against, precautious. I like vigilance too.
It can also be a game warden or forester, someone who's trained or ready.
Sometimes it can mean looking ahead with a little anxiety or trepidation. It isn't really smug.

The Yu that can definitely mean self-satisfied or smug is the title of Gua 16.

 

[heylise]

http://www.anton-heyboer.org/i_ching/origins/index.html
Scroll down to "Tigers and snakes".

Here you find some more about this character. Rely on Bradford for the meaning, but this might be interesting too.

LiSe

 

[dobro p]

Brad - that was very useful. I like 'cautious' or 'precaution' as well - they fit with 3.3 as well. I appreciate the fact that the meaning of a term changes depending on the context, but I'm trying to minimize that aspect of the Yi as often as I can.

LiSe - yes, I checked out your site this morning, (although I hadn't found that explanation you've linked to), and you're right - it's interesting.

The reason I considered 'self-satisfied' was because of the way it relates to 'relates' in the same text:

Self-satisfied fortunate
Having this not relation

In other words, being self-sufficient is fortunate and involves being unconnected to anyone else. This is a sweet translation, cuz it fits well into the overall and repeated meaning of relatedness that crops up in different parts of the hexagram. But it's much less sweet when you try to fit it into 3.3.