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Hi ! All,
I would like to present the interruption and paraphrase of Hex 1 (Chien) and 2 (Kun) from my understanding of most of Confucian writtings as follows and for your reference.
Hexagram 1 (Chien)
The hexagram Chien is the first hexagram; it is pure masculinity and represents the sky. Together with Kun, a pure feminine hexagram and the earth, it unfolds the world of the I Ching, like the masculine and the feminine creating life, the sky and the earth forming the whole of creation. Thus, Chien is symbolic of creativity, and its text exhibits four virtues of heaven: 元 origination (i.e. a great and brand new beginning full of creativity), 亨 smooth progress, 利 appropriateness (i.e. to be appropriate to all concerned and bring benefit), 貞 persistence (i.e. to persist in maintaining what has been achieved), like sprouting in spring, prosperous growth in summer, maturity and harvest while it is autumn, as well as storage and maintaining vitality (i.e. continuation) when winter arrives.
However according to most of Confucian writings, Chien highlights its perseverance, like the sky functioning day and night with neither slackness nor neglect, and suggest a gentleman exerting himself strongly and untiringly. Hence the text of Chien is regarded as: 元 the spring of goodness, 亨 the convergence of optimum (i.e. favorable variations between the masculine and the feminine), 利 the performance in accord with righteousness, and 貞 the trunk in dealing with jobs, which constitute the pattern of a gentleman’s behavior, i.e. to possess benevolence enables a gentleman to lead people, to converge the optimum enables him to conform to propriety, to make things appropriate enables him to match righteousness, and to persist in righteousness enables him to deal with jobs.
Its lines are characterized by the dragon and act gentlemen; the dragon is a sacred animal, extremely masculine and the most dynamic; it lives in water and flies in the sky. In the era of exerting oneself strongly and untiringly, a gentleman performs timely according to the dragon’s behaviors in three domains (i.e. positions 1 and 2 / positions 3 and 4 / positions 5 and 6): the earth, human beings and the sky.
1) The earth domain / the incubation stage:
Line 1 (at the beginning and less energetic): A hidden dragon; do not take action, signifies that the dragon conceals under the ground; it is not yet the right timing, so one should restrain one’s aspiration and not take action.
Line 2 (ready to start but what can be done is still limited): The dragon appears in the field; it is advantageous (or appropriate) to see the great lord. The dragon appears in the field, like a person ready to take action but what he can do is still limited; therefore, it is advantageous to see someone who can recognize him and give him assistance.
2) The human domain / the developing stage:
Line 3 (full of energy to march upward): A gentleman is Chien and Chien (i.e. doubly perseverant) for the entire day, vigilant and cautious at night; stern & cruel (i.e. the status is dangerous) but no calamity (or fault). A gentleman just enters human society; he is very perseverant and exerts himself very hard but the way ahead is full of difficulties; the environment is dangerous but there is no calamity as long as he can continue striving and maintaining his vigil.
Line 4 (in a rest status and plenty of fear): As if leaping up and down over the deep pond (where the dragon lives in); no calamity (or fault). The dragon leaping up and down over the deep pond signifies to search for a way to reach the sky, i.e. to make achievements; hence there is no fault or calamity.
3) The sky domain / the stage of making achievements:
Line 5 (at the peak of the hexagram development): The flying dragon in the sky; it is advantageous (or appropriate) to see the great lord. The dragon flying in the sky signifies that its aspiration is realized and brought into full play. People will benefit as well when the great lord has made achievements.
Line 6 (at the extreme position): The extreme dragon; regretful. The dragon reaches to the extreme. It started from the ground, leaped up and down over the deep pond, and flew in the sky; it has always moved forth without knowing retreat. It will regret once it reaches the end but still intends to advance.
The extra line (to use the elder masculine): A group of dragons without the leader; auspicious, signifying that all the lines start changing to the feminine now; there will be no fighting among the dragons for leadership and they can live together peacefully.
Best regards
Tuck :bows:
www.iching123.com
I would like to present the interruption and paraphrase of Hex 1 (Chien) and 2 (Kun) from my understanding of most of Confucian writtings as follows and for your reference.
Hexagram 1 (Chien)
The hexagram Chien is the first hexagram; it is pure masculinity and represents the sky. Together with Kun, a pure feminine hexagram and the earth, it unfolds the world of the I Ching, like the masculine and the feminine creating life, the sky and the earth forming the whole of creation. Thus, Chien is symbolic of creativity, and its text exhibits four virtues of heaven: 元 origination (i.e. a great and brand new beginning full of creativity), 亨 smooth progress, 利 appropriateness (i.e. to be appropriate to all concerned and bring benefit), 貞 persistence (i.e. to persist in maintaining what has been achieved), like sprouting in spring, prosperous growth in summer, maturity and harvest while it is autumn, as well as storage and maintaining vitality (i.e. continuation) when winter arrives.
However according to most of Confucian writings, Chien highlights its perseverance, like the sky functioning day and night with neither slackness nor neglect, and suggest a gentleman exerting himself strongly and untiringly. Hence the text of Chien is regarded as: 元 the spring of goodness, 亨 the convergence of optimum (i.e. favorable variations between the masculine and the feminine), 利 the performance in accord with righteousness, and 貞 the trunk in dealing with jobs, which constitute the pattern of a gentleman’s behavior, i.e. to possess benevolence enables a gentleman to lead people, to converge the optimum enables him to conform to propriety, to make things appropriate enables him to match righteousness, and to persist in righteousness enables him to deal with jobs.
Its lines are characterized by the dragon and act gentlemen; the dragon is a sacred animal, extremely masculine and the most dynamic; it lives in water and flies in the sky. In the era of exerting oneself strongly and untiringly, a gentleman performs timely according to the dragon’s behaviors in three domains (i.e. positions 1 and 2 / positions 3 and 4 / positions 5 and 6): the earth, human beings and the sky.
1) The earth domain / the incubation stage:
Line 1 (at the beginning and less energetic): A hidden dragon; do not take action, signifies that the dragon conceals under the ground; it is not yet the right timing, so one should restrain one’s aspiration and not take action.
Line 2 (ready to start but what can be done is still limited): The dragon appears in the field; it is advantageous (or appropriate) to see the great lord. The dragon appears in the field, like a person ready to take action but what he can do is still limited; therefore, it is advantageous to see someone who can recognize him and give him assistance.
2) The human domain / the developing stage:
Line 3 (full of energy to march upward): A gentleman is Chien and Chien (i.e. doubly perseverant) for the entire day, vigilant and cautious at night; stern & cruel (i.e. the status is dangerous) but no calamity (or fault). A gentleman just enters human society; he is very perseverant and exerts himself very hard but the way ahead is full of difficulties; the environment is dangerous but there is no calamity as long as he can continue striving and maintaining his vigil.
Line 4 (in a rest status and plenty of fear): As if leaping up and down over the deep pond (where the dragon lives in); no calamity (or fault). The dragon leaping up and down over the deep pond signifies to search for a way to reach the sky, i.e. to make achievements; hence there is no fault or calamity.
3) The sky domain / the stage of making achievements:
Line 5 (at the peak of the hexagram development): The flying dragon in the sky; it is advantageous (or appropriate) to see the great lord. The dragon flying in the sky signifies that its aspiration is realized and brought into full play. People will benefit as well when the great lord has made achievements.
Line 6 (at the extreme position): The extreme dragon; regretful. The dragon reaches to the extreme. It started from the ground, leaped up and down over the deep pond, and flew in the sky; it has always moved forth without knowing retreat. It will regret once it reaches the end but still intends to advance.
The extra line (to use the elder masculine): A group of dragons without the leader; auspicious, signifying that all the lines start changing to the feminine now; there will be no fighting among the dragons for leadership and they can live together peacefully.
Best regards
Tuck :bows:
www.iching123.com