Hexagram 52: Keeping Still

Hexagram 52, Keeping Still (Gèn, 艮), is formed of the upper trigram Mountain (艮) over the lower trigram Mountain (艮). Below is the classical judgment, the six line texts, and how to read this hexagram in a reading.

The Judgment

Trigrams

The outer (upper) trigram Mountain describes the situation as it meets the world; the inner (lower) trigram Mountain describes its inner disposition. Together they set the theme of Keeping Still.

The Six Lines

• 初六 · Line 1 Stilling the toes: no blame. Lasting steadfastness furthers.艮其趾，无咎，利永贞。
• 六二 · Line 2 Stilling the calves — unable to help the one it follows: the heart is heavy.艮其腓，不拯其随，其心不快。
• 九三 · Line 3 Stilling the waist, wrenching the spine: danger smolders in the heart.艮其限，列其夤，厉熏心。
• 六四 · Line 4 Stilling the whole trunk. No blame.艮其身，无咎。
• 六五 · Line 5 Stilling the jaws: words come measured and in order — remorse vanishes.艮其辅，言有序，悔亡。
• 上九 · Line 6 Wholehearted stillness. Good fortune.敦艮，吉。

Reading Hexagram 52 for Your Question

When Keeping Still appears without changing lines, the judgment above stands as the whole answer. When you cast changing lines (a 6 or a 9), read those line texts first — they are the most specific guidance — then look to the relating hexagram they form for where the situation is heading. For love, career, or a decision, apply the theme of Keeping Still to your own circumstances rather than reading it as a fixed prediction.