Jing · The Well

Judgment and Plain-Language Notes

Jing: The town may move, but the well does not. Neither loss nor gain; people come and go to the well. Almost reaching, yet not having drawn up the water. Breaking the jar brings misfortune.

The Tuan commentary says that entering the water and drawing it up is the Well, and that the well nourishes without exhausting itself. The town may be moved while the well is not, which rests on firmness held in the centre; water almost drawn but with the rope not yet complete has achieved nothing; and a broken jar is why the ending is unfavourable. The Xiang image is water above wood, with the noble person encouraging the people and urging them to help one another.

Kan above, Xun below. Water is lifted up through the wooden frame, which is the Well. Its nature is to stay put and remain available: the village can move while the well does not, it neither gains nor loses, and everyone who comes and goes may draw from it. The heaviest line of the judgement is the rope left short and the jar broken at the last moment. The lines run from mud at the bottom that nobody drinks, a leaking pot, a cleaned well that goes unused, a wall relined, cold clear water fit to drink, and finally a well left uncovered for all.

The judgment ends with the broken jar's misfortune, and its commentary says no achievement yet, warning of failure at the final step. The first six's muddy abandoned well, second nine's leaking jar, and third's clean but unused well show neglect, damaged equipment, and unused talent. Yet the fifth's clear cold water and the top's uncovered trustworthy well with supreme good fortune give an excellent ending, while the fourth affirms repair without blame. Neglect gives way to maintenance and eventual good fortune; outcomes depend on sustained care, hence the rating: Neutral. This is the app's interpretation of the text, not a guarantee of outcomes.

Worth doing: repair what supplies you and confirm the final stretch actually delivers the result. Avoid: changing only the surface, or easing off once the work is nearly complete.

Understand This Hexagram Through Its Structure

Kan above, Xun below: wood beneath water — a structure that does not run dry.

• Name the upper and lower trigram of Jing.
• Contrast Jing with Kun (Confinement).
• Say that swapping the halves turns The Well into Dispersion.

The lower trigram of Jing is Xun: a broken first line with two solid above. The upper is Kan: broken, solid, broken. The second, third and fifth lines are solid.

Xun below can be read as wood, as reaching in; Kan above is water. Wood reaching into water and drawing it up is a well. A well is fixed in place and the water does not move, so whoever needs it must come. Structurally this is about resources that are reliable but never delivered to you — the counterpart to Kun.

A teaching example, not a prediction: a company has one well-written internal document that has always been there, useful only to those who go and look. Jing describes that structure.

The Six Lines: Original Text and Reflection

Six at the beginning: Muddy well, not drunk from. No creatures at the old well.

The Xiang commentary explains the undrinkable mud by the lowest position, and says that the old well without birds is what the times have set aside.

The bottom of the well is all silt and the water cannot be drunk; an old well long abandoned no longer even draws birds. What goes unused and unmaintained is set aside in time.

A skill you have not used for years, or a relationship you have not tended, slowly loses its value. Either clean it out properly so it works again, or admit honestly that it has passed.

Which of your abilities has gone unused for a long time?

Nine in the second place: Shooting small fish in the well's hollow. The jar is worn and leaks.

The Xiang commentary says that shooting minnows in the well hollow shows there is no matching support. The earthenware pot for drawing water is cracked and leaks.

There is water in the well, but it is only used to catch a few small fish, and the jar leaks besides. The resource is still there; it is being spent in the wrong place and cannot be held, which comes to the same as waste.

The capability is not the problem. The problem is that it is aimed at something too small and has no supporting setup. Patch the part that leaks before you redouble your effort, then point it somewhere worth it.

Which of your efforts is currently being poured into a leaking container?

Nine in the third place: The well is cleaned but unused, grieving my heart. It can be drawn from. If the king is clear-sighted, all share its blessing.

The Xiang commentary calls the cleaned well that goes undrunk a cause for sorrow, and says that if the king is discerning and draws from it, both above and below receive the blessing.

The well has been cleaned and the water is fit to drink, yet nobody comes to draw it, which is painful to watch. The well was always usable; it only needs someone above with clear enough sight, and then everyone benefits.

Being ready and still unseen is a wearing stage. Keeping the water clean and staying available gets you further towards the person who understands than announcing how good you are.

Does the right person know about the thing you have already prepared?

Six in the fourth place: Lining the well. No blame.

The Xiang commentary states the point directly: lining the well with brick is repairing the well, and maintenance is itself legitimate work.

The shaft is relined and there is no fault. This line says nothing about output and everything about repair: supply pauses now so that the well can supply for a long time afterwards.

Spending a stretch doing nothing but tidying, reinforcing and rebuilding the base shows no visible result while it lasts, and it is what lets everything afterwards run. There is no need to be anxious about it.

Which foundation should you stop and repair that the schedule keeps pushing past?

Nine in the fifth place: A clear well. Its cold spring water is drunk.

The Xiang commentary attributes the drinkable cold spring to being centred and correct, which is why the water is pure and fit for use.

The water is clear and cold and genuinely good to drink. After the cleaning and the relining, the well finally does what it is for: nourishing without running dry.

A capability you have maintained for a long time has reached the point of steady output. The best thing now is to keep supplying it and keep the quality up, rather than swapping it for something else.

What have you already made good enough that it only needs to continue?

Six at the top: Water drawn from the well; do not cover it. With sincerity, supreme good fortune.

The Xiang commentary says that the great good fortune at the top is a great completion. The well is drawn from and left uncovered, and sincerity is kept.

Once the water is up, the mouth is not covered over, so anyone may draw from it, and sincerity is maintained. It reads very well. A well is valuable for being open, not for being kept private.

Opening the experience and resource you have accumulated to those who need it takes nothing from you; it carries the value further and returns for longer.

What experience could you share that you have been keeping to yourself?

Try It Yourself

Swap the halves so Kan moves down and Xun moves up, and see what the name becomes.

This page has a hands-on exercise. It is built into the Traditional Chinese page: open the interactive exercise.

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