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Hexagram 48: The Well

䷯ 井 (Jǐng) · The well. A deep, shared resource; keep it clean.

source, community, renewal, depth

Lower trigram: Wind ☴ · Upper trigram: Water ☵

The judgment

Towns change and people come and go, but the well stays where it is, never running dry and never overflowing. It is a deep, shared source that serves everyone who draws from it. Care for the rope and the jar: if you stop short of the water or crack the vessel, the source can't reach you.

The image

Water above Wind (wood): a wooden bucket lifts water up from below. Encourage others in their work and help them support one another.

The six lines

Read only the lines that changed in your casting, counting from the bottom.

• Line 1 (bottom): No one drinks from a muddy well, and even animals pass by an old, neglected one. Let what has gone stagnant in you be cleared out.
• Line 2: Small fish dart in the shallows of the well, and the jar is cracked and leaking. Your gifts are being spent on trivial things.
• Line 3: The well has been cleaned, but no one draws from it, and that is a quiet sorrow. Good water is waiting, and a clear-sighted leader would put it to use for all.
• Line 4: The well is being lined with stone. Pausing to repair and strengthen yourself is time well spent.
• Line 5: The well water runs clear and cold from its spring, fresh enough to drink. Something good and refreshing is within reach; let it be drawn up and shared.
• Line 6 (top): The water is drawn up freely and the well is left uncovered. A source that is open and reliable serves everyone well.

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