Chieh / Limitation
above: K'an The Abysmal, Water
below: Tui The Joyous, Lake
A lake occupies a limited space. When more water comes into it, it
overflows. Therefore limits must be set for the water. The image shows
water below and water above, with the firmament between them as a limit.
The Chinese word for limitation really denotes the joints that divide a
bamboo stalk. In relation to ordinary life it means the thrift that
sets fixed limits upon expenditures. In relation to the moral sphere it
means the fixed limits that the superior man sets upon his actions--the
limits of loyalty and disinterestedness.
The Judgement
LIMITATION. Success.
Galling limitation must not be persevered in.
Limitations are troublesome, but they are effective. If we live
economically in normal times, we are prepared for times of want. To be
sparing saves us from humiliation. Limitations are also indispensable
in the regulation of world conditions. In nature there are fixed limits
for summer and winter, day and night, and these limits give the year
its meaning. In the same way, economy, by setting fixed limits upon
expenditures, acts to preserve property and prevent injury to the
people.
But in limitation we must observe due measure. If a man should seek to
impose galling limitations upon his own nature, it would be injurious.
And if he should go too far in imposing limitations on others, they
would rebel. Therefore it is necessary to set limits even upon
limitation.
The Image
Water over lake: the image of LIMITATION.
Thus the superior man
Creates number and measure,
And examines the nature of virtue and correct conduct.
A lake is something limited. Water is inexhaustible. A lake can contain only a definite amount of the infinite quantity of water; this is its peculiarity. In human life too the individual achieves significance through discrimination and the setting of limits. Therefore what concerns us here is the problem of clearly defining these discriminations, which are, so to speak, the backbone of morality. Unlimited possibilities are not suited to man; if they existed, his life would only dissolve in the boundless. To become strong, a man's life needs the limitations ordained by duty and voluntarily accepted. The individual attains significance as a free spirit only by surrounding himself with these limitations and by determining for himself what his duty is.