P'i / Standstill [Stagnation]

above: Ch'ien The Creative, Heaven
below: K'un The Receptive, Earth

In Phi there is the want of good understanding between the (different classes of) men, and its indication is unfavorable to the firm and correct course of the superior man. We see in it the great gone and the little come.

Overall Meaning

Retrogression, stagnation, the symbol of failure

The form of Phi, it will be seen, is exactly the opposite of that of Thai. Much of what has been said on the interpretation of that will apply to this, or at least assist the student in making out the meaning of its symbolism. Phi is the hexagram of the seventh month. Genial influences have done their work, the processes of growth are at an end. Henceforth increasing decay must be looked for.