M^ eng / Youthful Folly
above: K^ en Keeping Still, Mountain
below: K'an The Abysmal, Water
Nine in the second place means:
To bear with fools in kindliness brings good fortune.
To know how to take women
Brings good fortune.
The son is capable of taking charge of the household.
These lines picture a man who has no external power, but who has enough
strength of mind to bear his burden of responsibility. He has the inner
superiority and that enable him to tolerate with kindliness the
shortcomings of human folly. The same attitude is owed to women as the
weaker sex. One must understand them and give them recognition in a
spirit of chivalrous consideration. Only this combination of inner
strength with outer reserve enables one to take on the responsibility
of directing a larger social body with real success.