Chun / Difficulty at the Beginning
above: K'an The Abysmal, Water
below: Ch^ en The Arousing, Thunder
The name of the hexagram, Chun, really
connotes a blade of grass pushing against an obstacle as it sprouts out
of the earth--hence the meaning, "difficulty at the beginning." The
hexagram indicates the way in which heaven and earth bring forth
individual beings. It is their first meeting, which is beset with
difficulties. The lower trigram Chên is the Arousing; its motion
is upward and its image is thunder. The upper trigram K'an stands for
the Abysmal, the dangerous. Its motion is downward and its image is
rain. The situation points to teeming, chaotic profusion; thunder and
rain fill the air. But the chaos clears up. While the Abysmal sinks,
the upward movement eventually passes beyond the danger. A thunderstorm
brings release from tension, and all things breathe freely again.
The Judgement
Difficulty at the Beginning works supreme success,
Furthering through perseverance.
Nothing should be undertaken.
It furthers one to appoint helpers.
Times of growth are beset with
difficulties. They resemble a first birth. But these difficulties arise
from the very profusion of all that is struggling to attain form.
Everything is in motion: therefore if one perseveres there is a
prospect of great success, in spite of the existing danger. When it is
a man's fate to undertake such new beginnings, everything is still
unformed, dark. Hence he must hold back, because any premature move
might bring disaster. Likewise, it is very important not to remain
alone; in order to overcome the chaos he needs helpers. This is not to
say, however, that he himself should look on passively at what is
happening. He must lend his hand and participate with inspiration and
guidance.
The Image
Clouds and thunder:
The image of Difficulty at the Beginning.
Thus the superior man
Brings order out of confusion.
Clouds and thunder are represented by
definite decorative lines; this means that in the chaos of difficulty
at the beginning, order is already implicit. So too the superior man
has to arrange and organize the inchoate profusion of such times of
beginning, just as one sorts out silk threads from a knotted tangle and
binds them into skeins. In order to find one's place in the infinity of
being, one must be able both to separate and to unite.