K'an / The Abysmal (Water)
above:K'an The Abysmal, Water
below:K'an The Abysmal, Water
This hexagram consists of a doubling of the trigram K'an. It is one of
the eight hexagrams in which doubling occurs. The trigram K'an means a
plunging in. A yang line has plunged in between two yin lines and is
closed in by them like water in a ravine. The trigram K'an is also the
middle son. The Receptive has obtained the middle line of the Creative,
and thus K'an develops. As an image it represents water, the water that
comes from above and is in motion on earth in streams and rivers,
giving rise to all life on earth.
In man's world K'an represents the heart, the soul locked up within the
body, the principle of light inclosed in the dark--that is, reason. The
name of the hexagram, because the trigram is doubled, has the
additional meaning, "repetition of danger." Thus the hexagram is
intended to designate an objective situation to which one must become
accustomed, not a subjective attitude. For danger due to a subjective
attitude means either foolhardiness or guile. Hence too a ravine is
used to symbolize danger; it is a situation in which a man is in the
same pass as the water in a ravine, and, like the water, he can escape
if he behaves correctly.
The Judgement
The Abysmal repeated.
If you are sincere, you have success in your heart,
And whatever you do succeeds.
Through repetition of danger we grow accustomed to it. Water sets the
example for the right conduct under such circumstances. It flows on and
on, and merely fills up all the places through which it flows; it does
not shrink from any dangerous spot nor from any plunge, and nothing can
make it lose its own essential nature. It remains true to itself under
all conditions. Thus likewise, if one is sincere when confronted with
difficulties, the heart can penetrate the meaning of the situation. And
once we have gained inner mastery of a problem, it will come about
naturally that the action we take will succeed. In danger all that
counts is really carrying out all that has to be
done--thoroughness--and going forward, in order not to perish through
tarrying in the danger.
Properly used, danger can have an important meaning as a protective
measure. Thus heaven has its perilous height protecting it against
every attempt at invasion, and earth has its mountains and bodies of
water, separating countries by their dangers. Thus also rulers make use
of danger to protect themselves against attacks from without and
against turmoil within.
The Image
Water flows on uninterruptedly and reaches its goal:
The image of the Abysmal repeated.
Thus the superior man walks in lasting virtue
And carries on the business of teaching.
Water reaches its goal by flowing continually. It fills up every depression before it flows on. The superior man follows its example; he is concerned that goodness should be an established attribute of character rather than an accidental and isolated occurrence. So likewise in teaching others everything depends on consistency, for it is only through repetition that the pupil makes the material his own.