Hexagram 32
Constancy
恒 · 항
Thunder over Wind
The Judgment
Constancy is the power to continue in a fitting course while circumstances change. It is not rigid repetition, but a durable union of purpose and conduct, like partners who renew their bond through many seasons. Success and freedom from blame come through perseverance in what is right. It is favorable to have somewhere to go: endurance should sustain living movement, not become an excuse for remaining where growth and responsibility have ceased.
The Image
Thunder and wind act together, their movements renewing the larger order rather than breaking it. The noble one stands firmly in a rightful direction. Though methods alter with the weather of events, the root of conduct remains settled; responsiveness serves constancy instead of dissolving it into passing moods.
In the light of the Dao
What endures does not strain to remain identical. Seasons return through ceaseless alteration, and the rooted tree survives by yielding in its branches. Keep close to the simple source of action. Constancy then becomes renewal without self-abandonment, rather than a struggle to freeze the flowing world.
The two trigrams
Upper · outer
☳Thunder
Arousing, movement · Eldest son
Lower · inner
☴Wind
Gentle, penetrating · Eldest daughter
The six lines
Read from the bottom up. A line speaks only when it moves — when the cast gives it as 6 or 9.
First line · the beginning · yin, six
At the beginning, one demands a depth of lasting commitment that time has not yet established. Such insistence brings misfortune even when pursued resolutely. Let roots grow at their proper pace; forcing permanence too early makes the desired bond harder to sustain.
Second line · the inner centre · yang, nine
Regret disappears because one maintains a balanced course despite circumstances that might otherwise invite excess. Constancy here is not a display of force, but the ability to remain inwardly measured. By keeping to the center, one corrects the weakness of the position.
Third line · the threshold · yang, nine
One's character changes with each passing influence, so that others cannot rely upon word or deed. Humiliation follows this failure of continuity. To persist in such instability only deepens the shame; establish a trustworthy direction before asking anyone to follow.
Fourth line · the minister · yang, nine
The hunter remains in a field where no game is to be found. Long effort cannot make an unsuitable place fruitful. Examine whether the position answers the purpose; constancy applied to the wrong conditions becomes wasted labor rather than admirable perseverance.
Fifth line · the ruler · yin, six
In the ancient household pattern, steadfast following benefits the wife, while the husband fails if he merely follows where judgment is required. The distinction concerns responsibility: fidelity is good when suited to one's role, but harmful when it replaces necessary discernment.
Top line · the end · yin, six
Restlessness has taken the name of constancy: one repeatedly stirs, adjusts, and presses, unable to let anything settle. Such agitation brings misfortune. An enduring course cannot be built from continual disturbance; return to stillness before attempting to renew the undertaking.