Hexagram 48
The Well
井 · 정
Water over Wind
The Judgment
The well represents a source of nourishment that remains while settlements and their arrangements change. Its value does not depend upon novelty, and people continually come and go to draw from it. Yet an enduring source benefits no one without sound means of access. If the rope falls short near the water, or the vessel breaks before delivery, the undertaking fails at its decisive point. Care for both the common resource and the instruments that make its bounty available.
The Image
Water stands above wood, suggesting the wooden means by which the well's hidden supply is raised for use. The noble one encourages people in their work and helps them support one another. A shared source becomes a living benefit through organized effort, dependable tools, and mutual assistance.
In the light of the Dao
The well gives from depth and does not chase those who are thirsty. Its constancy resembles the Dao's inexhaustible usefulness. Return beneath distraction to the quiet source, but do not worship depth alone: wisdom must be drawn and shared, or its abundance remains merely hidden.
The two trigrams
Upper · outer
☵Water
Abysmal, danger · Middle 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
The bottom is choked with mud, and the water cannot be used. An abandoned well attracts not even the creatures that once visited it. Neglect has made the source ineffective. Before seeking recognition, clear the accumulated corruption that prevents your gifts from nourishing anyone.
Second line · the inner centre · yang, nine
The water serves only a narrow hollow where small creatures gather, while the vessel meant to carry it leaks. Capacity exists, but its use is diminished and its instruments unsound. Attend to the channel and container; an available resource cannot compensate for careless transmission.
Third line · the threshold · yang, nine
The well has been cleared, but no one drinks, and worthy usefulness goes unrecognized. This is a cause for sorrow, not a reason to muddy the water again. The source is ready. If discerning authority perceives it, its benefit can extend to everyone.
Fourth line · the minister · yin, six
The well is being lined and repaired, so its service is temporarily interrupted. There is no blame in this withdrawal from use. Strengthening the structure protects the source and those who depend upon it. Necessary maintenance is itself a form of faithful public service.
Fifth line · the ruler · yang, nine
Clear, cool water rises from a sound spring and is fit to drink. Inner quality has become genuinely nourishing, not merely impressive in promise. Let those who need it draw near. The worth of cultivated virtue is fulfilled when it sustains living people.
Top line · the end · yin, six
The well is fully available, and its opening is not closed against those who come. Dependable generosity now completes the work of preservation and repair. Keep faith with this openness. Great good fortune belongs to a source whose bounty can be trusted and shared without exclusion.