Hexagram 47 of 64
Oppression
困 (Kùn)
Exhaustion (kùn) — confined and depleted, yet inner strength holds
ExhaustionAs shown in classical I Ching texts
Composition
Upper Trigram
Joyful, open, expressive — the pleasure of exchange and communication
Outer situation / environment
Lower Trigram
Deep, flowing, dangerous — penetrating through persistence
Inner situation / your state
Interaction
Lake above Water — marsh meeting rain & rivers. The outer energy of lake shapes the inner disposition of water.
Meaning
Exhaustion and limitation — yet words count for nothing here. Inner strength carries you through.
Classical Judgment
“Oppression. Success. Perseverance. The great man brings about good fortune. No blame.”
The classical judgment is the original oracle text — the answer the I Ching gives when this hexagram appears.
The Image
There is no water in the lake. The superior one stakes their life on following their will.
The Image is a nature scene associated with this hexagram — a symbolic picture that distils its essence. In classic texts, meditating on the Image was considered the proper way to absorb the hexagram's teaching.
Nuclear Hexagram
Lines 2–5 of this hexagram form an inner hexagram called the nuclear hexagram. It reveals the hidden seed or underlying dynamic within the situation — what lies at the core beneath the surface.
#37 — Hidden within
The Family
家人 (Jiā Rén) · Community
In a Reading
When hexagram 47 appears in your reading, the I Ching is drawing your attention to the quality of exhaustion. Sit with the Image — “There is no water in the lake” — and consider how this pattern is playing out in your current situation. The Judgment offers the oracle’s direct guidance on how to move with this energy rather than against it.
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