Hexagram 48 of 64
The Well
井 (Jǐng)
The Well (jǐng) — the inexhaustible source that nourishes all
SourceAs shown in classical I Ching texts
Composition
Upper Trigram
Deep, flowing, dangerous — penetrating through persistence
Outer situation / environment
Lower Trigram
Gentle, penetrating, persistent — gradual influence that goes everywhere
Inner situation / your state
Interaction
Water above Wind — rain & rivers meeting breeze. The outer energy of water shapes the inner disposition of wind.
Meaning
The well is inexhaustible — it nourishes all who draw from it. Return to the source.
Classical Judgment
“The Well. The town may be changed, but the well cannot be changed. It neither decreases nor increases.”
The classical judgment is the original oracle text — the answer the I Ching gives when this hexagram appears.
The Image
Water over wood: the well. The superior one encourages the people at their work.
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.
#38 — Hidden within
Opposition
睽 (Kuí) · Difference
In a Reading
When hexagram 48 appears in your reading, the I Ching is drawing your attention to the quality of source. Sit with the Image — “Water over wood: the well” — 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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