Hexagram 3Upper Kan · WaterLower Zhen · Thunder

Zhun · Difficult Beginnings

屯卦 · 水雷屯

New start
Struggle
Sprouting
Foundations

The Judgment

Kun (indicates that in the case which it presupposes) there will be great progress and success, and the advantage will come from being correct and firm. (But) any movement in advance should not be (lightly) undertaken. There will be advantage in appointing feudal princes.

元亨利贞。勿用有攸往，利建侯。

The Image

Clouds and thunder: difficult beginnings. The noble one, in the same way, brings order out of confusion.

云雷屯，君子以经纶。

Plain-language reading

Your situation

Something in your life has only just begun, and everything feels tangled. Zhun is a seedling pushing through the soil: full of life but blocked on every side, short of resources, unclear on direction and short of hands. This sense of chaos is not a sign of failure; every real beginning passes through it.

Where to put your effort

Do not rush or try to fight on every front. Put down roots first: identify the one thing that matters most and build a basic structure around it. Look for partners or mentors you can lean on and give yourself a few solid points of support. When an opportunity is unclear, let it go rather than chasing it blindly into the forest.

Four areas of life

Career: Hold your ground rather than pushing ahead.
Wealth: Starting a business is hard going.
Family: Repair the home; early married life may be rocky.
Health: Conserve your energy.

Health notes come from traditional texts and are cultural reference only. If you feel unwell, please see a doctor.

The six lines

Read from the bottom up: the first line is at the bottom, the top line is at the top. Open each line for details.

Nine at the beginningThe first line, undivided, shows the difficulty (its subject has) in advancing. It will be advantageous for him to abide correct and firm; advantageous (also) to be made a feudal ruler.Moving

初九：盘桓，利居贞，利建侯。

Image：Though hesitating, the will is set on what is right. Humbling the noble before the humble, one wins the people's hearts.

Career: You want to advance but cannot yet; hold to the right path.
Wealth: Not good for trade; you can rely on honest people.
Family: Settle in a good home; marriage is auspicious.
Health: No health concerns.

Six in the second placeThe second line, divided, shows (its subject) distressed and obliged to return; (even) the horses of her chariot (also) seem to be retreating. (But) not by a spoiler (is she assailed), but by one who seeks her to be his wife. The young lady maintains her firm correctness, and declines a union. After ten years she will be united, and have children.Moving

六二：屯如邅如，乘马班如。匪寇婚构，女子贞不字，十年乃字。

Image：The difficulty of six in the second place comes from riding on a hard line. Only after ten years is she betrothed: things return to normal.

Career: Not achieved yet, but it can be done in time.
Wealth: Selling will be slow and take effort.
Family: A good match, but you must wait.
Health: Keep up your exercise routine.

Six in the third placeThe third line, divided, shows one following the deer without (the guidance of) the forester, and only finding himself in the midst of the forest. The superior man, acquainted with the secret risks, thinks it better to give up the chase. If he went forward, he would regret it.Moving

六三：即鹿无虞，唯入于林中。君子几，不如舍。往吝。

Image：Chasing deer without a guide is just following the game. The noble one gives it up; going on brings regret and a dead end.

Career: Profit chased this way is not worth having.
Wealth: Losses are likely; better to let go.
Family: Seeking marriage by improper means leads to trouble.
Health: Do not harm yourself through excess.

Six in the fourth placeThe fourth line, divided, shows (its subject as a lady), the horses of whose chariot appear in retreat. She seeks, however, (the help of) him who seeks her to be his wife. Advance will be fortunate; all will turn out advantageously.Moving

六四：乘马班如，求婚构，往吉，无不利。

Image：Seeking and then going: this is clear-sighted.

Career: Go with the momentum and there is real growth.
Wealth: The benefit is clear; you will gain.
Family: Auspicious for marriage.
Health: Follow your doctor's advice.

Nine in the fifth placeThe fifth line, undivided, shows the difficulties in the way of (its subject's) dispensing the rich favours that might be expected from him. With firmness and correctness there will be good fortune in small things; (even) with them in great things there will be evil.Moving

九五：屯其膏，小贞吉，大贞凶。

Image：Difficulty in sharing out one's blessings: the generosity has not yet shone.

Career: No one is promoting you yet; no hope for now.
Wealth: Small trades can profit; big deals are risky.
Family: Hoarding wealth harms family harmony.
Health: Treatable early; serious if prolonged.

Six at the topThe topmost line, divided, shows (its subject) with the horses of his chariot obliged to retreat, and weeping tears of blood in streams.Moving

上六：乘马班如，泣血涟如。

Image：Weeping tears of blood: how can this last?

Career: No way forward; protect yourself first.
Wealth: Indecision costs you every good chance.
Family: The family fortune declines.
Health: Coughing blood is a grave sign.

Related hexagrams

Judgment and line texts from the public-domain translation by James Legge (1882). Readings by DeepHeart AI.

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