Hexagram 11

泰 Tài

Peace

☷ Earth above ☰ Heaven

Judgment 卦辭

小往大來。吉亨。

泰tàiinterplay, harmony; harmonizing, flourishing

小xiǎosmallness, the small, common, mediocre

往wǎngdepart, go, leave; move, pass on

大dàgreatness, the great, important

來láiarrive, come, approach, emerge

吉jípromise, good fortune, opportunity

亨hēngfulfillment, satisfaction, success

Commentary

The small departs, the great arrives. Good fortune and success. Heaven and earth unite—their powers combine in deep harmony. This is the season of flourishing. The ruler completes heaven and earth's work and aids the people.

Classical Text

泰乾下坤上泰，小往大來，吉亨。

Tai: Qian below, Kun above. Tai (Peace): The small departs and the great arrives. Auspicious and pervasive.

Image 象

天地交，泰。后以財成天地之道，輔相天地之宜，以左右民。

Heaven and earth in communion. The ruler uses this alignment to complete what nature begins, to regulate heaven and earth's gifts for the people's benefit. Power flows to where it's needed.

Lines 爻辭

拔茅茹以其彙征吉

拔bápulling, drawing up, out, extracting

茅máothatch, mao grass; reeds

茹rúby the roots

以yǐthereby, thus, with this

其qíuprooting its, the, another

彙huìwhole cluster, group, bunch; kindred, sort

征zhēngto expedite, advance, go boldly forward

吉jípromising, auspicious, opportune, timely

Pull up the grass—it comes with its roots intertwined. Move forward with your kind. In times of flourishing, pulling up one thing brings others along. Advance together.

Classical commentary

初九，拔茅茹，以其彙，征吉。

Initial Nine: Pulling up rush grass intertwined at the roots, together with its kind. Advancing brings auspiciousness.

包荒用馮河不遐遺朋亡得尚于中行

包bāoembrace, accept, cherish; pack

荒huāngthe wilderness, uncultivated; sparingly

用yòngpractical, useful; so as, thus to

馮píngto cross, ford without a boat

河hériver

不bùavoid, without, with no

遐xiáaloofness, remoteness, distancing

遺yíneglect, abandonment, withdrawal

朋péngcompanions, friends; friendships, alliances

亡wángimpermanent, fleeting; pass, move on

得délearn, secure, take, claim, find, accept

尚shàngthe value, worth, respect, honor, merit

于yúin, of; by, through

中zhōngbalanced, centered, tempered, mediated

行xíngaction, movement, behavior, conduct

Embrace the uncultivated, cross the river boldly, don't neglect the distant, abandon partisan cliques. You gain honor by walking the middle path. Greatness requires breadth.

Classical commentary

九二，包荒，用馮河，不遐遺，朋亡。得尚于中行。

Nine in the Second: Embracing the uncultivated, using the ability to wade across the river, not neglecting the distant, and being without partisanship. One attains a match with the one who walks the middle path.

無平不陂無往不復艱貞無咎勿恤其孚于食有福

無wúthere is not, no

平pínglevel, plain

不bùwithout

陂píslope, hill, climb, incline

無wúthere is no

往wǎnggoing, departure, progress

不bùwithout

復fùreturn; coming back

艱jiāndifficult, hard; problem, hardship

貞zhēnto persist, keep going; to be steady, resolved

無wúwithout, with no

咎jiùmistake, error, fault, flaw

勿wùdo not, don't

恤xùworry, suffer; be anxious, concerned

其qíthese, such

孚fúcertainties, promises; certain, sure

于yúin, with, through, by

食shínourishment, sustenance, sufficiency

有yǒufind, learn, take, claim, own; there is, are

福fúhappiness; blessing, enrichment

No level plain without slopes, no going without return. Hardship, but perseverance brings no blame. Don't worry about your sincerity—the blessing in food remains. Even in peace, prepare for change.

Classical commentary

九三，无平不陂，无往不復。艱貞无咎。勿恤其孚，於食有福。

Nine in the Third: No level ground that does not become a slope, no departure that does not have a return. Steadfastness amid difficulty brings no blame. Do not worry about trustworthiness — in partaking of sustenance there is blessing.

翩翩不富以其鄰不戒以孚

翩piānfluttering, flighty; flying, flapping

翩piānfluttering, fussing; to and fro

不bùno, not much; without, with no; lacking

富fùenrichment, wealth, prosperity

以yǐmaking use of, due to, by way of

其qíone's, this, these

鄰línneighbors, neighborhood, connections

不bùavoid, do not; no, without, with no; lacking

戒jièlimit, guard, defend; defenses, vigilance

以yǐthe ways, means; use, extend, employ

孚fútrust, sincerity, truth, good faith

Light and quick, not wealthy but sharing with neighbors. Trust without warnings. The good descend to meet the lesser; connection happens naturally.

Classical commentary

六四，翩翩，不富以其鄰，不戒以孚。

Six in the Fourth: Fluttering down in succession, without wealth one draws along one's neighbors, without admonishment there is trustworthiness.

帝乙歸妹以祉元吉

帝dìLord; Emperor; the divine

乙yǐYi (next to the last Shang Emperor)

歸guīgiving; gift of; gave in marriage

妹mèihis little sister, maiden daughter

以yǐmeant, led to; showed, was the way to

祉zhǐhappiness, blessings as footprints of spirits

元yuánfirst-rate, sublime, supreme

吉jígood fortune, promise, well-being

The emperor gives his daughter in marriage. Blessing follows. Supreme good fortune. Power marries down gracefully—this brings happiness to all.

Classical commentary

六五，帝乙歸妹，以祉元吉。

Six in the Fifth: Emperor Yi marries off his younger sister. Through this there is blessing and sublime auspiciousness.

城復于隍勿用師自邑告命貞吝

城chéngthe city walls, battlements, ramparts

復fùfalls back, overturns; returns

于yúinto; to

隍huángthe moat (a dry ditch at the base of a wall)

勿wùdo not, don't

用yòngengage, use, employ, send, advance

師shīthe military, militia, army, troops, legions

自zìin, from within one's own

邑yìhome town, village, community, district

告gàoannounce, explain, proclaim, declare, issue

命mìngthe decree, directives, commands, orders

貞zhēnto persist, keep going; focus, resolve

吝lìnembarrassing, humiliating, disgraceful

The city wall falls into the moat. Don't use the army. Give orders from your own city. Perseverance brings humiliation. Peace ends. The structure collapses. Defense, not expansion.

Classical commentary

上六，城復于隍，勿用師。自邑告命，貞吝。

Top Six: The city wall collapses back into the moat. Do not employ the army. From one's own town issue commands. Correctness brings regret.