坎 Kǎn

Classical Text

習坎坎下坎上 習坎， 有孚，維心亨， 行有尚。 有孚者，孚，信也，由剛正在內，故有信也。維心亨者，陽不外發而在於內，是維心亨，言心得通也。 行有尚者，內亨外闇，內剛外柔，以此行險，事可尊尚，故云行有尚也。 案：諸卦之名，皆於卦上不加其字。此坎卦之名特加習者，以坎為險難，故特加習名。習有二義：一者習重也，謂上下俱坎，是重疊有險，險之重疊，乃成險之用也。二者人之行險，先須便習其事，乃可得通，故云習也。

Repeated Kan; Kan below, Kan above. Repeated Kan, There is sincerity, and the heart alone finds Success, Action will be esteemed. 'There is sincerity' — sincerity means trustworthiness; because the firm and correct is within, therefore there is trustworthiness. 'The heart alone finds Success' — the yang does not issue outward but resides within; this is the heart alone finding Success, meaning the heart attains free passage. 'Action will be esteemed' — within is free passage, without is darkness; within is firmness, without is yielding. To traverse danger with these qualities makes one's undertaking worthy of esteem, hence it says 'action will be esteemed.' Note: Among the names of all hexagrams, none adds an extra character before the hexagram name. That the name of the Kan hexagram specially adds 'Repeated' is because Kan represents danger and difficulty, hence the special addition of 'Repeated.' 'Repeated' has two meanings: first, it means doubling — the upper and lower are both Kan, meaning danger is layered upon danger, and only through the layering of danger does the function of danger come into being. Second, when a person traverses danger, one must first practice and become accustomed to the matter before one can succeed — hence 'Repeated.'

Water flows on without stopping, reaching its goal. The person of character makes virtue consistent, not occasional, and teaches through repetition. Constancy in danger, constancy in teaching. The pattern holds.