Humbling (15)
3
The Judgement
MODESTY creates success.The superior man carries things through.
The Image
Within the earth, a mountain:The image of MODESTY.
Thus the superior man reduces that which is too much,
And augments that which is too little.
He weighs things and makes them equal.
Line Poems
- 6 - Modesty that comes to expression. It is favorable to set armies marching To chastise one’s own city and one’s country.
- 5 - No boasting of wealth before one’s neighbor. It is favorable to attack with force. Nothing that would not further.
- 4 - Nothing that would not further modesty In movement.
- 3 - A superior man of modesty and merit Carries things to conclusion. Good fortune.
- 2 - Modesty that comes to expression. Perseverance brings good fortune.
- 1 - A superior man modest about his modesty May cross the great water. Good fortune.
Commentary
This hexagram is made up of the trigrams Kên Keeping Still, mountain, and K’un.The mountain is the youngest son of the Creative, the representative of heaven and earth.
It dispenses the blessings of heaven, the clouds and rain that gather round its summit, and thereafter shines forth radiant with heavenly light.
This shows what modesty is and how it functions in great and strong men.
K’un, the earth, stands above.
Lowliness is a quality of the earth: this is the very reason why it appears in this hexagram as exalted, by being placed above the mountain.
This shows how modesty functions in lowly, simple people: they are lifted up by it.
