Articulating (60)
5
2
1
The Judgement
LIMITATION. Success.Galling limitation must not be persevered in.
The Image
Water over lake: the image of LIMITATION.Thus the superior man
Creates number and measure,
And examines the nature of virtue and correct conduct.
Line Poems
- 6 - Galling limitation. Perseverance brings misfortune. Remorse disappears.
- 5 - Sweet limitation brings good fortune. Going brings esteem.
- 4 - Contented limitation. Success.
- 3 - He who knows no limitation Will have cause to lament. No blame.
- 2 - Not going out of the gate and the courtyard Brings misfortune.
- 1 - Not going out of the door and the courtyard Is without blame.
Commentary
A lake occupies a limited space.When more water comes into it, it overflows.
Therefore limits must be set for the water.
The image shows water below and water above, with the firmament between them as a limit.
The Chinese word for limitation really denotes the joints that divide a bamboo stalk.
In relation to ordinary life it means the thrift that sets fixed limits upon expenditures.
In relation to the moral sphere it means the fixed limits that the superior man sets upon his actions—the limits of loyalty and disinterestedness.
