41 - Decrease

no2DO - eine Annäherung aus Westen

Contemporary Interpretation

41 - Decrease

Reenter the river of abundance.

A short cycle
Of regeneration:
Inhalation,
Let me be fed,
Exhale.
Reenter
The river of
Abundance.

The Changes

yang yin yin yin yang yang

Upper Trigram: Gen, Mountain

2nd Core Character: Kun, Earth

1st Core Character: Zhen, Thunder

Lower Trigram: Dui, Lake

Information regarding the interpretation model

Classical Interpretation

The characters »decrease« (41) and »increase« show the beginning of flourishment and decay.

The image

At the foot of the mountain is the lake: the image of decrease. Thus the superior man tames his anger and inhibits his instincts.

The judgement

Decrease together with truthfulness has sublime good fortune without blame. One may be preserving. It furthers to undertake something. How is this done? One may use two small bowls for the sacrifice. Full text of Richard Wilhelm's 1924 translation by Cary F. Baynes

Dynamics of the Hexagram

The Changes: 41 - decrease

Lower Trigram: Dui, the Lake

Dui crosses the natural boundary of our self in two ways: from the inside outwardly and from the outside inwardly. From the outside ... Read more inwardly means that we open ourselves to the outside, to our environment, let us be inspired and ultimately accept and integrate what we encounter. From the inside outwardly invites us to express our innermost to the outside and let it come alive within the world. Both movements are tightly interconnected, just like the rhythm of our breathing: inhaling, exhaling. Hide

First Change: Dui → Zhen, the Thunder

Zhen develops when a (broken) yin line is added (dark arrow; yin symbolizes receptivity). If we open ourselves towards the ... Read more exterior, towards our environment (Dui) there will be consequences: a seed will be planted, something within ourselves will begin to resonate with the environment. This resonance will consolidate, will become reply, decision and finally visible for all in resolute action. Hide

Second Change: Zhen → Kun, the Earth

Kun develops when a (broken) yin line is added (dark arrow; yin symbolizes receptivity). The clear decision that becomes ... Read more visible in Zhen, falls on fertile grounds. Hide

Third Change: Kun → Gen, the Mountain

During the phase of growth (Kun), while something concrete emerged from unstructured potential, we may have noticed things that are ... Read more unnecessary ballast and block our energies. When Gen evolves from Kun, we can confidingly let go of ballast and entrust ourselves to earth's gravity. This way we not only release muscles and tendons, but our entire being. Hide

Upper Trigram: Gen, the Mountain

Gen stands for our ability to disengage. Through letting go of what has become obsolete we can focus on what is essential, ... Read more concentrate our energies and make room for the new. Disengagement harmonizes and focuses our actions and results in reorientation and new beginnings. Gen invites us to honestly examine our possessions, feelings and/or thoughts regarding their validity, and to permanently let go of what is old or outdated. Hide

Follow the Path of the Dao: A Western Approximation

The interpretations shown above gradually moved away from Eastern concepts. Let us proceed even a little further. In this section I develop a model of interpretation from a Western perspective, more precisely: from the perspective of philosophical anthropology.
A detailed article on the subject can be found here: A Western Approximation

Dem Weg des Dao folgen: Annäherung aus Westen

Exemplary Experiences

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You can help the further development of no2DO by sending me the question you asked the I Ching and its response (the hexagram's name and number). Each hexagram's tendencies open up most clearly when examined in the context of a personal situation.

References and Connotations