Repairing Decay
蠱Gu
No. 18 · Mountain over Wind
Gu (Repairing Decay)
Things left too long breed rot, and problems left too long go bad. It is about taking over a mess, finding the root cause and getting to work on it.
Cast your own hexagramSomething in front of you has gone bad, perhaps a problem left too long or a pile of old accounts. Gu (Repairing Decay) is not telling you to accept it. It says that getting to work now leads somewhere good. Find out how it broke first, and check again after you fix it.
Favorable
- Find out how it broke
- Tackle the old backlog
- Check again after fixing
- Leave the old guard their dignity
Avoid
- Letting it drag on
- Fixing only the surface
- Throwing out everything at once
- Walking away after the fix
Work and money
- Job search
- Taking over a mess someone else left can be your chance to shine. In a new role, find out how the problems arose before you act, and follow up after the fix: the Judgment's three days before and three days after.
- Business
- Reviving an old shop or turning around a losing division are both workable; it pays to cross the great river. Find the old debts and leaks first. Stop the bleeding, then talk about expanding.
- Money
- Sort out old accounts, chase overdue payments and look for where money is leaking. Stop the bleeding before you think about earning more.
Love and people
- Single
- Staying single this long often comes down to an old habit, like always picking the same type or fearing rejection. Sort that out first, and meeting people tends to go better.
- In a relationship
- Old grievances have piled up. Wind trapped under the mountain goes stale. It's time for an honest talk, but the second line says not to be too rigidly firm: keep your tone gentle.
- Getting back together
- Figure out how it broke the first time. If that hasn't changed, going back ends the same way. Reach out only if you can change it; the third line allows a little regret but no great blame.
- People and partnerships
- A long-running problem on the team is worth tackling. The second and third lines are about measure: fix what needs fixing, let senior people save face, and don't throw out everything at once.
Daily life
- Exams and study
- Your scores are stuck because old weak spots never got patched. Go back through the questions you missed and the chapters you never understood; that does more than piling on new practice.
- Moving and travel
- A good time to leave a place you've lived in for years, crammed with stuff. Do a big clear-out before you go, toss what needs tossing, and the new place starts out clean.
- Body and mind
- Stress has been bottled up too long, like wind trapped under the mountain. Talk to someone and clear the things you've been putting off, one at a time. Reset your routine first, and see a doctor if you feel unwell.
Traditional questions
- Something you are waiting for
- It won't come on its own; things are stuck on an old problem. Clear the obstacle first. News tends to come only once the causes are dealt with, so expect it to be slow.
- Disputes and lawsuits
- This dispute grew out of old matters piling up, and taking it on is likely to turn out well. Lay out the history and the evidence first. The fourth line warns that tolerating it only leads to humiliation.
- Lost things and people
- Recoverable, but it takes work. Look where nothing has been sorted in ages: the back of a cabinet, behind wooden furniture, a corner by a stone or brick wall. It will likely surface during a big clean-up.
Making a decision
Go ahead; this is something you should do. Work out where the problem came from first, and check afterward. Don't make the change and walk away.
If you are…
Gu (Repairing Decay) is about setting right what the father let decay, inheriting what the last generation left. Get to know the books and the routines first: where money leaks, what is outdated. As you change things, let longtime staff keep their dignity; the fifth line says this wins praise.
The longer it drags, the harder it is to clean up, and Gu (Repairing Decay) says getting to work on it now is good. Work out what actually started it, find a time to talk properly, and check in a few days later on whatever you agreed.
This is the reading when no line is changing. With changing lines, Zhu Xi’s method says which line to read, and the result page after a casting tells you directly.
元亨。利涉大川。先甲三日，後甲三日。
Great success. It pays to cross the great river. Three days before the first day, three days after the first day: before acting, think through how things went wrong; after acting, keep reminding and checking.
Mountain over Wind: Gen (Mountain) above, Xun (Wind) below. Wind at the foot of the mountain is blocked and can't blow through, so the air goes stale below and rots, breeding worms. That is Gu (Repairing Decay).
Six at the beginning
幹父之蠱，有子，考无咎，厲終吉。
Setting right what the father let decay. With such a son, the late father is without blame. Danger, but in the end good fortune.
You have inherited someone else's problem, like a predecessor's messy books or old family debt. It can still be fixed, but don't assume it is easy. Go in carefully and it tends to come out well.
Small Image: 幹父之蠱，意承考也。
Nine in the second place
幹母之蠱，不可貞。
Setting right what the mother let decay. One must not be too rigidly firm.
The problem involves gentler, more sensitive people or ties, like older relatives or longtime colleagues' feelings. Even if you are right, don't force it. Correct it gradually and tactfully.
Small Image: 幹母之蠱，得中道也。
Nine in the third place
幹父之蠱，小有悔，无大咎。
Setting right what the father let decay. A little regret, but no great blame.
You went at it a bit too hard and may have stepped on toes, and you half regret it. The direction is right, though. Finish the repair; nothing serious goes wrong. Use a lighter touch next time.
Small Image: 幹父之蠱，終无咎也。
Six in the fourth place
裕父之蠱，往見吝。
Tolerating what the father let decay. Going on this way, one meets humiliation.
You know there is a problem and keep putting it off and making allowances, so it keeps growing. Leave it and it gets uglier. At least list what needs fixing and set dates.
Small Image: 裕父之蠱，往未得也。
Six in the fifth place
幹父之蠱，用譽。
Setting right what the father let decay. Through this, one wins praise.
You have the position and the backing, so cleaning up old problems tends to be noticed and respected. Bring in capable people to help instead of carrying it all yourself.
Small Image: 幹父用譽，承以德也。
Nine at the top
不事王侯，高尚其事。
He does not serve kings and lords. He holds his own pursuits as higher.
You may no longer be the right person to step in, or you have already done your part. Stepping back and keeping your principles is worth more than staying stuck in the power circle.
Small Image: 不事王侯，志可則也。
蠱，剛上而柔下，巽而止，蠱。蠱，元亨，而天下治也。利涉大川，往有事也。先甲三日，後甲三日，終則有始，天行也。
Gu (Repairing Decay): the firm is above and the yielding below; below merely goes along and above stays still, and so things decay. Gu has great success, because when what has decayed is set right, the world is in good order. It pays to cross the great river: this means going forth to take the matter in hand. Three days before the first day, three days after the first day: when one thing ends, a new beginning follows. This is the way heaven moves.
The Image山下有風，蠱；君子以振民育德。
Wind below the mountain: this is Gu (Repairing Decay). The noble person, seeing this, stirs up the people and nurtures virtue.
The Sequence: why it comes here以喜隨人者，必有事，故受之以蠱；蠱者事也。
Before this comes Sui (Following). Gladly following others for long is sure to stir up affairs, so Sui (Following) is followed by Gu (Repairing Decay). Gu means affairs to be handled.
Miscellaneous Notes隨无故也，蠱則飭也。
Gu (Repairing Decay) is the old gone bad and needing to be put in order. Its pair, Sui (Following), lets go of the old and moves with the times. Sui clears the old away; Gu repairs it.
Related hexagramsFAQ
What does Gu mean for love?
Staying single this long often comes down to an old habit, like always picking the same type or fearing rejection. Sort that out first, and meeting people tends to go better. Old grievances have piled up. Wind trapped under the mountain goes stale. It's time for an honest talk, but the second line says not to be too rigidly firm: keep your tone gentle.
What does Gu mean for work?
Taking over a mess someone else left can be your chance to shine. In a new role, find out how the problems arose before you act, and follow up after the fix: the Judgment's three days before and three days after. A good time to take over a mess, overhaul a process or clear a backlog. Find the root cause before you start, and follow up after the change. Don't stop at the surface.
With Gu, will what I am waiting for come?
It won't come on its own; things are stuck on an old problem. Clear the obstacle first. News tends to come only once the causes are dealt with, so expect it to be slow.
With Gu, will I find what I lost?
Recoverable, but it takes work. Look where nothing has been sorted in ages: the back of a cabinet, behind wooden furniture, a corner by a stone or brick wall. It will likely surface during a big clean-up.
A hexagram answers one question; your chart shows the whole of you and your year.
The classical text follows the standard edition of the Zhouyi. The plain readings are Xingge’s own, offered as a reference, not as the final word.