Obstruction
蹇Jian
No. 39 · Water over Mountain
Jian (Obstruction)
Danger ahead and the path underfoot is hard going. Don't force your way through. Stop, get help, and turn back to work on yourself.
Cast your own hexagramJian (Obstruction) is a hard hexagram: danger lies ahead, and forcing your way gets you stuck. Stop first, head toward smoother ground, find capable people to help, and take an honest look at yourself.
Favorable
- Stop when you see danger
- Ask someone senior for help
- Join forces with your partners
- Look back at yourself honestly
Avoid
- Forcing a dangerous path
- Going it alone
- Pushing into steep, remote ground
- Blaming everyone else
Work and money
- Job search
- A stalled job search is like water on a mountain: a slick path. Jian (Obstruction) is unfavorable for charging at the most contested roles. It pays to see the great person: an introduction or advice from someone senior in your field beats sending more applications.
- Business
- Expanding, opening a new location or taking on new debt is unfavorable now; the steep road only runs out. Under Jian (Obstruction), stay with the level, familiar market and partner with someone capable before you move.
- Money
- Not a time for risky investments or expansion. Protect what you have, choose the safe route, and get professional advice when needed.
Love and people
- Single
- Meeting people is blocked for now by timing, distance or circumstance. Don't rush; put your own life in order. The first line of Jian (Obstruction) says going brings obstruction and coming back brings praise: pausing can draw someone's appreciation.
- In a relationship
- The relationship has hit obstacles, like family objections, distance or old issues between you. Don't force a result. The Image asks you to turn back and examine yourself: looking at what you can change works better than asking more of them.
- Getting back together
- The chances are slim, and chasing now runs straight into danger. Under Jian (Obstruction), get back on your feet in your own familiar life first; pushing harder sinks you deeper. Once you are in better shape, see whether contact comes naturally.
- People and partnerships
- If you can't carry this alone, bring your partners back. The fourth line of Jian (Obstruction) says going brings obstruction and coming back brings union: rally the reliable people around you, then set out together.
Daily life
- Exams and study
- An exam or certification is stuck at one hurdle, like climbing a wet mountain trail. Jian (Obstruction) says stop and find the chapter that trips you up, and have someone stronger walk you through it, instead of grinding practice tests into a wall.
- Moving and travel
- Travel is rough under Jian (Obstruction), with delays, weather or traffic snarls likely. Postpone what isn't necessary. If you must go, head for level, familiar routes and skip steep or remote ones; the Judgment favors the southwest over the northeast.
- Body and mind
- Under Jian (Obstruction), you feel blocked at every turn and the pressure is heavy. Slow your pace, handle one thing at a time, and protect your sleep. Don't ignore signs that your body is running out; see a doctor early.
Traditional questions
- Something you are waiting for
- Mountain and water stand in the way, so news comes slowly. It moves once your side is steady and someone steps in to help. The fifth line of Jian (Obstruction) says friends come in great obstruction; don't keep quiet about needing them.
- Disputes and lawsuits
- The situation is against you, and fighting hard is likely to drag you in deeper. Jian (Obstruction) praises seeing danger and stopping: pause, bring in a lawyer or someone with standing to mediate, and get your evidence in order before talking.
- Lost things and people
- Hard to recover. Gen (Mountain) is stone and corners by a door, Kan (Water) is hidden places: look by rocks, wall corners, door thresholds, drains, or damp, dark spots. Check a northeast corner too.
Making a decision
Don't do it yet. Conditions are clearly against you; wait until the difficulty passes or someone can help you before you move.
If you are…
Jian (Obstruction) sees danger ahead, and forcing more pages only makes the mess worse. List the exact problems that have you stuck, and ask writer friends or another mentor. The top line says coming back brings great achievement: pooling help is how a big piece gets done.
When the road is blocked under Jian (Obstruction), don't keep resubmitting the same file. Find out why it was returned, and have someone experienced review it before you send it again. While you wait, gather every document you can prepare ahead.
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.
利西南，不利東北；利見大人，貞吉。
It pays to go southwest; it does not pay to go northeast (the southwest is level ground, the northeast is full of mountains and hazards). It pays to see the great person. Steadfastness brings good fortune.
Water over Mountain: Kan (Water) above, Gen (Mountain) below. Kan is water and danger, Gen is mountain and stopping. Water on a mountain makes the path steep and slick; with danger ahead, you have to halt. That is Jian (Obstruction): walking with difficulty.
Six at the beginning
往蹇，來譽。
Going brings obstruction; coming back brings praise.
Pushing forward now only runs you into a wall. Step back and wait for the right moment, and people are likely to see it as good judgment.
Small Image: 往蹇來譽，宜待也。
Six in the second place
王臣蹇蹇，匪躬之故。
The king's servant struggles through obstruction upon obstruction, and not for his own sake.
You are carrying a hard stretch for your company, family or team, and the effort isn't for yourself. The result may not look good, but having given it everything, you can keep a clear conscience.
Small Image: 王臣蹇蹇，終无尤也。
Nine in the third place
往蹇來反。
Going brings obstruction, so he comes back.
When the way ahead is plainly blocked, return to familiar ground where people back you. The people around you also want you to stay and help hold things together at home base.
Small Image: 往蹇來反，內喜之也。
Six in the fourth place
往蹇來連。
Going brings obstruction; coming back brings union with others.
If you can't get through this alone, turn back and find partners first. Join forces, then set out again.
Small Image: 往蹇來連，當位實也。
Nine in the fifth place
大蹇朋來。
In great obstruction, friends come.
You are in the hardest spot, but if you hold to your principles and handle things with measure, people tend to step up to help. Don't grit your teeth in silence; let those willing to help come in.
Small Image: 大蹇朋來，以中節也。
Six at the top
往蹇來碩，吉；利見大人。
Going brings obstruction; coming back brings great achievement. Good fortune. It pays to see the great person.
You have reached the end of the road, and charging further outward leads nowhere. Turn back and solve it together with capable people, and something big can come of it.
Small Image: 往蹇來碩，志在內也。利見大人，以從貴也。
蹇，難也，險在前也。見險而能止，知矣哉！蹇利西南，往得中也；不利東北，其道窮也。利見大人，往有功也。當位貞吉，以正邦也。蹇之時用大矣哉！
Jian (Obstruction) means hardship: danger lies ahead. To see danger and be able to stop, how wise that is. It pays to go southwest: going there one reaches the center. It does not pay to go northeast: that road runs out. It pays to see the great person: going brings achievement. The lines stand in their proper places, and steadfastness brings good fortune: with this one can set the state right. Great indeed is the timely use of Jian.
The Image山上有水，蹇；君子以反身修德。
Water on the mountain: this is Jian (Obstruction). The noble person, seeing this, turns back to examine themselves and cultivates virtue.
The Sequence: why it comes here乖必有難，故受之以蹇；蹇者難也。
Before this comes Kui (Opposition). Estrangement is bound to run into hardship, so Kui is followed by Jian (Obstruction), and Jian means hardship.
Miscellaneous Notes解緩也，蹇難也。
Xie (Deliverance) is easing; Jian (Obstruction) is hardship. Jian is danger ahead and no way forward, while Xie is the danger dissolving and the situation loosening. The two hexagrams are each other turned upside down.
Related hexagramsFAQ
What does Jian mean for love?
Meeting people is blocked for now by timing, distance or circumstance. Don't rush; put your own life in order. The first line of Jian (Obstruction) says going brings obstruction and coming back brings praise: pausing can draw someone's appreciation. The relationship has hit obstacles, like family objections, distance or old issues between you. Don't force a result. The Image asks you to turn back and examine yourself: looking at what you can change works better than asking more of them.
What does Jian mean for work?
A stalled job search is like water on a mountain: a slick path. Jian (Obstruction) is unfavorable for charging at the most contested roles. It pays to see the great person: an introduction or advice from someone senior in your field beats sending more applications. When a project or career hits a wall, don't keep banging your head against it. Handle the parts you can, and ask your manager or someone experienced for help; that works better than going it alone.
With Jian, will what I am waiting for come?
Mountain and water stand in the way, so news comes slowly. It moves once your side is steady and someone steps in to help. The fifth line of Jian (Obstruction) says friends come in great obstruction; don't keep quiet about needing them.
With Jian, will I find what I lost?
Hard to recover. Gen (Mountain) is stone and corners by a door, Kan (Water) is hidden places: look by rocks, wall corners, door thresholds, drains, or damp, dark spots. Check a northeast corner too.
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.