Decrease
損Sun
No. 41 · Mountain over Lake
Sun (Decrease)
Cutting back. Take from below to add to what is above. When it is done sincerely and in the right measure, simplicity itself brings great good fortune.
Cast your own hexagramSun (Decrease) asks you to cut what should be cut and yield what should be yielded. When it comes from sincerity, even something simple brings great good fortune. The key is cutting in the right measure, at the right time.
Favorable
- Cut what isn't needed
- Give first, sincerely
- Hold your temper
- Act within your means
Avoid
- Wanting everything at once
- Spending big on appearances
- Helping until you're empty
- Pressing for one more concession
Work and money
- Job search
- Sun (Decrease) takes from below to add above: this stretch is about giving first and working for those above you, and the payoff is slower. You can take it on, but do it wholeheartedly and without complaint; a new role may ask you to give a little on terms, so weigh the long run.
- Business
- In Sun (Decrease), cutting products that don't earn and scaling down works; a smaller, sharper range can still build a reputation. It's an unfavorable time for big expansion or spending heavily on appearances.
- Money
- Expect higher spending for a while, or the need to put something in now for the long run. Rein in wants and cut what isn't necessary so the money stays with you.
Love and people
- Single
- A long list of requirements keeps connections out. Sun (Decrease) asks you to trim the list and meet people sincerely, with less packaging. A simple date is enough.
- In a relationship
- Each of you gives a little in Sun (Decrease). The Image speaks of restraining anger and curbing desire: in a fight, hold your temper first and ask for less. A simple gesture of care works better than an expensive gift.
- Getting back together
- The fourth line in Sun (Decrease) says to decrease the ailment so it mends quickly and brings joy: first change the habit that bothered them most, and change it fast. Sincerity matters more than posturing; if you can't change it, don't rush to reach out.
- People and partnerships
- The third line of Sun (Decrease) says when three travel together, one is lost: in a three-way partnership someone tends to be left out, so fewer people with clear roles is steadier. Helping friends is fine, within your means.
Daily life
- Exams and study
- Instead of reading everything, cut the side branches and focus on the core material. Sun (Decrease) applies to the plan too: fewer reference books, one of them read thoroughly, tends to lift your score more.
- Moving and travel
- You can set out in Sun (Decrease), but trim the luggage and the budget; traveling light goes smoother. If you're moving, use it to declutter: with half the stuff, the new place has room to breathe.
- Body and mind
- You are using up a lot of energy in Sun (Decrease), so subtract: fewer plans, fewer social obligations, less anger held in. Don't push through built-up fatigue; if your body sends warning signs, book a doctor's appointment.
Traditional questions
- Something you are waiting for
- A response is likely, but usually only after you give first and show good faith. Sun (Decrease) cuts before it adds, so the pace is slow and the visible return comes later.
- Disputes and lawsuits
- Settling means each side steps back, and you may have to give up some of your share first. The second line of Sun (Decrease) says advancing brings misfortune: pressing for a little more tends to backfire. Hold your bottom line and leave it there.
- Lost things and people
- Even odds, and it takes some effort. Dui (Lake) is the marsh and the mouth, Gen (Mountain) is gates and small stones: check sinks and basins, bags or boxes with an opening, or corners of walls, by the door and near stones or rock piles.
Making a decision
You can go ahead, but scale it down and keep the approach simple. Act in good faith and within your means.
If you are…
Sun (Decrease) takes from below to add above, on the condition of sincerity and staying within your means. The second line says one can help without decreasing oneself. Work out which favors you can actually handle, and say plainly that you can't do the rest; that is how your friend learns to carry their own load.
Sun (Decrease) says two simple bowls of grain are enough for the offering. Spend the money where people actually care, like the food and the raffle, and save wherever you can on decorations. When the effort is sincere, people tend to feel it.
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.
有孚，元吉。无咎，可貞，利有攸往。曷之用？二簋可用享。
With sincerity, great good fortune. No blame. One can be steadfast, and it pays to have somewhere to go. What should be used? Two bowls of grain (simple round ritual vessels) are enough to make the offering.
Mountain over Lake: Gen (Mountain) above, Dui (Lake) below. A lake lies at the foot of the mountain. As the lake is dug deeper, the mountain stands taller, like taking from below to add to what is above. That is why it is called Sun (Decrease).
Nine at the beginning
已事遄往，无咎，酌損之。
Setting one's own affairs aside and going quickly: no blame. But weigh how much to take from oneself.
When someone needs help, dropping what you're doing to support them is right. Just know how much you can actually give, and don't help to the point of emptying yourself.
Small Image: 已事遄往，尚合志也。
Nine in the second place
利貞，征凶，弗損益之。
Steadfastness pays; advancing brings misfortune. Without decreasing oneself, one can increase the other.
When someone asks you to give way or sacrifice, holding to your role works better; pushing forward causes problems. Doing your own part well is already a help to others.
Small Image: 九二利貞，中以為志也。
Six in the third place
三人行，則損一人；一人行，則得其友。
When three people travel together, one is lost. When one person travels alone, a friend is found.
In a three-way arrangement someone tends to get pushed out; two people working closely together is steadier. And when you are on your own, don't worry: the right partner tends to turn up.
Small Image: 一人行，三則疑也。
Six in the fourth place
損其疾，使遄有喜，无咎。
Decreasing one's ailment, letting it mend quickly, brings joy. No blame.
Drop a bad habit or work on a weak spot, the sooner the better; the benefits tend to show quickly. Letting others point out your blind spots speeds it up.
Small Image: 損其疾，亦可喜也。
Six in the fifth place
或益之十朋之龜，弗克違，元吉。
Someone increases him with a great tortoise shell worth ten strings of cowries; he cannot refuse it. Great good fortune.
Because you stay modest and don't grab, resources and openings tend to find their way to you. When the good thing arrives, there's no need to push it away. Accept it and use it well.
Small Image: 六五元吉，自上佑也。
Nine at the top
弗損益之，无咎，貞吉，利有攸往，得臣无家。
Without decreasing oneself, one increases others. No blame; steadfastness brings good fortune, and it pays to have somewhere to go. One gains followers, not limited to a single household.
You are already in a position to give, and helping doesn't have to cost you, for instance sharing experience or making introductions. Done this way, more and more people tend to want to work with you.
Small Image: 弗損益之，大得志也。
損，損下益上，其道上行。損而有孚，元吉，无咎，可貞，利有攸往。曷之用？二簋可用享；二簋應有時。損剛益柔有時，損益盈虛，與時偕行。
Sun (Decrease): decreasing what is below to increase what is above; its way moves upward. Decreasing with sincerity brings great good fortune, no blame; one can be steadfast, and it pays to have somewhere to go. What should be used? Two bowls of grain are enough for the offering, but the two bowls must suit the time. Decreasing the firm to increase the yielding has its time. Decreasing and increasing, fullness and emptiness, all move together with the time.
The Image山下有澤，損；君子以懲忿窒欲。
A lake at the foot of the mountain: this is Sun (Decrease). The noble person, seeing this, restrains anger and curbs desire.
The Sequence: why it comes here緩必有所失，故受之以損。
The hexagram before is Xie (Deliverance), which means easing. When things loosen and people relax, something is bound to slip and be lost. So Xie is followed by Sun (Decrease).
Miscellaneous Notes損、益，盛衰之始也。
Sun (Decrease) and Yi (Increase) are the beginnings of flourishing and decline. The common reading: decrease carried to its limit turns into increase, so Sun is where flourishing begins; increase carried to its limit turns into decrease, so Yi is where decline begins.
Related hexagramsFAQ
What does Sun mean for love?
A long list of requirements keeps connections out. Sun (Decrease) asks you to trim the list and meet people sincerely, with less packaging. A simple date is enough. Each of you gives a little in Sun (Decrease). The Image speaks of restraining anger and curbing desire: in a fight, hold your temper first and ask for less. A simple gesture of care works better than an expensive gift.
What does Sun mean for work?
Sun (Decrease) takes from below to add above: this stretch is about giving first and working for those above you, and the payoff is slower. You can take it on, but do it wholeheartedly and without complaint; a new role may ask you to give a little on terms, so weigh the long run. A good time to streamline, drop what isn't needed, or put in effort for those above you first. Less but better beats grabbing for more.
With Sun, will what I am waiting for come?
A response is likely, but usually only after you give first and show good faith. Sun (Decrease) cuts before it adds, so the pace is slow and the visible return comes later.
With Sun, will I find what I lost?
Even odds, and it takes some effort. Dui (Lake) is the marsh and the mouth, Gen (Mountain) is gates and small stones: check sinks and basins, bags or boxes with an opening, or corners of walls, by the door and near stones or rock piles.
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.