The Well
井Jing
No. 48 · Water over Wind
Jing (The Well)
A well can't be moved and never runs dry, and it nourishes everyone who passes. What matters is keeping the well in repair and actually bringing the water up.
Cast your own hexagramJing (The Well) values being steady and lasting, something people can draw on again and again. Places and people change, but real ability stays put. The thing to watch is breaking the work when it's only half done.
Favorable
- Tend to the fundamentals
- Watch the finish to the end
- Share your resources
- Repair internal processes
Avoid
- Letting go just before success
- Changing direction constantly
- Hoarding and putting up gates
- Leaving your abilities unused
Work and money
- Job search
- The third line of Jing (The Well) is cleaned yet no one drinks: you're ready and not being used. Tell your manager or a recruiter what you can do. Rather than hopping between companies, build one core skill until people can't do without it.
- Business
- Steady businesses that live on repeat customers suit Jing (The Well); don't chase windfalls. The Judgment warns about breaking the jar just short of the top: errors cluster when a project is wrapping up or a payment is about to clear, so watch it to the end.
- Money
- Build steady income streams and don't chase windfalls. Money that's almost in hand is the easiest to lose through carelessness, so watch the process closely.
Love and people
- Single
- Jing (The Well) is about being steady and dependable, not love at first sight. The fifth line's well is clear and its cold spring water is drunk. Keep your life and character clear like that, and the people who truly appreciate it tend to stay.
- In a relationship
- This relationship suits slow, lasting love, and daily care counts for more than surprises. The fourth line of Jing (The Well) lines the well with bricks: now is a good time to talk through recurring arguments and split the chores, so the relationship tends to hold up longer.
- Getting back together
- Whether they come back depends on whether the old buildup has been cleared. In Jing (The Well) the first line's well is all mud: no amount of water makes it drinkable until the mud is gone. Change yourself first, then try reaching out.
- People and partnerships
- The top line of Jing (The Well) says do not cover the well. Don't lock up resources or contacts for yourself. When you're willing to share, people tend to keep coming back to work with you.
Daily life
- Exams and study
- Fundamentals are a well in Jing (The Well): you don't replace them, and they don't run dry. The second line's jar leaks, so if you study a lot but retain little, the leak is probably your method. Fix your notes and review habits before adding new material.
- Moving and travel
- Moves and relocations tend to go smoothly under Jing (The Well). The Judgment says those who come and go all draw from the same well. In a new place, find the basics first, a grocery store and a doctor, and don't lose touch with old friends.
- Body and mind
- Your energy is like well water: draw too much and you have to wait for it to seep back. Rest at regular times, sleep enough, and cut back on late nights. If tiredness or discomfort lingers for weeks, have a doctor take a look.
Traditional questions
- Something you are waiting for
- What you're waiting for won't rise up on its own; in Jing (The Well) someone has to lower the bucket before water comes up. Follow up and send in any missing paperwork, and things tend to move. Leave it alone and it tends to stay where it is.
- Disputes and lawsuits
- The Judgment of Jing (The Well) says it neither loses nor gains: this dispute tends to drag on with neither side coming out ahead. Instead of fighting to win, agree on rules both sides can follow long term, and put in writing who handles what.
- Lost things and people
- A fair chance of finding it, most likely near where you usually use it. Kan (Water) is water; Xun (Wind) is wood and rope. Look to the north by a sink or bucket, or around wooden cabinets and wherever cords or straps hang.
Making a decision
You can stay on the path you're on; the key is carrying it through to the end. Don't let go or change direction just as it's about to work.
If you are…
Jing (The Well) says the town may move but the well does not. The address can change; the recipes and the taste your regulars remember shouldn't. Before opening, invite your regulars in for a tasting and let them spread the word.
You keep giving and carry everything yourself, but a well is kept up by everyone. The Image of Jing (The Well) speaks of cheering people on and urging them to help one another. Share the feeding and vet runs with other volunteers on a rota, and keep each other going so it can last.
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.
改邑不改井，无喪无得，往來井井。汔至亦未繘井。羸其瓶，凶。
The town may be moved, but the well cannot be moved. It neither loses nor gains. Those who come and go all draw from the well. The jar has nearly reached the top, the rope is not yet out of the well, and the jar is broken: misfortune.
Water over Wind: Kan (Water) above, Xun (Wind) below. Xun is wood and entering. A wooden bucket sinks into the water and the water is drawn up, as from a well, so the hexagram is called Jing (The Well).
Six at the beginning
井泥不食，舊井无禽。
The well is all mud; its water cannot be drunk. At an old, abandoned well, not even birds come.
Skills or things left unused and never updated get forgotten. Instead of complaining that no one notices you, clear out what has silted up first.
Small Image: 井泥不食，下也。舊井无禽，時舍也。
Nine in the second place
井谷射鮒，瓮敝漏。
The bottom of the well is like a valley spring; the water only trickles down to small fish. The jar is worn out and leaks.
You have real ability but use it only in small corners, and your tools or channels are full of holes. Find someone who can bring you up, and patch the broken processes while you're at it.
Small Image: 井谷射鮒，无與也。
Nine in the third place
井渫不食，為我心惻，可用汲，王明，並受其福。
The well has been cleaned, yet no one drinks from it, and my heart aches. This water could be drawn. If the king were clear-sighted, all would share in the blessing together.
Being ready and still not used is disheartening. Let the decision makers know what you can do. Once you are put to use, you are not the only one who benefits.
Small Image: 井渫不食，行惻也。求王明，受福也。
Six in the fourth place
井甃，无咎。
The well is lined with bricks. No blame.
A good time for inside repairs: build skills, sort out systems, mend relationships. It doesn't show from outside, but this work is not wasted.
Small Image: 井甃无咎，修井也。
Nine in the fifth place
井冽，寒泉食。
The well is clear; the cold spring water is drunk.
What you offer is good quality and in the right place, and now is the time to let people use it. Keep the standard up, and word of mouth tends to spread on its own.
Small Image: 寒泉之食，中正也。
Six at the top
井收勿幕，有孚元吉。
The water is drawn up; do not cover the well. With sincerity (the source never runs out), great good fortune.
The results are in, so open them up for everyone to use. Don't hoard or put up gates. Resources you share tend to keep flowing back to you.
Small Image: 元吉在上，大成也。
巽乎水而上水，井；井養而不窮也。改邑不改井，乃以剛中也。汔至亦未繘井，未有功也。羸其瓶，是以凶也。
Entering the water and bringing the water up: this is Jing (The Well). The well nourishes and is never used up. The town may be moved but not the well: because the firm line is in the center. The jar has nearly reached the top, the rope is not yet out of the well: the work has not yet borne fruit. The jar is broken: hence misfortune.
The Image木上有水，井；君子以勞民勸相。
Water above wood (water seeping upward along the wood): this is Jing (The Well). The noble person, seeing this, cheers the people on in their work and urges them to help one another.
The Sequence: why it comes here困乎上者，必反下，故受之以井。
Whoever is hemmed in up high must turn back and look downward for a way out. The well sits at the lowest place, so Kun (Exhaustion) is followed by Jing (The Well).
Miscellaneous Notes井通，而困相遇也。
Jing (The Well) means getting through: water rises endlessly from deep underground and anyone who comes can draw it. Kun (Exhaustion) means running into something, blocked and at odds. Jing is open and Kun is blocked, exact opposites.
Related hexagramsFAQ
What does Jing mean for love?
Jing (The Well) is about being steady and dependable, not love at first sight. The fifth line's well is clear and its cold spring water is drunk. Keep your life and character clear like that, and the people who truly appreciate it tend to stay. This relationship suits slow, lasting love, and daily care counts for more than surprises. The fourth line of Jing (The Well) lines the well with bricks: now is a good time to talk through recurring arguments and split the chores, so the relationship tends to hold up longer.
What does Jing mean for work?
The third line of Jing (The Well) is cleaned yet no one drinks: you're ready and not being used. Tell your manager or a recruiter what you can do. Rather than hopping between companies, build one core skill until people can't do without it. Taking care of fundamentals and service quality does more than chasing new tricks. The last mile of a project is where mistakes happen most, so be extra careful with the finish.
With Jing, will what I am waiting for come?
What you're waiting for won't rise up on its own; in Jing (The Well) someone has to lower the bucket before water comes up. Follow up and send in any missing paperwork, and things tend to move. Leave it alone and it tends to stay where it is.
With Jing, will I find what I lost?
A fair chance of finding it, most likely near where you usually use it. Kan (Water) is water; Xun (Wind) is wood and rope. Look to the north by a sink or bucket, or around wooden cabinets and wherever cords or straps hang.
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.