Joy
兌Dui
No. 58 · Lake over Lake
Dui (Joy)
A time of joy, open talk and persuading one another. Joy lasts when you are solid inside and easy to be around; good feeling bought by pleasing people tends to go wrong.
Cast your own hexagramIn Dui (Joy) the mood is warm and talk flows easily, a good time to exchange ideas, discuss partnerships, and learn by teaching. Joy needs to rest on sincerity; staying steadfast is what carries it far. Good feeling won by pleasing and flattering tends not to last.
Favorable
- Discuss partnerships in good spirits
- Learn alongside friends
- Follow through on what you promise
- Put the terms in writing
Avoid
- Pleasing people to be liked
- Believing sweet talk
- Pulling others into bad ideas
- Partying past your limit
Work and money
- Job search
- Interviews and salary talks in Dui (Joy) come down to how you speak, so describe your results concretely and with some warmth. When they make an offer, ask your questions and get it into the contract before you say yes.
- Business
- Sales, deal-making and events that bring customers in all suit Dui (Joy); a friendly manner brings in business. The fourth line weighs options without peace: when comparing proposals, pick the honest one and turn away the tempting bargain.
- Money
- When someone recommends a great opportunity and makes it sound wonderful, check it thoroughly first. Ordinary, legitimate business dealings are fine to discuss.
Love and people
- Single
- Dui (Joy) is gladness, and easy conversation is a good sign. Go to gatherings, clubs and meetups. The first line's harmonious joy says being natural and agenda-free draws people more than trying hard to please.
- In a relationship
- Things feel light between you, good for trips and planning something fun. The second line of Dui (Joy) speaks of joy grounded in sincerity: goodwill holds when you do what you say, while sweet words alone get seen through in time.
- Getting back together
- There is a chance if you are honest with yourself and talk openly about what went wrong. The third line of Dui (Joy) warns against coming forward to seek joy: chasing them and pleading for them to return tends to lower you in their eyes.
- People and partnerships
- A good stretch for making friends and swapping notes with people in your field; a friendly tone in Dui (Joy) helps partnerships form. When working together, say what you think plainly. Don't agree to everything just to keep the mood nice.
Daily life
- Exams and study
- Study groups and quizzing classmates suit this time well. The Image of Dui (Joy) has friends discussing and practicing together: explaining a topic to someone, and getting stumped by their questions, is what makes it stick.
- Moving and travel
- Trips with friends suit Dui (Joy), especially to a lake, the beach or somewhere lively. Still keep spending and safety in hand; the Judgment says steadfastness pays, so don't let the fun run away with you.
- Body and mind
- Your mood leans cheerful in Dui (Joy), but plenty of dinners and get-togethers make it easy to overeat and overdrink, and all that talking wears you out. Set aside a few quiet days with no socializing. If your body keeps feeling off, book an appointment early.
Traditional questions
- Something you are waiting for
- News tends to come easily, often by word of mouth or out of a casual chat. In Dui (Joy), though, a verbal yes is not a done deal; count it only when you see real action.
- Disputes and lawsuits
- Sitting down to talk is a good route, and in Dui (Joy), the hexagram of the mouth, speaking well gives you an edge. Words also start quarrels, though, and harsh ones can't be taken back. Keep your tone mild and your position sound.
- Lost things and people
- A fair chance of getting it back, often because someone saw it and mentions it. Dui (Lake) points west, to spots near water, low-lying places, or inside open containers like cups, bowls and basins.
Making a decision
You can go ahead; the key is persuading people and winning support. Any option that asks you to drop your principles to please someone is one to turn down.
If you are…
Dui (Joy) is about gladness, but the fifth line warns that trusting what wears you away is dangerous. A client flattering you doesn't mean you have to give up margin. State your discount floor clearly; keep them happy with service and extras while the price holds.
Dui (Joy) is gladness and also the spoken word, and what you are really selling on a live stream is the rapport with your viewers. Talking about the season's weather and the work of picking does more than repeating the price. Be honest about sweetness and blemishes; that is what brings repeat orders.
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.
亨。利貞。
Success. It pays to stay steadfast.
Lake over Lake: the Dui trigram (Lake) above and below. Lake also means joy. One yielding line sits on top of two firm ones, like gladness showing on the surface, and two lakes joined keep each other moist. So the hexagram is called Dui (Joy).
Nine at the beginning
和兌，吉。
Harmonious joy. Good fortune.
Get along with people easily and without an agenda, with no hidden motive and no favorites. Trust tends to come on its own.
Small Image: 和兌之吉，行未疑也。
Nine in the second place
孚兌，吉，悔亡。
Joy grounded in sincerity. Good fortune; regret disappears.
Be straight with people and keep your word; goodwill earned that way holds up best. Even if your position is a bit awkward, that sincerity can clear away the regret that might have come.
Small Image: 孚兌之吉，信志也。
Six in the third place
來兌，凶。
Coming forward to seek joy. Misfortune.
Pleasing people and handing out favors just to be liked can leave you without principles and easy to use. Get clear on what you actually want, and don't trade people-pleasing for a relationship.
Small Image: 來兌之凶，位不當也。
Nine in the fourth place
商兌，未寧，介疾有喜。
Weighing which joy to follow, one is not at peace. Holding firm and keeping the unhealthy temptation at a distance brings cause for celebration.
Two sides are pulling at you, one sound and one tempting, and you are still calculating. Choose the sound one early and keep the temptation outside the door; things tend to turn out well.
Small Image: 九四之喜，有慶也。
Nine in the fifth place
孚于剝，有厲。
Trusting those who wear one away. There is danger.
You are in a high position, and someone near you is good at saying nice things while draining you. Be wary of words that sound especially pleasant, and don't hand over money or authority easily.
Small Image: 孚于剝，位正當也。
Six at the top
引兌。
Drawing others along into joy.
You want to pull people into the fun, to get them to join in, but they may not follow. Joy built on recruiting people isn't fully aboveboard; ask yourself whether your motive is sound.
Small Image: 上六引兌，未光也。
兌，說也。剛中而柔外，說以利貞，是以順乎天，而應乎人。說以先民，民忘其勞；說以犯難，民忘其死；說之大，民勸矣哉！
Dui (Joy) means gladness. The firm lines are central and the yielding lines are on the outside; being joyful while staying steadfast pays, and so it accords with heaven and answers to people. When joy goes ahead of the people to lead them, they forget their toil. When joy leads them to face hardship, they forget even death. Joy does a great deal: through it the people spur one another on.
The Image麗澤，兌；君子以朋友講習。
Lakes joined together: this is Dui (Joy). The noble person, seeing this, discusses and practices what has been learned together with friends.
The Sequence: why it comes here入而後說之，故受之以兌；兌者說也。
The hexagram before is Xun (The Gentle Wind), which means entering. Only when you truly get through to each other and things are set in order does joy come, so Xun is followed by Dui (Joy). Dui means gladness.
Miscellaneous Notes兌見，而巽伏也。
Dui (Joy) shows itself; Xun (The Gentle Wind) stays hidden. Dui's gladness is spoken aloud where people can see it, while Xun bows low and works its way in quietly. Traditional commentaries say Dui is valued for showing joy openly, and Xun for humility and yielding.
Related hexagramsFAQ
What does Dui mean for love?
Dui (Joy) is gladness, and easy conversation is a good sign. Go to gatherings, clubs and meetups. The first line's harmonious joy says being natural and agenda-free draws people more than trying hard to please. Things feel light between you, good for trips and planning something fun. The second line of Dui (Joy) speaks of joy grounded in sincerity: goodwill holds when you do what you say, while sweet words alone get seen through in time.
What does Dui mean for work?
Interviews and salary talks in Dui (Joy) come down to how you speak, so describe your results concretely and with some warmth. When they make an offer, ask your questions and get it into the contract before you say yes. A good time for negotiating, presenting, leading a team, and trading know-how with coworkers. When people enjoy the work they give more, but make only promises you can keep.
With Dui, will what I am waiting for come?
News tends to come easily, often by word of mouth or out of a casual chat. In Dui (Joy), though, a verbal yes is not a done deal; count it only when you see real action.
With Dui, will I find what I lost?
A fair chance of getting it back, often because someone saw it and mentions it. Dui (Lake) points west, to spots near water, low-lying places, or inside open containers like cups, bowls and basins.
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.