Six Doors · No. 18
第18卦 蛊 Gǔ · Work on the Decayed
Essence: Rot invites repair; mend what neglect has spoiled.
Judgment
The decay in front of you accumulated through neglect—which means human effort can reverse it. Before you intervene, study how the rot set in; after you act, follow through so it does not return: three days before the start, three days after. Repair on this scale is itself the great undertaking.
Trigrams
Upper
Lower
The lines
- Line 1Taking on the mess a predecessor left: if the successor proves able, even the one who caused it is redeemed.
- Line 2Correcting faults born of weakness or care gone wrong calls for gentleness, not rigid enforcement.
- Line 3You press the repair a little too hard—minor regret, but no serious harm; better too vigorous than too lax.
- Line 4Indulging the decay, hoping it settles by itself, only guarantees the humiliation of watching it spread.
- Line 5Reform the inherited fault with capable help, and the work earns open recognition.
- Line 6Serving no throne, this one sets their work by a higher measure—and that withdrawal, too, repairs the world.
All the doors
Every single-step transition available from where you stand.
- Line 126 大畜 · Great Taming
Great power held in check; stored force deepens into skill.
- Line 252 艮 · Keeping Still
Stillness in the right place, at the right time.
- Line 34 蒙 · Youthful Folly
Inexperience seeks its teacher; ask once, in earnest.
- Line 450 鼎 · The Cauldron
Cook the new order; nourish those who will carry it.
- Line 557 巽 · The Gentle
Gentle persistence penetrates where force cannot.
- Line 646 升 · Pushing Upward
Rise by steady accumulation, one step after another.