The Abysmal — Hexagram Detail — I Ching 64 Fortune Telling
坎宫Element水#29
Kan (The Abysmal) — Water above Water. Danger within danger. Difficulties are inevitable in life; what matters is maintaining inner sincerity and resolve.
Line-by-Line
Line 1:习坎,入于坎窞,凶。 Facing double danger — entering the pit; peril. One danger piles upon another.
Line 2:坎有险,求小得。 There is danger in the pit — seeking yields only small gains. Settle for less for now.
Line 3:来之坎坎,险且枕,入于坎窞,勿用。 Approaching the pit's edge — danger upon danger; entering the pit, do not act. When advance and retreat are both risky, stay still.
Line 4:樽酒簋贰,用缶,纳约自牖,终无咎。 A cup of wine, two bowls of rice, in earthen vessels, passed through the window — ultimately no harm. Simple sincerity resolves crisis.
Line 5:坎不盈,祗既平,无咎。 The pit is not yet full — just a small mound; no harm. Danger has not peaked; it can be managed.
Line 6:系用徽纆,寘于丛棘,三岁不得,凶。 Bound with ropes, imprisoned in thorns — three years without escape; danger. Deeply trapped, hard to break free.