屯Sprouting
zhūnAlso known as “Difficulty at the Beginning” (Wilhelm/Baynes) and “Kun” (Legge)
In plain words
Thunder under water: a sprout pushing through hard ground. Beginnings are chaotic and effortful; the growth is real, but it needs order and helpers.
The attitude it asks for
Don't rush ahead: set up structure, gather help, and persevere through the first tangle.
Structure
卦辭 The Judgment
屯：元亨，利貞，勿用有攸往，利建侯。Kun (indicates that in the case which it presupposes) there will be great progress and success, and the advantage will come from being correct and firm. (But) any movement in advance should not be (lightly) undertaken. There will be advantage in appointing feudal princes.
屯，剛柔始交而難生，動乎險中，大亨貞。雷雨之動滿盈，天造草昧，宜建侯而不寧。In Kun we have the strong (Khien) and the weak (Khwăn) commencing their intercourse, and difficulties arising. Movement in the midst of peril gives rise to 'great progress and success, (through) firm correctness.' By the action of the thunder and rain, (which are symbols of an and Khan), all (between heaven and earth) is filled up. But the condition of the time is full of irregularity and obscurity. Feudal princes should be established, but the feeling that rest and peace have been secured should not be indulged (even then).
雲，雷，屯；君子以經綸。(The trigram representing) clouds and (that representing) thunder form Kun. The superior man, in accordance with this, (adjusts his measures of government) as in sorting the threads of the warp and woof.
爻辭 The six lines
When one line moves, the hexagram becomes another:
- 上六Six at the top
乘馬班如，泣血漣如。
The topmost line, divided, shows (its subject) with the horses of his chariot obliged to retreat, and weeping tears of blood in streams.
Its symbolism 泣血漣如，何可長也。
'He weeps tears of blood in streams:'—how can the state (thus emblemed) continue long?
- 九五Nine in the fifth place
屯其膏，小貞吉，大貞凶。
The fifth line, undivided, shows the difficulties in the way of (its subject's) dispensing the rich favours that might be expected from him. With firmness and correctness there will be good fortune in small things; (even) with them in great things there will be evil.
Its symbolism 屯其膏，施未光也。
'Difficulty is experienced (by the subject of the fifth line) in bestowing his rich favours:'—the extent to which they reach will not yet be conspicuous.
- 六四Six in the fourth place
乘馬班如，求婚媾，往吉，无不利。
The fourth line, divided, shows (its subject as a lady), the horses of whose chariot appear in retreat. She seeks, however, (the help of) him who seeks her to be his wife. Advance will be fortunate; all will turn out advantageously.
Its symbolism 求而往，明也。
'Going forward after such a search (for a helper)' shows intelligence.
- 六三Six in the third place
即鹿无虞，惟入于林中，君子幾不如舍，往吝。
The third line, divided, shows one following the deer without (the guidance of) the forester, and only finding himself in the midst of the forest. The superior man, acquainted with the secret risks, thinks it better to give up the chase. If he went forward, he would regret it.
Its symbolism 即鹿无虞，以從禽也。君子舍之，往吝窮也。
'One pursues the deer without the (guidance of the) forester:'—(he does so) in (his eagerness to) follow the game. 'The superior man gives up the chase, (knowing that) if he go forward he will regret it:'—he would be reduced to extremity.
- 六二Six in the second place
屯如邅如，乘馬班如。匪寇婚媾，女子貞不字，十年乃字。
The second line, divided, shows (its subject) distressed and obliged to return; (even) the horses of her chariot (also) seem to be retreating. (But) not by a spoiler (is she assailed), but by one who seeks her to be his wife. The young lady maintains her firm correctness, and declines a union. After ten years she will be united, and have children.
Its symbolism 六二之難，乘剛也。十年乃字，反常也。
The difficulty (to the subject of) the second line, divided, arises from its place over the undivided line below it. 'The union and children after ten years' shows things resuming their regular course.
- 初九Nine at the beginning
磐桓；利居貞，利建侯。
The first line, undivided, shows the difficulty (its subject has) in advancing. It will be advantageous for him to abide correct and firm; advantageous (also) to be made a feudal ruler.
Its symbolism 雖磐桓，志行正也。以貴下賤，大得民也。
Although 'there is a difficulty in advancing,' the mind (of the subject of the line) is set on doing what is correct. While noble, he humbles himself to the mean, and grandly gains the people.
Shown in the classical Chinese with James Legge's English (1882).
Read 屯 Sprouting for a question about
古籍
From the classics
Two of the Ten Wings speak of every hexagram: the Sequence (Xù Guà) says why it follows the one before, the Miscellany (Zá Guà) sums it up in a phrase. Here is what they say of 屯 zhūn · Sprouting.
盈天地之間者，唯萬物，故受之以屯；屯者盈也，屯者物之始生也。What fills the space between heaven and earth is nothing but the ten thousand things; therefore Zhūn follows. Zhūn means fullness; Zhūn is things at the start of their life.
iching.tools translation (from the Chinese)
屯見而不失其居，蒙雜而著。Zhūn shows itself without losing its place; Méng is mixed yet plain to see.
iching.tools translation (from the Chinese)
The classical Chinese is the authoritative text. Translations are iching.tools' own from the Chinese unless another translator is named; several attributions are traditional rather than historical (託名).
Questions about this hexagram
- What does Hexagram 3, Sprouting, mean?
- Thunder under water: a sprout pushing through hard ground. Beginnings are chaotic and effortful; the growth is real, but it needs order and helpers.
- Which trigrams form Sprouting?
- 坎 above 震 — water over thunder. Its nuclear hexagram (lines 2–5) is 剝 Peeling Away.
- What happens when a line of Sprouting changes?
- A moving line turns the hexagram into another one; the list above shows all six. With several moving lines, the guide to changing lines explains which text to read.
- How do I get Sprouting in a reading?
- Build six lines from the bottom up with three coins or yarrow stalks; the pattern — - - - - - - — - - is Sprouting. You can also cast a reading here — the lines are decided by code, the text is this page's.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).