Hexagram 3
Difficulty at the Beginning
屯
Upper
Water · 坎
the abysmal, danger
Lower
Thunder · 震
the arousing, movement
Contemporary judgment
A difficult beginning. The new thing is born into confusion, like a sprout pressing through frozen ground. Do not force an outcome; the situation is not yet ready to be understood. Expect turbulence: it is a sign of life, not of failure.
Image
Clouds and Thunder. The first storm stirs the unformed. The superior person organizes the chaos by bringing threads of it into order.
Counsel
Seek help. Move in small, disciplined steps. Do not attempt to resolve everything at once; untangle one thread, then the next. Perseverance now builds the foundation you will stand on later. Clarity is on the way, but only through the patience of doing the next right thing.
The six lines
Numbered from the bottom upward; displayed here from first to sixth.
Line 1
A nine at the beginning means: Hesitation and hindrance. It is favorable to remain persevering. It is favorable to appoint helpers.
Line 2
A six in the second place means: Difficulties pile up. Horse and wagon part. He is no robber; he would woo in due time. The girl is chaste, does not pledge herself. In ten years, she will pledge herself.
Line 3
A six in the third place means: Whoever hunts the stag without a forester only loses their way in the forest. The noble one understands the signs of the time and prefers to desist. To continue brings humiliation.
Line 4
A six in the fourth place means: Horse and wagon part. Seek union. To go forward brings good fortune. All works for the good.
Line 5
A nine in the fifth place means: Difficulties in conferring blessings. Small perseverance brings good fortune; great perseverance brings misfortune.
Line 6
A six at the top means: Horse and wagon part. Bloody tears pour forth.
Contemporary sections are original app interpretations. Line text comes from the CC0 translation in jesshewitt/i-ching.