Hexagram 39
Obstruction
蹇
Upper
Water · 坎
the abysmal, danger
Lower
Mountain · 艮
keeping still
Contemporary judgment
Obstruction. A real obstacle stands in your path, and it will not move for pushing. Do not waste yourself in direct assaults on it. Turn inward, examine what in yourself the obstruction is revealing, and seek the help of those who know a different way around.
Image
Water on the mountain: trouble upon trouble. The superior person turns back to themselves and works on their own character.
Counsel
Stop pushing. Ask what this obstacle is teaching you: sometimes obstructions reveal that our direction itself was wrong. Seek allies and advisors; you do not have to solve this alone. Use the pause to strengthen yourself for a path that will open when you are ready for it.
The six lines
Numbered from the bottom upward; displayed here from first to sixth.
Line 1
A six at the beginning means: Going leads into obstructions; coming finds praise.
Line 2
A six in the second place means: The king's servant is in obstruction upon obstruction. But it is not his own fault.
Line 3
A nine in the third place means: Going leads into obstructions; so he comes back.
Line 4
A six in the fourth place means: Going leads into obstructions; coming leads to union.
Line 5
A nine in the fifth place means: In the midst of the greatest obstructions, friends come.
Line 6
A six at the top means: Going leads into obstructions; coming leads to great good fortune. It is favorable to see the great man.
Contemporary sections are original app interpretations. Line text comes from the CC0 translation in jesshewitt/i-ching.