Hexagram 2 · 坤为地

The Receptive

Earth · Kun palace

Pure yin energy: support, patience, quiet accumulation.

Meaning

Six broken lines. The complement to The Creative, pointing to a season where receptivity, support and steady follow-through carry you further than force.

Decision Framework

Support and sustain rather than initiate.

Decision Guidance

The Receptive is not passivity; it is deliberate responsiveness. It shows up when the situation is not yours to lead, or when the ground is not yet ready to hold what you want to build. The productive move is to strengthen the conditions you will depend on later.

In decision terms, this favours the supporting role. Take care of the people and systems around the objective, gather information, and keep your own commitments small and reliable. Direction tends to emerge from that groundwork rather than from pushing harder.

Judgment — Classical Text

元亨，利牝马之贞。君子有攸往，先迷后得主。

EN Sublime success. The mare's perseverance furthers. The noble one who sets out may go astray at first, then find a master.

The Six Lines — Classical Text

初六：履霜，坚冰至。
EN Initial six: treading on hoarfrost — solid ice is coming.
六二：直方大，不习无不利。
EN Six in the second: straight, square, great — without practice nothing is unfavourable.
六三：含章可贞，或从王事，无成有终。
EN Six in the third: keep your brilliance hidden; if you serve the king's affairs, claim no credit yet bring matters to completion.
六四：括囊，无咎无誉。
EN Six in the fourth: tie up the sack — no blame, no praise.
六五：黄裳，元吉。
EN Six in the fifth: the yellow lower garment — supreme good fortune.
上六：龙战于野，其血玄黄。
EN Topmost six: dragons fight in the wild; their blood is dark yellow.

Keywords

I Ching hexagram 2, The Receptive hexagram, Kun hexagram meaning, hexagram for patience