I Ching Hexagram 57: Xun (巽), The Gentle — Meaning and Lines
I Ching hexagram 57, Xun (巽): The Gentle. Wind over Wind, the judgment, six lines, and a careful reading.
Key points
| Number | 57 of 64 (King Wen sequence) |
|---|---|
| Chinese name | Xun (巽) |
| Name in French | Xun, le Doux |
| Lower trigram | ☴ Xun, the Wind |
| Upper trigram | ☴ Xun, the Wind |
| Image | Wind following wind: a gentle, penetrating influence |
| Reversed hexagram | No. 58, Dui, The Joyous |
| Nature of the text | A book of wisdom and oracle, a tool for reflection, not a prediction |
Xun: what is it about?
Hexagram 57, Xun (巽, pronounced roughly "shune"), is the hexagram of the gentle, of the penetrating: the wind that enters everywhere, the roots that work their way into the soil. The Xun trigram, doubled, has a broken line beneath two solid lines: softness slips beneath strength. According to the commentary on the sequence of the hexagrams, it follows The Wanderer: one who has no place left seeks to fit in.
The two trigrams
The first three lines (at the bottom) form the lower trigram, the last three the upper one. Here, the Wind (Xun) sits beneath the Wind (Xun).
| Position | Trigram | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Upper (top) | ☴ Xun, the Wind | The wind |
| Lower (bottom) | ☴ Xun, the Wind | The wind |
The doubled Wind, or the Wood: gusts that follow one another and end up bending the grass and passing through walls. The Image draws from it a rule of action: repeat one's instructions, then carry them out.
The judgment in brief
The judgment is moderate: small success, it is good to have a place to go and to see a great person. My summary: one succeeds little by little, by influencing without clashing, and by seeking the support of someone wiser than oneself. The strength of Xun is patient repetition.
General meaning
Xun speaks of a power that does not force. Like the wind, it acts through duration; like the root, it works its way in. This gentleness is not weakness: the text asks the first line for the energy of a warrior, in order to break out of hesitation.
The opposite danger, excessive submission, appears in lines 3 and 6: by bending again and again, one loses what one had.
The six lines, from bottom to top
Each line is summarised in my own words; the ancient text is very elliptical, and commentators complete it in different ways.
- Line 1, at the bottom (yin). One advances, one retreats, one hesitates. Here the decision of a warrior is needed.
- Line 2 (yang). One is beneath the bed, in complete humility, and one summons many diviners and priests: good. A humility that seeks counsel.
- Line 3 (yang). One submits again and again, against one's will: distress. A repeated and humiliating docility.
- Line 4 (yin). Regrets fade; on the hunt, three kinds of game are taken. Gentleness bears fruit.
- Line 5 (yang). Good perseverance, everything is favourable. No beginning, but an end; one deliberates three days before and three days after the day of change. Good.
- Line 6, at the top (yang). Once more beneath the bed: one loses one's resources and one's axe. Perseverance is harmful. Too much submission loses everything.
The changing lines
A "changing" line is about to turn into its opposite. One reads its text, then the hexagram that arises from the change, taken as the direction the situation is taking; the schools diverge when several lines are changing.
| Changing line | Change | Resulting hexagram |
|---|---|---|
| Line 1 | yin becomes yang | No. 9, Xiao Chu, The Taming Power of the Small |
| Line 2 | yang becomes yin | No. 53, Jian, Development |
| Line 3 | yang becomes yin | No. 59, Huan, Dispersion |
| Line 4 | yin becomes yang | No. 44, Gou, Coming to Meet |
| Line 5 | yang becomes yin | No. 18, Gu, Work on What Has Been Spoiled |
| Line 6 | yang becomes yin | No. 48, Jing, The Well |
Changing all six lines together would give No. 51 (Zhen, The Arousing). Lines 2 and 6 answer each other ("beneath the bed"), with opposite results: humility that seeks counsel succeeds, humility that renounces itself loses everything.
A careful modern reading
Xun is read in connection with influence without pressure: persuading by small touches, negotiating, teaching, changing habits over time. Modern readings insist on a point often forgotten: gentleness is not self-effacement. In a situation of pressure, control or violence, it is not the patience of the wind that is needed: contact 3919 (violence helpline, in France) or, in an emergency, 17 (police, in France) or 112 (the emergency number across the European Union).
Questions for reflection
- Where would a gentle influence be more effective than force?
- Which hesitations is line 1 asking me to bring to an end?
- Where do I submit too much, to the point of losing myself?
- Which counsel should I seek before acting?
Mistakes to avoid
- Taking gentleness for passivity: the text calls for decision.
- Using the hexagram to justify giving in to pressure: lines 3 and 6 warn against exactly that.
- Taking hexagram 57 as a prediction or as medical, financial, legal or safety advice: the I Ching is a tool for reflection, and such decisions belong to a professional.
Other names and other translations
The name "Xun, The Gentle" follows one translation tradition among others; in Chinese, it is Xun (巽). Other translations speak of the penetrating, the wind, the subtle or pliancy; in English, "the gentle", "the penetrating" or "wind".
In King Wen's sequence, it forms a pair with No. 58 (Dui, The Joyous), whose figure is this one turned upside down. Full list: the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching.
Frequently asked questions
What does hexagram 57 of the I Ching mean?
Xun, the gentle: the penetrating influence of wind and roots, which succeeds through patient repetition rather than force.
Which trigrams make up hexagram 57?
Xun, the Wind (or the Wood), below, and Xun, the Wind, above: a hexagram with a doubled trigram.
Does Xun advise submission?
No. The text warns against repeated submission (line 3) and excessive submission (line 6), and asks the first line for the decision of a warrior.
What does "beneath the bed" mean?
It is an image of extreme humility, which lines 2 and 6 treat in opposite ways: positive when it leads to seeking counsel, negative when it leads to giving up everything.
What happens when a line of hexagram 57 is changing?
It turns into its opposite and gives rise to a second hexagram, read as the direction the situation is taking. The table on this page gives the resulting hexagram for each of the six lines.
Can hexagram 57 be relied on to make a decision?
It can feed reflection, but it can never replace the advice of a professional. For health, money, law or safety, consult the competent person; in case of distress, call 3114 (in France) or 112 (the emergency number across the European Union).
Also read
The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to The 64 hexagrams of the Yi King.