Kun (Earth) Trigram of the I Ching: three broken lines

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Kun, Earth, is the trigram of three broken lines: receptivity, support, active gentleness. Image, traditional attributes, hexagram no. 2 and points for reflection.

Key points

Trigram	☷ three broken lines (yin, yin, yin)
Image	Earth
Quality	Receptive, yielding, supportive
Family	The mother
Element	Earth
Direction	North (earlier heaven); southwest (later heaven)
Double hexagram	Hexagram no. 2, Kun

Three Broken Lines

Kun (pronounced roughly “kwun”) is the entirely yin trigram: three broken lines, open in the middle. It faces Qian, Heaven, of which it is the exact opposite. Its image is Earth, understood as that which bears, nourishes and receives.

“Yin” should not be read as “weak” or “passive”. In the tradition of the I Ching, receptivity is an active quality: the soil welcomes the seed and makes it grow, whereas Heaven alone would achieve nothing. This page as a whole summarises what Chinese symbolism associates with Kun; these are cultural associations.

Traditional Attributes

Domain	Traditional association
Nature	Earth, soil, cloth, cauldron, large cart
Character	Yielding, welcoming, enduring
Family	Mother
Body (symbolic)	The belly
Animal	The cow (the mare for the hexagram)
Season and direction	End of summer, southwest (later heaven); north (earlier heaven)
Element	Earth

These lists come mainly from the Shuogua, an ancient commentary in the tradition. They serve as a vocabulary of images: the reader adapts them to their question, without looking for fixed rules.

Hexagram No. 2

Two Kun trigrams stacked form hexagram no. 2, which bears the same name. The ancient text links it to the mare: an animal that runs far, that endures, and that advances behind rather than in front. My summary: the hexagram invites you to follow and support rather than to lead, and to recognise that one succeeds better by adjusting to one's surroundings than by forcing them.

Translators stress the idea of devotion, but some see above all a call to patience. Readings are open to discussion, and that is normal: the text is deliberately elliptical.

The ancient text also adds directional markers (gaining friends to the west and south, losing them to the northeast), which have given rise to many glosses: some read them as a geographical indication, others as an image of how one surrounds oneself. Keep this openness in mind: each reader draws from the hexagram whatever their situation allows them to see.

A Reading for Reflection

When Kun comes up, ask yourself: what in my situation needs to be received rather than directed? Which supports have I neglected? Where does my availability slide into self-effacement? Paired with Heaven, Kun forms the basic couple of the book (hexagrams 1 and 2); paired with other trigrams, it tempers or supports their drive.

At work: supporting a team; creating the conditions rather than deciding.
In relationships: listening truly; accepting help.
For yourself: rest, patience, nourishment; knowing how to wait for things to ripen.

These points invite you to reflect; they forecast nothing.

Cultural References

Kun appears on the flag of South Korea under the name gon, three broken bars symbolising the earth. In the feng shui bagua, it is linked to the southwest and to relationships, a modern reading specific to some schools. For what comes next, see Zhen, Thunder, or return to the I Ching guide.