困
“Confining” — King Wen #47
Oppression: deep water and exhausted ground. The great person holds to purpose in hardship.
The Judgment 卦辞
亨。貞，大人吉，無咎；有言不信。
In (the condition denoted by) Kun there may (yet be) progress and success. For the firm and correct, the (really) great man, there will be good fortune. He will fall into no error. If he make speeches, his words cannot be made good.— The I Ching, trans. James Legge, 1899 (public domain)1
The Six Lines 爻辞
臀困于株木，入于幽谷，三歲不覿。
The first SIX, divided, shows its subject with bare buttocks straitened under the stump of a tree. He enters a dark valley, and for three years has no prospect (of deliverance).
困于酒食，朱紱方來，利用享祀；征凶，無咎。
The second NINE, undivided, shows its subject straitened amidst his wine and viands. There come to him anon the red knee-covers (of the ruler). It will be well for him (to maintain his sincerity as) in sacrificing. Active operations (on his part) will lead to evil, but he will be free from blame.
困于石，據于蒺藜，入于其宮，不見其妻，凶。
The third SIX, divided, shows its subject straitened before a (frowning) rock. He lays hold of thorns. He enters his palace, and does not see his wife. There will be evil.
來徐徐，困于金車，吝，有終。
The fourth NINE, undivided shows its subject proceeding very slowly (to help the subject of the first line), who is straitened by the carriage adorned with metal in front of him. There will be occasion for regret, but the end will be good.
劓刖，困于赤紱，乃徐有說，利用祭祀。
The fifth NINE, undivided, shows its subject with his nose and feet cut off. He is straitened by (his ministers in their) scarlet aprons. He is leisurely in his movements, however, and is satisfied. It will be well for him to be (as sincere) as in sacrificing (to spiritual beings).
困于葛藟，于臲卼，曰動悔，有悔。征吉。
The sixth SIX, divided, shows its subject straitened, as if bound with creepers; or n a high and dangerous position, and saying (to himself), 'If I move, I shall repent it.' If he do repent of former errors, there will be good fortune in his going forward.
Reading the Picture
Hexagram 47 places water (坎) beneath lake (兑) —water finding its way through hard gaps below, joy lifting what it touches above. This is why the tradition reads it as “Confining”:oppression: deep water and exhausted ground. The great person holds to purpose in hardship Whenever you cast this figure, the classical reading points back to that turning of forces.
Questions About Hexagram 47
What does 困 (kùn) mean?
Hexagram 47 of the I Ching is named 困 (kùn), usually rendered "Confining" in English editions. Its figure pairs water (坎) below with lake (兑) above.
Which trigrams form hexagram 47?
兑 (Lake) sits above and 坎 (Water) sits below — the classical picture is water finding its way through hard gaps beneath joy lifting what it touches.
How is hexagram 47 related to the other hexagrams?
Changing every line of hexagram 47 gives hexagram 22 — 賁 (Adorning). Turned upside down it becomes hexagram 48 — 井 (Welling). Its nuclear hexagram — the inner pattern of lines 2 through 5 — is hexagram 37 — 家人 (Dwelling People).
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1 Legge, James. The Yi King, Sacred Books of the East vol. XVI (1899), public domain. Classical Chinese from the received Zhouyi text. · For reflection and entertainment — not financial, medical, or life advice.