Hexagram 39 of 64
Obstacles
蹇 Jiǎn
Upper trigram: 坎 Kǎn, water
Lower trigram: 艮 Gèn, mountain
The judgment
利西南，不利東北；利見大人，貞吉。
The southwest is fitting and the northeast is not fitting. It is fitting to see the great person. Holding firm brings good fortune.
The Great Image
山上有水，蹇；君子以反身修德。
On top of the mountain there is water: Obstacles. In the same way, the noble person turns back toward the self and cultivates character.
The six lines
Lines are counted from the bottom. Read a line closely when it changes in your cast.
Line 1 初六
往蹇，來譽。
Going, obstacles. Coming back, praise.
The road ahead is blocked and coming back earns praise. Ask whether holding off for now could be the better-regarded choice, even if it feels like doing nothing.
Line 2 六二
王臣蹇蹇，匪躬之故。
The king's servant limps on through trouble after trouble, and not on his own account.
The servant struggles through one difficulty after another on someone else's behalf. If you are carrying a hard duty for others, consider naming that for yourself so that you do not take the strain as your own failure.
Line 3 九三
往蹇來反。
Going, obstacles. Coming back, a return.
The way forward is closed, so this line turns home. Consider what is waiting where you came from that you have been overlooking.
Line 4 六四
往蹇來連。
Going, obstacles. Coming back, union with others.
Coming back here means linking up with others. Ask who you could join with before you try the blocked road a second time.
Line 5 九五
大蹇朋來。
In great obstacles, friends come.
In the worst of it, friends arrive. Consider letting people know how large your problem is, so that they have the chance to come.
Line 6 上六
往蹇來碩，吉；利見大人。
Going, obstacles. Coming back, greatness. Good fortune. It is fitting to see the great person.
Coming back at the top of this hexagram brings something large. Ask whether there is an experienced person who could help you use what you have learned from being stopped.
What this hexagram says
Mountain below, water above: a steep climb with more water waiting at the top. It stands for a way forward that is blocked.
The judgment points to the southwest, which tradition reads as open country, and away from the northeast, read as mountains. It also advises seeing a great person and holding firm. Ask where the easier ground lies and who could advise you on reaching it.
If your question is about a stalled project or a plan that keeps running into walls, tradition reads this as a time to stop pushing and take stock. Most of the lines repeat one pattern: going meets difficulty and coming back brings something of value. The image adds that the first thing to examine is yourself.
A hexagram is a prompt for reflection. It cannot promise a result, and it is no substitute for medical, legal or financial advice.
Where this text comes from
The Chinese follows the Wikisource text of the Zhou Yi (its page for this hexagram, 周易/蹇), compared with the Project Gutenberg edition. The Great Image comes from the Wikisource page 周易/大象.
- Wikisource, 周易
Retrieved 2026-11-08
- Project Gutenberg eBook 25501, 易經
Retrieved 2026-11-08
Read this hexagram with its traditional commentaries in our library.
The English renderings and the advice are by Cast & Chart. The advice is a modern reading and is not part of the classical text.