The Story

A scholar was cast out by his patron and found himself alone in a cold inn in winter, without a coat and without readers. He tried to explain himself to the innkeeper; the innkeeper shrugged. He tried a letter to his old circle; no reply. He sat by a small fire and, for the first time, simply endured without being able to speak. In the spring his writing had a quality it had never had before — tempered, unshowy, indestructible. "Oppression took my voice," he said, "and gave me a real one. The shallow speaker dies in the dry season; the deep one is born there."

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The Judgment

Success. Perseverance. The great person brings good fortune. No blame. When one has something to say, it is not believed.

The Image

There is no water in the lake: the image of exhaustion. Thus the superior person stakes their life on following their will.

Interpretation

The lake has run dry. External resources fail; one is hemmed in by circumstance, and words do not persuade. The figure counsels inner fortitude: a great soul finds the way through depletion. Do not argue or explain; act from conviction and endure.

Trigrams

The Six Lines

1. First (Bottom) One sits oppressed under a bare tree and strays into a gloomy valley. For three years one sees nothing. A long dry spell with no sign; sit it out.
2. Second One is oppressed while at meat and drink. The man with the scarlet knee bands is just coming. It furthers one to offer sacrifice. To set forth brings misfortune. No blame. Troubles in the midst of plenty; honour what you can and do not make bold moves.
3. Third A man permits himself to be oppressed by stone, and leans on thorns and thistles. He enters his house and does not see his wife. Misfortune. Compound errors leading to isolation; the worst line of the hexagram.
4. Fourth He comes very quietly, oppressed in a golden carriage. Humiliation, but the end is reached. Slow, awkward arrival in honoured station; the destination is made.
5. Fifth His nose and feet are cut off. Oppression at the hands of the man with the purple knee bands. Joy comes softly. It furthers one to make offerings and libations. Severe restraint, but quiet joy within; ritual sustains.
6. Sixth (Top) He is oppressed by creeping vines. He moves uncertainly and says, "Movement brings remorse." If one feels remorse over this and makes a start, good fortune comes. Stuck in tangled thought; self-reproach turning into action breaks free.