I-Ching Hexagram 48
井 The Well
Also known as Source
A well serves all who come to it — a figure of the deep, shared source that civilisation is built on. The hexagram counsels attention to foundations: keep the well clear, do the work of maintenance, and see that nothing goes half-done.
well · source · nourishment
The Story
A village well was so old that no one remembered who had dug it. Every generation cleaned it; every family drew from it; no one owned it. A proud new magistrate proposed taxing the water; the elders laughed, and the proposal died. "The well does not belong to us," the oldest farmer said. "We belong to it." When the village's boundaries shifted, when the dynasty changed, when the road moved, the well remained. Certain things in a society are not property. They are the shared source — and the health of a place is measured by whether the source is kept clear.
The Judgment
The town may be changed, but the well cannot be changed. It neither decreases nor increases. They come and go and draw from the well. If one gets down almost to the water and the rope does not go all the way, or the jug breaks, it brings misfortune.
The Image
Water over wood: the image of the well. Thus the superior person encourages the people at their work, and exhorts them to help one another.
Interpretation
A well serves all who come to it — a figure of the deep, shared source that civilisation is built on. The hexagram counsels attention to foundations: keep the well clear, do the work of maintenance, and see that nothing goes half-done. A broken jug at the surface wastes the whole journey down.
Trigrams
The Six Lines
- First (Bottom) One does not drink the mud of the well. No animals come to an old well. A neglected well; neglect deepens until none come at all.
- Second At the well hole one shoots fishes. The jug is broken and leaks. Fine resources wasted through careless containers.
- Third The well is cleaned, but no one drinks from it. This is my heart's sorrow, for one might draw from it. If the king were clear-minded, good fortune might be enjoyed in common. Talent available but not recognised; the loss is everyone's.
- Fourth The well is being lined. No blame. Repairing the foundations — no immediate yield, but essential.
- Fifth In the well there is a clear, cold spring from which one can drink. The source is revealed; share it.
- Sixth (Top) One draws from the well without hindrance. It is dependable. Supreme good fortune. The ideal state: a well that serves all without limit.