Hexagram 2: Receptive Earth
坤 Kūn · Earth over Earth
This is a time to receive, support, and follow rather than lead. Like the earth that carries everything without complaint, you do best now by being steady, patient, and responsive. Let someone or something else set the direction, put your strength into carrying it well, and trust that quiet, reliable work brings a good result.
| Number (King Wen order) | 2 |
|---|---|
| Chinese name | 坤 (Kūn) |
| Upper trigram | ☷ Earth (Kūn): yielding, receptive |
| Lower trigram | ☷ Earth (Kūn): yielding, receptive |
| Unicode symbol | ䷁ |
On this page (9)
Hexagram 2 in plain words
Earth lies over earth: six broken lines, the full opposite of the Creative. The image is the wide ground that holds and feeds every living thing. Tradition calls it the mare, strong and tireless yet willing to follow. It completes what Heaven begins: Heaven gives the idea, Earth gives it a body. Its virtue is not weakness but devotion, the ability to take in, shape, and sustain.
In your situation, the wise move is to stop pushing for control. If you try to lead now you are likely to lose your way; if you follow a sound lead, you find it. This hexagram favors help from friends and allies, practical service, and careful attention to small signs before they grow. Work in the background, be generous, and keep your conduct straight and even. Your influence comes through what you support and finish, not through what you announce. Patience here is active: it means staying open, carrying weight without strain, and letting things ripen in their own time.
The judgment
Khwăn (represents) what is great and originating, penetrating, advantageous, correct and having the firmness of a mare. When the superior man (here intended) has to make any movement, if he take the initiative, he will go astray; if he follow, he will find his (proper) lord. The advantageousness will be seen in his getting friends in the south-west, and losing friends in the north-east. If he rest in correctness and firmness, there will be good fortune.
Translation: James Legge, 1882 (public domain).
The image
The (capacity and sustaining) power of the earth is what is denoted by Khwăn. The superior man, in accordance with this, with his large virtue supports (men and) things.
From Legge's Appendix II (the Great Symbolism), The Sacred Books of the East, vol. 16, 1882 (public domain).
In plain words: The earth holds up everything that lives on it without choosing or complaining. Your strength here is breadth: make room for people and give quiet, generous support.
The six lines
Read only the lines that changed in your reading. Lines are counted from the bottom.
Line 1 (bottom)
In the first SIX, divided, (we see its subject) treading on hoarfrost. The strong ice will come (by and by).
You step on frost, and solid ice will follow. Small signs show where things are heading: notice them now and act early.
Line 2
The second SIX, divided, (shows the attribute of) being straight, square, and great. (Its operation), without repeated efforts, will be in every respect advantageous.
Straight, square, and great. Be simple and true to your nature; with no special effort or scheming, everything works out.
Line 3
The third SIX, divided, (shows its subject) keeping his excellence under restraint, but firmly maintaining it. If he should have occasion to engage in the king's service, though he will not claim the success (for himself), he will bring affairs to a good issue.
You keep your talents quietly hidden and stay steady. If you serve a larger aim, do not seek the credit; finishing the work is enough.
Line 4
The fourth SIX, divided, (shows the symbol of) a sack tied up. There will be no ground for blame or for praise.
A sack tied shut. Keep your thoughts and plans to yourself for now; caution brings neither blame nor praise.
Line 5
The fifth SIX, divided, (shows) the yellow lower garment. There will be great good fortune.
A yellow lower garment, the color of the center worn modestly. Quiet merit and reserve bring great good fortune.
Line 6 (top)
The sixth SIX, divided (shows) dragons fighting in the wild. Their blood is purple and yellow.
Dragons fight in the open field. Trying to take a role that is not yours leads to a hard clash on both sides: step back from the struggle.
When all six lines change
(The lines of this hexagram are all weak and divided, as appears from) the use of the number six. If those (who are thus represented) be perpetually correct and firm, advantage will arise.
All six lines are changing: the yielding becomes strong through lasting steadiness. Keep your course patiently over a long stretch, and it becomes favorable.
Related hexagrams
| Opposite (every line changed) | 1. Creative Force |
|---|---|
| Inverse (turned upside down) | 2. Receptive Earth (itself) |
| Nuclear (lines 2 to 5) | 2. Receptive Earth (itself) |
All three relations have traditional Chinese names (cuo gua for the opposite, zong gua for the inverse, hu gua for the nuclear). Many modern readers use the opposite as the shadow side of a situation, the inverse as the same moment seen from the other side, and the nuclear hexagram as its inner core.
If one line changes
With a single changing line, hexagram 2 turns into:
| Line 1 changes | Hexagram 24, Return |
|---|---|
| Line 2 changes | Hexagram 7, The Army |
| Line 3 changes | Hexagram 15, Modesty |
| Line 4 changes | Hexagram 16, Enthusiasm |
| Line 5 changes | Hexagram 8, Holding Together |
| Line 6 changes | Hexagram 23, Splitting Apart |
Learn more: what the I Ching is, how to read changing lines, the eight trigrams, how to cast with coins or yarrow.
Hexagram 2 in love and relationships
In love, this hexagram asks for care, patience, and listening. Support the other person, let things grow at their own pace, and avoid forcing a decision.
Hexagram 2 for work and decisions
At work, this is a time to support a good plan or leader and do thorough, reliable work. Following well now builds the trust that leads to more responsibility later.
Questions
What does hexagram 2 mean?
This is a time to receive, support, and follow rather than lead. Like the earth that carries everything without complaint, you do best now by being steady, patient, and responsive. Let someone or something else set the direction, put your strength into carrying it well, and trust that quiet, reliable work brings a good result.
What does hexagram 2 mean in love?
In love, this hexagram asks for care, patience, and listening. Support the other person, let things grow at their own pace, and avoid forcing a decision.
What does hexagram 2 mean for work?
At work, this is a time to support a good plan or leader and do thorough, reliable work. Following well now builds the trust that leads to more responsibility later.
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