Hexagram 41: Decrease
損 Sǔn · Mountain over Lake
This is a time of less: less to work with, less room, or a need to cut back on something. The hexagram says that is not a disaster if you handle it with sincerity. Simplify, drop excess, and give where it truly helps. A small, honest offering counts for more than a lavish one now, and what you trim away makes space for something better.
| Number (King Wen order) | 41 |
|---|---|
| Chinese name | 損 (Sǔn) |
| Upper trigram | ☶ Mountain (Gèn): still, resting |
| Lower trigram | ☱ Lake (Duì): joyful, open |
| Unicode symbol | ䷨ |
On this page (9)
Hexagram 41 in plain words
The mountain stands above the lake. The lake gives up some of its water to the mountain, keeping the slopes green while its own level drops a little. Lower gives to higher, and the whole landscape benefits. Tradition reads this as decrease that is right and timely, and it says that even two small bowls of food are enough for a sincere offering.
Decrease is not only about losing things. It also means restraining anger, curbing wants, and cutting back what is showy or wasteful so that what remains is genuine. The commentary says the wise person controls their temper and holds back their appetites. When resources, time or energy are short, simplicity becomes a strength: you focus on what matters and let the rest go without resentment. Be careful, though, about how you decrease. Taking from others to keep yourself comfortable is not the point; nor is giving away so much that you are emptied. Look for the trade where a modest loss on one side builds something lasting on the other. Done honestly, decrease clears the ground for the increase that follows it.
The judgment
In (what is denoted by) Sun, if there be sincerity (in him who employs it), there will be great good fortune: freedom from error; firmness and correctness that can be maintained; and advantage in every movement that shall be made. In what shall this (sincerity in the exercise of Sun) be employed? (Even) in sacrifice two baskets of grain, (though there be nothing else), may be presented.
Translation: James Legge, 1882 (public domain).
The image
(The trigram representing) a mountain and beneath it that for the waters of a marsh form Sun. The superior man, in accordance with this, restrains his wrath and represses his desires.
From Legge's Appendix II (the Great Symbolism), The Sacred Books of the East, vol. 16, 1882 (public domain).
In plain words: A lake lies at the foot of the mountain and gives its water up to the heights. Less can mean more now: hold back your anger and keep your wants in check.
The six lines
Read only the lines that changed in your reading. Lines are counted from the bottom.
Line 1 (bottom)
The first NINE, undivided, shows its subject suspending his own affairs, and hurrying away (to help the subject of the fourth line). He will commit no error, but let him consider how far he should contribute of what is his (for the other).
Once your own work is done, go quickly to help others; that brings no blame. Just weigh carefully how much you can give without draining yourself.
Line 2
The second NINE, undivided, shows that it will be advantageous for its subject to maintain a firm correctness, and that action on his part will be evil. He can give increase (to his correlate) without taking from himself.
Stay steady and do not rush into action. You can help others best here without diminishing yourself.
Line 3
The third SIX, divided, shows how of three men walking together, the number is diminished by one; and how one, walking, finds his friend.
When three travel together, one is left out; when one travels alone, a companion appears. Close bonds work best in pairs, so let a crowded situation thin out.
Line 4
The fourth SIX, divided, shows its subject diminishing the ailment under which he labours by making (the subject of the first line) hasten (to his help), and make him glad. There will be no error.
Reduce your faults and weak spots, and help arrives quickly, bringing gladness. There is no blame in admitting what needs fixing.
Line 5
The fifth SIX, divided, shows parties adding to (the stores of) its subject ten pairs of tortoise shells, and accepting no refusal. There will be great good fortune.
Someone adds to your good fortune, and even ten pairs of tortoise shells could not argue against it. Great good fortune comes without your having to seek it.
Line 6 (top)
The topmost NINE, undivided, shows its subject giving increase to others without taking from himself. There will be no error. With firm correctness there will be good fortune. There will be advantage in every movement that shall be made. He will find ministers more than can be counted by their clans.
You gain without taking from anyone, and there is no blame. Steadiness pays off; you gain helpers and loyalty beyond your own household.
Related hexagrams
| Opposite (every line changed) | 31. Attraction |
|---|---|
| Inverse (turned upside down) | 42. Increase |
| Nuclear (lines 2 to 5) | 24. Return |
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 41 turns into:
| Line 1 changes | Hexagram 4, Youthful Folly |
|---|---|
| Line 2 changes | Hexagram 27, Nourishment |
| Line 3 changes | Hexagram 26, Great Taming |
| Line 4 changes | Hexagram 38, Opposition |
| Line 5 changes | Hexagram 61, Inner Truth |
| Line 6 changes | Hexagram 19, Approach |
Learn more: what the I Ching is, how to read changing lines, the eight trigrams, how to cast with coins or yarrow.
Hexagram 41 in love and relationships
In love, simplify. Drop the games, the pride, or the excess expectations, and offer something small and real; sincerity matters more than grand gestures right now.
Hexagram 41 for work and decisions
At work, this points to cutting back, streamlining or doing more with less. Focus on what truly matters, let go of busywork, and keep your effort honest and modest.
Questions
What does hexagram 41 mean?
This is a time of less: less to work with, less room, or a need to cut back on something. The hexagram says that is not a disaster if you handle it with sincerity. Simplify, drop excess, and give where it truly helps. A small, honest offering counts for more than a lavish one now, and what you trim away makes space for something better.
What does hexagram 41 mean in love?
In love, simplify. Drop the games, the pride, or the excess expectations, and offer something small and real; sincerity matters more than grand gestures right now.
What does hexagram 41 mean for work?
At work, this points to cutting back, streamlining or doing more with less. Focus on what truly matters, let go of busywork, and keep your effort honest and modest.
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