Hexagram 60: Limitation
節 Jié · Water over Lake
This hexagram is about limits: setting the right ones and keeping them. Just as a bamboo stalk is strong because of its joints, a life or a plan needs sensible boundaries to hold its shape. Know where to stop. Limits that fit the situation bring freedom and steadiness; limits that are too harsh cause bitterness, so find the balance.
| Number (King Wen order) | 60 |
|---|---|
| Chinese name | 節 (Jié) |
| Upper trigram | ☵ Water (Kǎn): deep, dangerous, flowing |
| Lower trigram | ☱ Lake (Duì): joyful, open |
| Unicode symbol | ䷻ |
On this page (9)
Hexagram 60 in plain words
Water sits above the lake. A lake can hold only so much; when more pours in, it overflows. That is the image of limitation: a vessel with a fixed size. Tradition says limitation brings success, but adds that galling limitation should not be persevered in.
The commentary says the wise person creates number and measure and examines what virtue and right conduct are. Limits give structure: budgets of time and energy, clear rules, a sense of what is enough. Without them, resources and goodwill run out. But limits imposed too harshly, especially on others, breed resentment and break down. The skill is to know your own measure, set boundaries that are easy to keep, and adjust them when the season changes. The lines contrast staying home when it is wise with staying home when the time to act has come, and contented limits with bitter ones. Good limits feel natural and are set first on yourself. When you live within them willingly, others follow without being forced.
The judgment
Kieh intimates that (under its conditions) there will be progress and attainment. (But) if the regulations (which it prescribes) be severe and difficult, they cannot be permanent.
Translation: James Legge, 1882 (public domain).
The image
(The trigram representing) a lake, and above it that for water, form Kieh. The superior man, in accordance with this, constructs his (methods of) numbering and measurement, and discusses (points of) virtue and conduct.
From Legge's Appendix II (the Great Symbolism), The Sacred Books of the East, vol. 16, 1882 (public domain).
In plain words: Water sits above the lake, held within its banks. Set clear measures and limits, and talk openly about what counts as good conduct.
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 not quitting the courtyard outside his door. There will be no error.
You do not go out of the door and courtyard. Holding back now, while the time is not right, brings no blame.
Line 2
The second NINE, undivided, shows its subject not quitting the courtyard inside his gate. There will be evil.
You do not go out of the gate when the time to act has come. Staying put past the right moment brings misfortune.
Line 3
The third SIX, divided, shows its subject with no appearance of observing the (proper) regulations, in which case we shall see him lamenting. But there will be no one to blame (but himself).
You know no limits, and soon you have cause to sigh. Recognize that the trouble is of your own making, and there is no further blame.
Line 4
The fourth SIX, divided, shows its subject quietly and naturally (attentive to all) regulations. There will be progress and success.
You accept your limits calmly and contentedly. Success.
Line 5
The fifth NINE, undivided, shows its subject sweetly and acceptably enacting his regulations. There will be good fortune. The onward progress with them will afford ground for admiration.
Your limits are sweet, easy to live with, and set first on yourself. Good fortune, and going forward earns respect.
Line 6 (top)
The topmost SIX, divided, shows its subject enacting regulations severe and difficult. Even with firmness and correctness there will be evil. But though there will be cause for repentance, it will (by and by) disappear.
Your limits are harsh and bitter. Persisting in them brings trouble; easing them lets regret fade.
Related hexagrams
| Opposite (every line changed) | 56. The Wanderer |
|---|---|
| Inverse (turned upside down) | 59. Dispersion |
| Nuclear (lines 2 to 5) | 27. Nourishment |
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 60 turns into:
| Line 1 changes | Hexagram 29, The Abyss (Water) |
|---|---|
| Line 2 changes | Hexagram 3, Difficult Beginnings |
| Line 3 changes | Hexagram 5, Waiting |
| Line 4 changes | Hexagram 58, Lake (Joy) |
| Line 5 changes | Hexagram 19, Approach |
| Line 6 changes | Hexagram 61, Inner Truth |
Learn more: what the I Ching is, how to read changing lines, the eight trigrams, how to cast with coins or yarrow.
Hexagram 60 in love and relationships
In love, healthy boundaries keep the relationship strong. Agree on what each of you needs, avoid both smothering and coldness, and keep any rules gentle.
Hexagram 60 for work and decisions
At work, set clear priorities, scope and boundaries on your time. Say no where needed, but avoid rules so strict they create resentment.
Questions
What does hexagram 60 mean?
This hexagram is about limits: setting the right ones and keeping them. Just as a bamboo stalk is strong because of its joints, a life or a plan needs sensible boundaries to hold its shape. Know where to stop. Limits that fit the situation bring freedom and steadiness; limits that are too harsh cause bitterness, so find the balance.
What does hexagram 60 mean in love?
In love, healthy boundaries keep the relationship strong. Agree on what each of you needs, avoid both smothering and coldness, and keep any rules gentle.
What does hexagram 60 mean for work?
At work, set clear priorities, scope and boundaries on your time. Say no where needed, but avoid rules so strict they create resentment.
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