Jing 水風井
A time to draw on your talent
Unused talent goes stale. Keep drawing from it and tend to yourself.
What does I Ching hexagram 48 (The Well) mean?
Like a well that serves people without ever changing. Steady virtue keeps those around you alive.
- The Well in love
- Unchanging sincerity moves people.
- The Well at work and with money
- Staying with the fundamentals yields lasting results.
- Advice
- Maintain the basics the way you would repair and care for a well.
The judgment and the image
Judgment · The Well
Misfortune“The town may change but the well does not; it neither loses nor gains. People come and go and draw from it. If the rope does not quite reach the water, or the jug is broken: misfortune.”
The Image: Water above wood: the well. The noble person encourages the people at their work and urges them to help each other.
原文 · 改邑不改井，无喪无得，往來井井。汔至亦未繘井。羸其瓶，凶。 / 木上有水，井；君子以勞民勸相。
The six lines of hexagram 48
Lines are read from the bottom up. When you cast a reading and a line is changing, its statement becomes the key message.
Line 1 · 初六
Neutral“The well is muddy and not drunk from; an old well, no birds come.”
Neglected and abandoned. Nobody benefits.
原文 · 井泥不食，舊井无禽。
Line 2 · 九二
Neutral“At the well’s bottom, one shoots fish; the jar is cracked and leaks.”
You waste a good resource through poor tools.
原文 · 井谷射鮒，瓮敝漏。
Line 3 · 九三
Neutral“The well is cleaned but not drunk from; my heart grieves; it can be drawn from. If the king is wise, both receive blessing.”
A cleaned-out talent that isn’t used. With the right backing it benefits all.
原文 · 井渫不食，為我心惻，可用汲，王明，並受其福。
Line 4 · 六四
No blame“The well is lined with bricks; no blame.”
Repair and maintain your source. Good housekeeping is right.
原文 · 井甃，无咎。
Line 5 · 九五
Neutral“The well is clear, a cold spring to drink from.”
A pure, refreshing resource. Share it.
原文 · 井冽，寒泉食。
Line 6 · 上六
Very auspicious“The well is drawn from and left uncovered; sincerity brings supreme good fortune.”
Make your gifts openly available. Generosity is lucky.
原文 · 井收勿幕，有孚元吉。
Related hexagrams
- Opposite hexagram (every line flipped): 21. Shi He (Biting Through)
- Reversed hexagram (turned upside down): 47. Kun (Oppression)
The classical text is in the public domain; the English translations and readings are our own, for reflection and entertainment.