Xiao Guo 雷山小過
A good time for small things
Big things are a stretch, but small ones go well. Don’t be greedy; start small.
What does I Ching hexagram 62 (Small Excess) mean?
A hexagram where small overstepping is allowed. Put effort into small matters rather than great ones, and keep a low profile.
- Small Excess in love
- Small kindnesses and modesty protect the relationship.
- Small Excess at work and with money
- Choose small, sure tasks over big challenges.
- Advice
- Don’t fly high; stay low and humble.
The judgment and the image
Judgment · Small Excess
Very auspicious“Success. It is fitting to persevere. Small things can be done; great things cannot. The flying bird leaves its call behind; it is not fitting to rise, it is fitting to descend: great good fortune.”
The Image: Thunder on the mountain: small excess. The noble person, in conduct, goes beyond in humility, in mourning goes beyond in grief, in spending goes beyond in thrift.
原文 · 亨。利貞。可小事，不可大事。飛鳥遺之音，不宜上宜下，大吉。 / 山上有雷，小過；君子以行過乎恭，喪過乎哀，用過乎儉。
The six lines of hexagram 62
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
Misfortune“The bird flies and meets misfortune.”
Rushing upward before you are ready invites disaster.
原文 · 飛鳥以凶。
Line 2 · 六二
No blame“Passing the grandfather, meeting the grandmother; not reaching the ruler, meeting his official; no blame.”
Settling for the intermediate contact is wise. Don’t overreach.
原文 · 過其祖，遇其妣；不及其君，遇其臣；无咎。
Line 3 · 九三
Misfortune“Not being sufficiently on guard, someone may attack from behind: misfortune.”
Be on guard. Overconfidence lets danger in.
原文 · 弗過防之，從或戕之，凶。
Line 4 · 九四
No blame“No blame; not going beyond, but meeting it. Going forward is dangerous; be on guard; don’t persist forever.”
Be careful and don’t press. Hold back.
原文 · 无咎，弗過遇之。往厲必戒，勿用永貞。
Line 5 · 六五
Neutral“Dense clouds, no rain, from our western border. The prince shoots and catches one in a cave.”
Preparation is still just promise. Look for the hidden thing right in front of you.
原文 · 密雲不雨，自我西郊，公弋取彼在穴。
Line 6 · 上六
Misfortune“Not meeting but passing beyond it; the flying bird leaves: misfortune. This is called calamity.”
Overreaching without a plan ends in self-made disaster.
原文 · 弗遇過之，飛鳥離之，凶，是謂災眚。
Related hexagrams
- Opposite hexagram (every line flipped): 61. Zhong Fu (Inner Truth)
The classical text is in the public domain; the English translations and readings are our own, for reflection and entertainment.