Hexagram 32: Duration
Hexagram
32. Duration · Heng
Structure of the sign
The strong sign Chen is above, the weak Sun below. The hexagram is the counterpart of the preceding one: there influence, here union as a lasting condition. The images are thunder and wind, which likewise are phenomena constantly conjoined. The lower sign indicates gentleness within, the upper, movement without. Transferred to social relations, we have here the institution of marriage as an enduring union of the sexes. While in courtship the young man subordinates himself to the maiden, in marriage, which is represented by the coming together of the eldest son and the eldest daughter, the husband directs and moves externally, while the wife is gentle and obedient within.
The Judgment
Success. No blame. Perseverance furthers. It furthers one to have somewhere to go. Duration is a state whose movement is not worn down by hindrances. It is not a state of rest, for mere standstill is regression. Duration is rather the self-contained and therefore constantly self-renewing movement, proceeding according to fixed laws, of an organized, closely integrated whole, in which every end is followed by a new beginning. The end is attained through inward movement, inhalation, systole, concentration. This movement passes over into a new beginning, in which movement is directed outward, exhalation, diastole, expansion. Thus the heavenly bodies have their orbits in the heavens and are thereby able to shine continually. The seasons have an established law of change and transformation and are thereby able to operate perpetually. And thus the dedicated man likewise possesses an enduring purpose in his course, and through this the world attains its complete development. From that wherein things have their duration, one can recognize the nature of all beings in heaven and on earth.
The Image
Thunder and wind: the image of Duration. Thus the superior man stands firm and does not change his direction. Thunder rolls, and the wind blows. Both are exceedingly mobile, appearing outwardly as the very opposite of duration. Yet their emerging and receding, their coming and going, follow enduring laws. Thus the independence of the superior man likewise does not consist in his being rigid and immovable. He constantly moves with the times and transforms with them. What is enduring is the firm direction, the inner law of his being, which determines all his actions.
The lines
Line 1
Demanding duration too hastily persistently brings misfortune. Nothing that would further. Something enduring can be brought forth only gradually through long labor and careful reflection. 'If one wishes to compress something, one must first allow it to expand properly,' says Lao-tse in this sense. He who demands too much all at once overreaches himself. And because he attempts too much, he ultimately achieves nothing.
Line 2▶ ruling line
Remorse disappears. The situation is abnormal. The strength of character exceeds the material power at one's disposal. One might perhaps fear being carried away into something that surpasses one's power. But since it is the time of duration, one succeeds in mastering the inner power, so that all excess is avoided and the occasion for remorse disappears.
Line 3
He who does not give duration to his character meets with disgrace. Persistent humiliation. When one is driven about in one's being by moods excited by the outer world through fear and hope, one loses the inner consistency of character. Such inner inconsistency constantly leads to painful experiences. These humiliations frequently come from a quarter where one least expected them. Nor are they so much effects of the outer world as lawful consequences brought about by one's own nature.
Line 4
No game in the field. If one wishes to get a shot during the hunt, one must go about it in the proper way. If one persistently stalks game in a place where none exists, one may wait ever so long and find nothing. Duration in seeking does not suffice. What is not sought in the right way will not be found.
Line 5
Giving duration to one's character through perseverance brings good fortune to a woman, misfortune to a man. A woman should follow one man all her life, whereas a man should hold fast to what is his duty at any given time; if he were constantly to adapt himself to the woman, it would be an error for him. Accordingly, conservative adherence to tradition is wholly good for a woman. The man, however, must remain mobile and adaptable, allowing himself to be determined only by what his duty demands at each moment.
Line 6
Restlessness as a lasting state brings misfortune. There are people who remain perpetually in hurried motion without ever attaining inner peace. Restlessness not only hinders all thoroughness, but becomes an outright danger when it prevails in a position of authority.
Below ☴ Wind (Sun)
- Direction
- SE
- Element
- Wood · Wind
- Attributes
- Gentle · Penetrating · Gradual · Persevering
- Family
- Eldest Daughter
Above ☳ Thunder (Dschen)
- Direction
- E
- Element
- Wood · Thunder
- Attributes
- Arousing · Awakening · Impelling · Moving
- Family
- Eldest Son