Hexagram 18 · Gu 蠱
Repair what has been allowed to deteriorate
Gu places Mountain above Wind. Its line texts repeatedly describe attending to problems inherited from a father or mother. The pattern invites a close look at what has deteriorated and what responsible repair would involve.
Short answer
Read Gu as a prompt to address the causes of a recurring problem. Examine how it developed, choose a repair you can responsibly undertake, and provide the follow-through that will help the change hold.
- Upper
- Gen · Mountain
- Lower
- Xun · Wind
Pattern
Mountain above Wind
- Chinese
- 蠱
- Upper trigram
- Gen · Mountain
- Lower trigram
- Xun · Wind
- Lines
- Yang at the second, third, and sixth positions
Classical text
Prepare the repair and attend to what follows
蠱：元亨。利涉大川。先甲三日，後甲三日。— Zhouyi, Hexagram 18
The judgment speaks of great progress, a difficult crossing, and three days before and after Jia, the first heavenly stem. The Tuan commentary connects the work to setting things in order and a new beginning after an ending. Reading the day formula as preparation and follow-through is an interpretive application; it does not establish a fixed timetable for resolving a modern problem.
The Image says “山下有風，蠱；君子以振民育德”. The Image describes wind below the mountain and the exemplary person stirring people and cultivating virtue. The family language in the lines makes inherited responsibility a recurring theme. Applied to modern work or habits, this can suggest examining accumulated patterns and repairing their effects. That analogy does not identify a particular person as the cause. The fourth line warns about indulging what has deteriorated, while the final line depicts pursuing a higher calling outside royal service.
When it helps
Find the cause that keeps the problem returning
Distinguish the visible damage from the practice or condition that sustains it. Choose a manageable repair, identify the help it requires, and set a way to review whether it is working.
What to watch
Keep repair within your responsibility
Urgency can lead to taking on more than you can carry. Clarify what is yours to address, who else needs to participate, and what maintenance will be needed after the first intervention.
Questions for reflection
- What has deteriorated, and how did it develop?
- Which underlying cause can I realistically address?
- What preparation and follow-through would make the repair last?
Read moving lines with the question and method of your own cast; this reference is not a complete reading. See how changing lines are displayed.
Sources
Check the original text
This page paraphrases the classical material; its applications to modern repair and recurring habits are interpretation.