Hexagram 18 Line 6: 上九
Gu —蠱 —Work on What Has Been Spoiled
Position: Line 6 (Upper Trigram)上九 —Yang ⚊ (Solid)Register: blameless
Classical Chinese Text
上九 不事王侯。高尚其事。
不bùdoes
事shìserve
王wángof sovereign
侯hóuor noble
高gāoof noble
尚shàngworth
其qíone's own
事shìservice
Line Commentary
Not serving kings and princes. Making one's own work lofty. Some stand apart from public service to pursue higher aims. This is valid—not everyone must repair the common structures.
When This Line Changes
If Line 6 changes, Hexagram 18 Gu (Work on What Has Been Spoiled) transforms into Hexagram 46 Sheng (Pushing Upward).
Parent Hexagram
Work on What Has Been Spoiled
Gu蠱 (18)
Mountain (艮) over Wind (巽)
Upper Trigram: ☶ Mountain | Lower Trigram: ☴ Wind