Hexagram 63 Line 1: 初九

Classical Chinese Text

初九 曳其輪。濡其尾。无咎。

曳其輪。濡其尾

Line Commentary

He brakes his wheels. He gets his tail in the water. No blame. In times following a great transition, everything is pressing forward in the direction of development and progress. But this pressing forward at the beginning is not good; it overshoots the mark and leads with certainty to loss and collapse. Therefore a person of strong character does not allow themselves to be infected by the general intoxication but checks their course in time. He may not remain altogether untouched by disastrous consequences, like a fox that at the last minute gets its tail wet, but will not suffer any real harm because behavior has been correct.

Commentary

You brake your wheels; you get your tail in the water—no blame. In times after completion, everything presses forward, but this pressing forward overshoots the mark. A person of strong character does not allow themselves to be infected by general intoxication but checks their course in time. Like a fox that at the last minute gets its tail wet, you may not remain untouched, but will suffer no real harm because your behavior was correct.