Hexagram 53
漸
Jiàn
Development
Upper Trigram
巽 Xùn
Wind — Gentle
Lower Trigram
艮 Gèn
Mountain — Stillness
Classical Texts
The Judgment
女歸吉。利貞。
The Image
山上有木，漸。君子以居賢德善俗。
The Lines
Line 1
初六 鴻漸于干。小子厲有言。無咎。
Line 2
六二 鴻漸于磐。飲食衎衎。吉。
Line 3
九三 鴻漸于陸。夫征不復。婦孕不育。凶。利禦寇。
Line 4
六四 鴻漸于木。或得其桷。无咎。
Line 5
九五 鴻漸于陵。婦三歲不孕。終莫之勝。吉。
Line 6
上九 鴻漸于陸。其羽可用為儀。吉。
The Avenue at Middelharnis
Meindert Hobbema, 1689
Development
Dutch Golden Age painter Meindert Hobbema depicts a tree-lined country road near Middelharnis in his 1689 work. Tall, slender poplars recede in precise linear perspective toward a vanishing point where the path meets horizon. Each tree marks a measured stage along the route. A hunter with dogs walks the middle distance. Tilled fields stretch on either side. The composition creates visual progression through repetition—same tree, same distance, same interval, extending into depth. Progress becomes visible through patient accumulation of identical steps.
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This is Jiàn (漸), the Chinese hexagram of Gradual Progress. The character contains the water radical, suggesting slow seepage and incremental advance like moisture penetrating soil. Ancient diviners saw this configuration when Wind (Sun) sits above Mountain (Gèn): wood grows upon rocky slopes through persistent effort over seasons, each year adding rings without dramatic transformation. Hobbema's avenue demonstrates this principle through spatial geometry—the eye travels from foreground to background along a path that unfolds stage by stage, each tree a waypoint confirming steady movement. Dutch Golden Age painter Hobbema depicts a tree-lined country road near Middelharnis with precise linear perspective. The tall, slender trees recede gradually into the distance, marking measured stages along the path. This visual progression through successive markers embodies Gradual Progress, step by step advancement along a clear route. The Judgment declares: "Development. The maiden is given in marriage. Good fortune. Perseverance furthers." The ancient text references Zhou Dynasty wedding customs where the groom presented wild geese at progressive stages of courtship—each gift marking a phase in the ritual sequence. The marriage couldn't be rushed; each stage required completion before advancing to the next. Hobbema's path operates similarly—you cannot reach the distant trees without passing the near ones, cannot glimpse the church spire without traversing the measured intervals between poplars. Classical commentaries emphasize that Jiàn represents the wild goose migration: birds advancing to their destination through careful stages, each position deliberately chosen. The Image Text states: "On the mountain, a tree: the image of Development. Thus the superior man abides in dignity and virtue, in order to improve the mores." Trees growing on slopes face harsh conditions—thin soil, exposed wind, steep grade. Growth comes slowly but roots strengthen through resistance. The six line texts describe the goose advancing from water's edge to boulder to plateau to treetop to summit, each stage presenting new conditions that require adaptation while maintaining direction. In the hexagram sequence, Development follows Keeping Still: after establishing mountain-like stability, gradual upward movement becomes possible without losing foundation.
Yilin: Forest of Changes
From Jiao Yanshou's Forest of Changes (焦氏易林) — the verse for Hexagram 53 in its unchanging form. A Han dynasty collection of four-character verses interpreting every hexagram transformation.
別離分散，長子從軍，稚叔就賊，寡老獨居，莫為種瓜。
Parted and scattered in separation. The eldest son goes to war; the youngest follows the rebels. Widowed and old, dwelling alone; do not bother planting melons.
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Wind over mountain returns to itself: Development meets Development, the goose landing where it took flight. Separation and dispersal mark the scene: the eldest son joins the army, the youngest brother falls in with bandits, the aged widow dwells alone, and no one remains to plant the melons. When Development turns upon itself, the gradual process reveals its shadow: slow departure becomes permanent dissolution. Each family member drifts further along a different trajectory until the household is empty. From Development to Development, the pattern intensifies rather than resolves. The wild goose that advances step by step here scatters the flock in every direction. Gradual separation, compounded over time, leaves the planter with no one to harvest.
中文注释
山上有木，漸之自返。別離分散，長子從軍，稚叔就賊，寡老獨居，莫為種瓜。漸之歸漸，緩慢之離散成為永久之解體。家中成員各奔前程：長子戍邊，幼弟入匪，老寡獨坐，瓜田無人。漸之重疊不是漸進之加倍，而是離散之加深。鴻雁本漸進而行，此處卻四散各方。從漸至漸，過程自我強化：每一步漸行漸遠，終至家破人散，種瓜者無人為伴，收穫者亦無從等待。
Related Hexagrams
Same upper trigram: Wind (巽)
Same lower trigram: Mountain (艮)