Hexagram 58
兌
Duì
The Joyous Lake
Upper Trigram
兌 Duì
Lake — Joyous
Lower Trigram
兌 Duì
Lake — Joyous
Classical Texts
The Judgment
亨。利貞。
The Image
麗澤，兌。君子以朋友講習。
The Lines
Line 1
初九 和兌吉。
Line 2
九二 孚兌吉。悔亡。
Line 3
六三 來兌凶。
Line 4
九四 商兌未寧。介疾有喜。
Line 5
九五 孚于剝。有厲。
Line 6
上六 引兌。
The Lacemaker
Johannes Vermeer, c. 1669-1670
The Joyous
A young woman bends over bobbins and thread, her universe contracting to the work beneath her fingers. Johannes Vermeer painted this scene around 1669, his smallest canvas—nine inches tall. The lacemaker's focus remains absolute, her hands frozen mid-gesture as colored threads blur into abstract dabs of paint. Light falls from the left, illuminating delicate labor that transforms thread into pattern through meticulous repetition.
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She embodies what the I-Ching describes as Dui (兌), the doubled Lake trigram—joy arising from within rather than imposed from without. Lake above, lake below: the youngest daughter in both positions, openness meeting openness, reflection multiplying reflection. The character 兌 combines elements suggesting speaking and exchange, but here the exchange occurs between concentration and satisfaction. Vermeer shows no grand celebration, no external stimulus for pleasure—just absorbed engagement with skilled work. Song Dynasty diviners saw this configuration in contexts of teaching, conversation, and activities where responsive interaction produces mutual contentment. Vermeer's smallest painting shows a young woman absorbed in intricate needlework. Her concentration on the delicate threads represents quiet satisfaction in skilled labor. The Joyous (Dui) relates to contentment from within—her calm focus on craftsmanship reflects inward pleasure rather than external stimulation. The Judgment addresses the lacemaker's quiet absorption: "The Joyous. Success. Perseverance is favorable." Her satisfaction stems not from completed lace but from the process itself, each movement bringing its own completion. In divination practice, Dui appeared when questions concerned communication, commerce, or situations where open exchange creates shared benefit. The doubled lake structure suggests that genuine joy cannot exist in isolation—like water reflecting sky, delight multiplies when it finds response. The Image Text clarifies what Vermeer captures: "Lakes resting one on the other: the image of the Joyous. Thus the superior one joins with friends for discussion and practice." The lacemaker works alone in Vermeer's frame, yet her craft connects her to generations of practitioners, to the person who will wear this lace, to the tradition of skilled making. In the I-Ching sequence, Dui follows Xun's gentle penetration—after patient influence comes the joy of responsive connection, the satisfaction when careful work meets receptive appreciation.
Yilin: Forest of Changes
From Jiao Yanshou's Forest of Changes (焦氏易林) — the verse for Hexagram 58 in its unchanging form. A Han dynasty collection of four-character verses interpreting every hexagram transformation.
班馬還師，以息勞疲。後夫嘉喜，入戶見妻。
The dappled horses return with the army, resting from their weary toil. The husband who lagged behind rejoices, entering the door to see his wife.
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Paired lakes mirror each other in perfect symmetry — The Joyous reflecting itself. The army's spotted horses return from campaign to rest their weary bones. Afterward, a husband comes home with joy, entering the door to see his wife. The phrase 'ban ma' (spotted horses) echoes the Shijing where returning warhorses signify the end of a campaign. From The Joyous to The Joyous, the transformation is identity: joy deepened by recognition. Friends lecture and practice together — the hexagram image made flesh. The soldier returns to domestic happiness; the doubled lake produces not excess but resonance. This is joy's purest form: reunion after absence, the familiar face at the threshold.
中文注释
麗澤兌，朋友講習之象。班馬還師，以息勞疲。後夫嘉喜，入戶見妻。班馬即歸師之戰馬。征人歸來，先息軍旅之勞，後入家門得見妻子，歡喜之至。從兌至兌，喜悅映照喜悅。麗澤之象——兩澤相連，互相滋潤。此為歡悅之純粹形態：離別後之重逢，門前見到熟悉之面容。兌之自返不是重複而是共鳴——如兩湖相映，喜悅加倍。
Related Hexagrams
Same upper trigram: Lake (兌)
Same lower trigram: Lake (兌)