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Hexagram 20: Guan (观) — Contemplation
Hexagram 20, Guan (观) — Contemplation, is the twentieth figure of the Book of Changes, composed of the Wind trigram over the Earth trigram; the ancients read it as quiet observation.
Meaning
Guan is the hexagram of looking. Wind blows over the earth and touches everything in turn, and the old readers saw a ruler moving among the people, or a person standing back to watch and understand. The judgment's image is of a sacrifice in which the washing has been done but the offering not yet made — a moment of stillness and preparation in which trust alone is present. Contemplation, the book says, is not idleness; it is the gathering of understanding before the act.
Considered against leadership and its burdens, the figure is about the value of the long view. The third line is the pivot: contemplation of my life decides the choice between advance and retreat. A leader who watches well, and understands what he sees, is the one whose influence reaches far — the fourth line speaks of exerting influence as the guest of a king. Vision precedes action, and the better the seeing, the surer the step.
For two people trying to read one another, Guan was read as the difference between watching and truly seeing. The first two lines describe boylike contemplation and peering through the crack of a door — narrow, partial views — and the commentators contrasted these with the full contemplation of one's own life. The counsel is to see the whole of a person or a situation, not just the sliver that suits one's hopes.
Within a cycle, this figure marks a phase of observation before decision. It is the moment to watch, to weigh, and to understand, rather than to act. The image of wind over the earth is the book's picture of a gentle influence that reaches everywhere without force — a season for taking in the whole landscape before choosing a path.
The Judgment
“Contemplation. The ablution has been made, but not yet the offering. Full of trust they look up.”
The Six Lines of Contemplation
Line 1Boylike contemplation. For an inferior man, no blame. For a superior man, humiliation.
Line 2Contemplation through the crack of the door. Furthering for the perseverance of a woman.
Line 3Contemplation of my life decides the choice between advance and retreat.
Line 4Contemplation of the light of the kingdom. It furthers one to exert influence as the guest of a king.
Line 5Contemplation of my life. The superior man is without blame.
Line 6Contemplation of his life. The superior man is without blame.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which trigrams build Hexagram 20?
Guan (观) sets the Wind trigram (Xun, 巽) over the Earth trigram (Kun, 坤). Wind sweeping over the open earth was the ancients' image of an influence that reaches everywhere and observes everything — the source of the meaning of contemplation.
What does the judgment of Hexagram 20 say?
It reads: 'Contemplation. The ablution has been made, but not yet the offering. Full of trust they look up.' The old commentaries explain the image of the prepared sacrifice — a moment of stillness and expectation in which understanding gathers before the decisive act.
What are the two kinds of contemplation in Hexagram 20?
The early lines describe boylike contemplation and peering through the crack of a door, while the later lines describe contemplating one's own whole life. The commentators read this as a contrast between narrow, partial seeing and the full, honest view — and taught that the second is what guides a person well.
Related
Source: Judgment and line texts follow the Wilhelm/Baynes rendering of the Yijing.
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