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Hexagram 2: Kun (坤) — The Receptive
Hexagram 2, Kun (坤) — The Receptive, is the second of the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching, six broken lines forming the Earth trigram doubled upon itself; it is the classic symbol of receptivity, devotion, and the power of the yielding.
Meaning
Kun is the fully yin hexagram — six broken lines, the exact counterpart of Qian's six solid ones. Where Qian initiates, Kun receives and brings to completion. The image is Earth: it does not push, yet it carries and nourishes everything. Its judgment speaks of a mare, not a stallion — strength expressed through endurance and service rather than through display.
In career and enterprise, Kun is the counsel of the capable follower and the quiet builder. It describes work that succeeds by completing what others begin, by tending details, and by sustained reliability rather than flashes of brilliance. The judgment's "perseverance of a mare" points to the long haul: results come from patient, steady carrying of the load, not from racing ahead of the situation.
In relationships, Kun is devotion and support. It is the energy of the one who holds space, listens, and gives form to another's initiative. The hexagram's most famous line — "a tied-up sack, no blame, no praise" — warns against the shadow side of this role: shrinking into silence until the self disappears. Kun asks for loyalty that keeps its own center.
For timing, Kun teaches a different kind of awareness from Qian. Its first line — "when there is hoarfrost underfoot, solid ice is not far off" — is the book's earliest lesson in reading small signs before they become large ones. Kun counsels acting early and gently, while a situation is still soft enough to shape, rather than waiting until it has hardened.
The Judgment
“The Receptive brings about sublime success, furthering through the perseverance of a mare.”
The Six Lines of The Receptive
Line 1When there is hoarfrost underfoot, solid ice is not far off.
Line 2Straight, square, great. Without purpose, yet nothing remains unfurthered.
Line 3Hidden lines. One is able to remain persevering.
Line 4A tied-up sack. No blame, no praise.
Line 5A yellow lower garment brings supreme good fortune.
Line 6Dragons fight in the meadow. Their blood is black and yellow.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does Hexagram 2 (Kun, The Receptive) mean?
Hexagram 2, Kun (坤) — The Receptive, is the second of the 64 hexagrams, six broken lines forming Earth over Earth, the classic symbol of receptivity and devotion. Its judgment — "The Receptive brings about sublime success, furthering through the perseverance of a mare" — counsels strength expressed through endurance rather than display.
What is the trigram structure of Hexagram 2?
Kun is the Earth trigram (坤) stacked above the Earth trigram (坤). It is the only hexagram made entirely of yin (broken) lines, the exact mirror of Hexagram 1, the Creative, with which it forms the founding pair of the book.
What does "the perseverance of a mare" mean in Hexagram 2?
A mare carries weight steadily without seeking to lead. The phrase is the image for Kun's kind of strength: loyal, enduring, unflashy — the power to carry a task or a relationship through to completion without needing the credit.
Related
Source: Judgment and line texts follow the Wilhelm/Baynes rendering of the Yijing used across energyyi.com (Wilhelm's original German, 1924, is in the public domain).
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