Anonymous (traditionally attributed to King Wen, the Duke of Zhou and Confucius) · Complete work
Hexagram 32 · Héng ䷟
Hexagram 32 · Héng ䷟ of 69. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
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恆：亨，无咎。利貞，利有攸往。
初六：浚恆，貞凶，无攸利。
九二：悔亡。
九三：不恆其德，或承之羞，貞吝。
九四：田无禽。
六五：恆其德，貞，婦人吉，夫子凶。
上六：震恆，凶。
彖曰：恆，久也。剛上而柔下，雷風相與，巽而動，剛柔皆應，恆。恆亨无咎，利貞；久于其道也，天地之道，恆久而不已也。利有攸往，終則有始也。日月得天，而能久照，四時變化，而能久成，聖人久于其道，而天下化成；觀其所恆，而天地萬物之情可見矣！
象曰：雷風，恆；君子以立不易方。
浚恆之凶，始求深也。
九二悔亡，能久中也。
不恆其德，无所容也。
久非其位，安得禽也。
婦人貞吉，從一而終也。夫子制義，從婦凶也。
振恆在上，大无功也。
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the classical Chinese, passage for passage, covering all 64 hexagrams with their judgments, line statements and attached commentaries, and the remaining Wings (the Great Commentary, the Discussion of the Trigrams, the Sequence and the Contrasts of the Hexagrams), 1,204 passages in all.
Heng (Duration): Success, no blame. Steadfastness is favorable; it is favorable to have somewhere to go.
Six at the beginning: Seeking duration too deeply. Steadfastness brings misfortune; nothing is favorable.
Nine in the second place: Regret vanishes.
Nine in the third place: One who does not sustain virtue may meet with disgrace. Steadfastness brings humiliation.
Nine in the fourth place: No game in the fields.
Six in the fifth place: Keeping one's virtue constant and steadfast brings good fortune for a woman, misfortune for a man.
Six at the top: Agitated constancy. Misfortune.
The Judgment Commentary says: Heng means enduring. Firm above and yielding below, thunder and wind together, gentleness and movement, firm and yielding each finding response: this is Duration. Its success, freedom from blame, and favorable steadfastness come from enduring upon its way: the way of heaven and earth lasts without ceasing. It is favorable to go somewhere because every end has a beginning. Sun and moon find their places in heaven and shine enduringly; the four seasons change and complete their course enduringly. Sages endure upon their way, and all under heaven is transformed and completed. Observe what endures, and the nature of heaven and earth and all beings becomes visible!
The Image Commentary says: Thunder and wind: Heng. Thus the noble person stands firm without changing direction.
The misfortune of seeking duration too deeply: at the outset one seeks too much depth.
Regret vanishes for the second nine because it can endure in the center.
One who does not sustain virtue can find no place.
Long occupying the wrong place, how could one find game?
Steadfastness brings a woman good fortune: she follows one partner to the end. A man decides what is right; if he follows a woman, misfortune follows.
Agitated constancy at the top brings no great achievement.
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the classical Chinese, covering all 64 hexagrams with their judgments, line statements and attached commentaries, and the remaining Wings (the Great Commentary, the Discussion of the Trigrams, the Sequence and the Contrasts of the Hexagrams), 1,204 passages in all.
Heng (Duration): Success and no blame. Staying steady is favorable. Going somewhere is favorable.
Six at the beginning: Seeking permanence too deeply from the start. Staying steady brings misfortune. Nothing is favorable.
Nine in the second place: Regret disappears.
Nine in the third place: If a person does not keep his good character, he may meet with shame. Staying steady brings humiliation.
Nine in the fourth place: No game in the field.
Six in the fifth place: Keep your character constant and stay steady. Good fortune for a woman, misfortune for a man.
Six at the top: Restless persistence. Misfortune.
The Judgment Commentary says: Heng means lasting a long time. The firm is above and the yielding below; thunder and wind work together. There is gentle movement, and firm and yielding lines all respond to one another. This is duration. Duration succeeds without blame, and staying steady is favorable because one keeps to one's way for a long time. Heaven and earth follow a way that lasts without stopping. Going somewhere is favorable because every end has a new beginning. The sun and moon hold their places in heaven and shine for a long time. The four seasons change and keep producing results. A wise person holds to his way, transforming and shaping the world. Look at what lasts and you can see the nature of heaven, earth, and everything.
The Image Commentary says: Thunder and wind: this is Heng. The noble person therefore stands firm without changing direction.
Seeking permanence too deeply brings misfortune because one demands too much at the beginning.
Regret disappears for the nine in the second place because it can remain centered for a long time.
A person who does not keep his good character will find no place to belong.
If you stay long in the wrong position, how could you catch any game?
A woman who stays steady has good fortune because she follows one person to the end. A man must decide what is right; following a woman in this way brings misfortune.
Restless persistence at the top achieves nothing important.