Anonymous (traditionally attributed to King Wen, the Duke of Zhou and Confucius) · Complete work
Hexagram 33 · Dùn ䷠
Hexagram 33 · Dùn ䷠ of 69. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal Classical Chinese
遯：亨。小利貞。
初六：遯尾，厲，勿用有攸往。
六二：執之用黃牛之革，莫之勝說。
九三：係遯，有疾厲，畜臣妾吉。
九四：好遯君子吉，小人否。
九五：嘉遯，貞吉。
上九：肥遯，无不利。
彖曰：遯亨，遯而亨也。剛當位而應，與時行也。小利貞，浸而長也。遯之時義大矣哉！
象曰：天下有山，遯；君子以遠小人，不惡而嚴。
遯尾之厲，不往何災也。
執用黃牛，固志也。
係遯之厲，有疾憊也。畜臣妾吉，不可大事也。
君子好遯，小人否也。
嘉遯貞吉，以正志也。
肥遯，无不利；无所疑也。
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.
Dun (Retreat): Success. Steadfastness is favorable in small matters.
Six at the beginning: At the tail of the retreat, there is danger. Do not try to go anywhere.
Six in the second place: Bind him with the hide of a yellow ox; no one can loosen it.
Nine in the third place: A retreat held back brings illness and danger. Keeping servants and concubines brings good fortune.
Nine in the fourth place: A willing retreat brings the noble person good fortune; not the petty person.
Nine in the fifth place: A fine retreat. Steadfastness brings good fortune.
Nine at the top: An ample retreat. Nothing is unfavorable.
The Judgment Commentary says: Dun succeeds: by retreating, one succeeds. Firmness holds the fitting position and finds a response, moving with the time. Steadfastness in small matters is favorable, for what is yielding gradually grows. Great indeed is the meaning of Retreat's time!
The Image Commentary says: A mountain beneath heaven: Dun. Thus the noble person keeps the petty person at a distance, without hatred but with dignity.
Danger at the tail of the retreat: if one does not go forward, what calamity could there be?
Binding him with a yellow ox makes the will firm.
The danger of a retreat held back: illness brings exhaustion. Keeping servants and concubines brings good fortune; this is no time for great affairs.
The noble person retreats willingly; the petty person does not.
A fine retreat, steadfast good fortune: this sets the will right.
An ample retreat, nothing unfavorable: there is nothing to doubt.
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.
Dun (Retreat): Success. Staying steady is favorable in small matters.
Six at the beginning: At the tail end of the retreat, there is danger. Do not go anywhere.
Six in the second place: Hold him with a strap of yellow oxhide. Nobody can pull him loose.
Nine in the third place: A retreat held back. Illness and danger. Keeping servants and concubines brings good fortune.
Nine in the fourth place: A willing retreat brings the noble person good fortune, but not the petty person.
Nine in the fifth place: A fine retreat. Staying steady brings good fortune.
Nine at the top: An ample retreat. Nothing is unfavorable.
The Judgment Commentary says: Dun brings success through retreat itself. The firm line is in its proper position and receives a response, so it acts in step with the times. Staying steady is favorable in small matters because the yielding lines gradually grow. How important is the timing of retreat!
The Image Commentary says: A mountain stands beneath heaven: this is Dun. The noble person therefore keeps petty people at a distance without hatred, but with dignity.
The danger at the tail of the retreat: if one does not go forward, what disaster could there be?
Holding him with yellow oxhide means making the intention firm.
A retreat held back is dangerous because it brings illness and exhaustion. Keeping servants and concubines brings good fortune, but one cannot undertake great things.
The noble person withdraws willingly, but the petty person does not.
A fine retreat brings good fortune through staying steady because it sets one's intention right.
An ample retreat leaves nothing unfavorable and no reason for doubt.