No. 2 The Receptive
坤为地 · Kūn · Earth over Earth
“Yield and carry. Support what is already growing.”
Lower trigram ☷ Earth 坤 — receptivity & support
Upper trigram ☷ Earth 坤 — receptivity & support
Trigram: a three-line symbolic figure that forms one half of an I Ching hexagram.
- Quiet support
- Patience
- Open ground
- Steady care
- Following through
Introduction
The Receptive is six broken lines: pure yin, open at every level. It pictures ground that receives, holds, and carries.
In practice this points to a stretch where support matters more than initiative. Let things develop, and help without seizing the lead.
The judgement
“The Receptive brings sublime success. Furthering comes through perseverance, like a mare that keeps the road.”
In plain words: this figure names a course carried by patience rather than by push. The old image is a mare — steady, unhurried, able to go a long way.
Read it as a stretch where supporting and carrying matter most. Pick a sound direction to follow, then stay with it.
Core themes
- Support is real work. Carrying a thing well often matters more than starting it.
- Patience is not passive. Waiting on purpose differs from drifting.
- Following a sound lead can take you further than leading badly.
Line-by-line overview
Six lines, read bottom to top — matching the figure above.
Each line describes one stage in an evolving situation. Line 1 marks the earliest, foundational beginning; line 6 shows where the pattern has run its course. Open a line to read it.
Line 1 初六
Small signs arrive first. A little coolness now points to a colder stretch ahead.
Notice early signals. They are easier to work with than the full change.
Line 2 六二
No effort is needed to be right here. The ground is already level.
Keep your practice plain. Plain and steady tends to hold without strain.
Line 3 六三
You hold ability you need not display. Serving quietly suits this line.
Work that goes unseen still counts. Credit can wait without harm.
Line 4 六四
This line asks for caution. Say less and keep your counsel close.
Silence here is not weakness. It is choosing not to feed a tense moment.
Line 5 六五
Simple conduct fits a position of weight. Modesty reads as steadiness here.
Influence works best without display. Let the work carry the message.
Line 6 上六
At the top, yielding turns into conflict. Pushing past your own place brings friction that lands on you first.
Step back to your own ground. Clashing over position costs more than it wins.
Use-six: when all six lines are old yin
This note belongs to this hexagram alone. It shows up only when all six casts come out as old yin.
In the three-coin method that is three tails each, scoring six.
The old line reads: lasting perseverance furthers. The image is a road held to the very end.
In practice: when everything around you is softening at once, holding one steady course serves you better than switching with each change.
Summary
Read as a whole, this figure asks for patient, grounded support. Notice where you are trying to lead, and ask whether carrying the load would serve better.
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Hexagram 02 · The Receptive 坤
A way to look at what is moving around you now, not a fixed answer. Notice your inner state, then decide how to act.
This relationship does better with listening than with steering. Let the other person finish.
The pattern leans toward steadiness. Small, repeated care tends to land deeper than grand gestures.
Many people think support means agreeing with everything. Honest, gentle words tend to help more.
Keep your own ground while you give. Support that erases you tends to turn into resentment.
Ultimately, your real-world facts and personal choices will shape how things unfold.
This hexagram contains 1 changing line. You may read detailed line interpretations inside the full hexagram-knowledge page. If you want to deepen your understanding of changing lines and line positions, please visit our I-Ching six-line learning page.
Read the full guide →- Notice how often you step in to fix things. Staying present can be the stronger move. Fixing every small thing tends to leave the other person unheard.
- Check whether your care comes with a hidden price. Freely given care builds trust. Care that expects a return tends to sour quietly.
Related reading
Short reads from the blog. A changing line is a line that may shift as a situation moves.
Working with changing lines
Learn about changing lines and how to interpret them
Expectation & inner honesty
Set proper expectations before your reflection reading
Learn what these numbers mean
The all-yin case, worked through.
Related hexagrams
The Creative · 乾
Its opposite, line for line
No. 3Difficulty at the Beginning · 屯
The hexagram after this one
No. 4Youthful Folly · 蒙
The hexagram after this one
If you would like to browse all 64 hexagrams, visit All 64 Hexagrams.
If you would like to learn about static hexagrams and the interpretation rules for changing lines within I-Ching, please visit our general guide: Understanding Changing & Static Lines.