No. 18 Work on the Decayed
山风蛊 · Gǔ · Wind under Mountain
“Something has decayed. Repair it now, before the damage spreads further.”
Lower trigram ☴ Wind 巽 — gentle persistence & penetration
Upper trigram ☶ Mountain 艮 — stillness & boundary
Trigram: a three-line symbolic figure that forms one half of an I Ching hexagram.
- Repair
- Clearing decay
- Inherited mess
- Careful correction
- Fresh start
Introduction
Wind blows at the foot of the mountain and the rot underneath is stirred up. Work on the Decayed pictures damage that has been left too long.
In practice, this names a stretch where something old needs fixing. The repair is the work, and delay makes it larger.
The judgement
“Work on the Decayed has success. It furthers one to cross the great water. Three days before the start, three days after.”
In plain words: repairing what has spoiled works, and it is worth the crossing. The old text asks for care before the start and after it.
Read it as a call to clean up rather than to rebuild from nothing. Most decay here sits in things that were once sound.
Core themes
- Decay is not a verdict. It is a task with a deadline.
- Look back for the source, not only at the symptom.
- Repair needs care on both sides: before and after.
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
At the base, the damage came from earlier and you are the one fixing it.
A successor who takes it on carries no fault for the earlier person.
There is risk in the work, and it ends well.
Line 2 九二
Here the spoiled thing is close and domestic, and force is the wrong tool.
Gentle correction suits this line better than a hard push.
Over-correcting here tends to break what was still sound.
Line 3 九三
At this level the repair is energetic, and some regret comes with it.
The old line calls the regret small and the fault absent.
A repair that leaves a mark is still a repair.
Line 4 六四
Here the line tolerates the decay instead of addressing it.
Carrying on that way tends to bring a slow humiliation, because spoiled things spread while they are ignored.
Naming it is cheap.
Line 5 六五
At the centre, the repair is done well, and other people notice it.
Meeting praise for this work is fitting.
Credit for a real repair tends to arrive on its own, without being reached for.
Line 6 上九
At the top, the line steps out of ordinary service.
The old image is a person who refuses court and keeps a higher aim.
Some repairs are finished by leaving the ruined structure altogether.
Summary
Read as a whole, this figure asks you to face decay that has been left too long. Find the source, correct it with the right amount of force, and check the work afterwards.
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Hexagram 18 · Work on the Decayed 蛊
A way to look at what is moving around you now, not a fixed answer. Notice your inner state, then decide how to act.
Something old in the bond needs repair rather than discussion.
Naming the specific decay is more useful than naming the feeling.
People often wait for a better moment to raise it. Waiting tends to let it spread.
Fix the part you contributed. That part is fully yours to change.
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 which grievance has been carried the longest. The oldest one tends to be the source. Treating symptoms tends to leave it in place.
- Ask how much force the repair needs. A measured correction tends to land. A hard one tends to break what was still working.
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
Understanding changing lines
Repair reads differently when lines move.
Related hexagrams
Following · 随
Read it the other way up
No. 19Approach · 临
The hexagram after this one
No. 16Enthusiasm · 豫
The hexagram before 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.