節
Hexagram 60 · 節
Upper trigram: 坎 · Lower trigram: 兌
Jie (Limitation): the hexagram of useful boundaries. Set a workable measure, recognize changing conditions, and avoid turning discipline bitter.
The image
Water stands above the lake, whose basin gives its contents a boundary. A useful container can hold only an appropriate measure. Jie means limitation, regulation, or the joints that divide a stem. Its image asks for limits that sustain life without making ordinary participation harsh.
Judgment
亨。苦節不可貞。
Flourishing. Bitter limitation cannot be maintained with constancy.
The commentary connects proportionate rules with preserving resources and avoiding harm to people. A family budget often works better when it sets realistic amounts and leaves some room for enjoyment than when every choice becomes deprivation.
Great Image
澤上有水，節；君子以制數度，議德行。
Water above the lake: Limitation. The exemplary person accordingly establishes measures and standards and discusses character and conduct.
Good boundaries need a purpose as well as a number. A team can agree on meeting lengths by considering both available time and the need for everyone to be heard.
Line texts
Line 1 · 初九
不出戶庭，无咎。
Not going beyond the inner courtyard. No blame.
Nine in the first place is yang recognizing when movement is not yet useful. The Small Image values knowing what is open or blocked, like waiting for a necessary instruction before starting dependent work.
Line 2 · 九二
不出門庭，凶。
Not going beyond the outer courtyard. Misfortune.
Nine in the second place is central yang that stays back after the time to act has arrived. The Small Image calls this missing the moment, like continuing to prepare after a well-supported opportunity is ready to begin.
Line 3 · 六三
不節若，則嗟若，无咎。
Without limitation, there is sighing. No blame.
Six in the third place is yin learning from the effects of excess. The Small Image asks whom else to blame, like recognizing that an overfilled schedule needs revision rather than resenting every appointment.
Line 4 · 六四
安節，亨。
Peaceful limitation. Flourishing.
Six in the fourth place is fitting yin accepting a workable boundary. The Small Image favors supporting the direction above, like keeping agreed quiet hours because their purpose and practical value are understood.
Line 5 · 九五
甘節，吉；往有尚。
Pleasant limitation. Good fortune. Going forward brings esteem.
Nine in the fifth place is central and correct yang setting a balanced measure. The Small Image grounds its success in centrality, like a manager designing a realistic workload that encourages participation without exhausting the team.
Line 6 · 上六
苦節，貞凶，悔亡。
Bitter limitation. Constancy brings misfortune. Regret disappears.
Six at the top is yin at the extreme of restriction. The Small Image says this course is exhausted, like recognizing that an excessively strict study schedule needs easing before useful discipline becomes resentment.
When asking about
Career
Clear limits often make cooperation more dependable. Set realistic scope and revisit rules that impede their own purpose.
Love
Healthy boundaries can support closeness. Explain needs clearly and avoid using rules to control a partner.
Money
A workable budget can create useful freedom. Leave enough flexibility that restraint remains sustainable.
Home
Agreed limits can make shared space more comfortable. Check that household rules serve everyone's daily needs.
Study
Defined sessions often help concentration. Keep the schedule demanding enough to guide without making it punishing.
Health
Regular rest and manageable limits can support a balanced rhythm. See a doctor for any health concern.
Advice
Set a measure that can be lived with. Recognize when to wait and when to move, and revise discipline that has become needlessly bitter.
Related hexagrams
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Cast a hexagramReference content based on the I Ching classic, not a prediction.