Hexagram 39
Obstruction
蹇 (Jiǎn)
Water over Mountain
Hexagram 39 represents encountering obstacles and difficulties that require careful navigation and strategic retreat. This hexagram symbolizes the wisdom of recognizing when to pause, reflect, and seek help rather than forcing forward through dangerous terrain. Like a traveler facing a treacherous mountain pass with water blocking the way, this situation calls for patience, self-examination, and the cultivation of inner strength. The obstruction is not permanent but requires thoughtful response, turning inward to gather resources and seeking guidance from those with greater wisdom and experience before proceeding.
Key Concepts
The Judgment (卦辞)
Translation: "Obstruction. The southwest furthers. The northeast does not further. It furthers one to see the great man. Perseverance brings good fortune."
Hexagram 39 teaches the profound wisdom of recognizing when obstacles require strategic retreat rather than forceful advance. The southwest represents the direction of ease and support, suggesting that when facing obstruction, we should seek the path of least resistance and gather allies rather than confronting difficulties head-on. The northeast symbolizes further advancement into dangerous territory, which would only compound our troubles. This hexagram emphasizes that true strength lies not in stubborn persistence against impossible odds, but in the wisdom to pause, reassess, and seek guidance from those with greater experience and perspective.
The counsel to see the great man highlights the importance of mentorship and wise counsel during difficult times. When we encounter obstacles that seem insurmountable, seeking advice from those who have navigated similar challenges provides invaluable perspective and strategy. Perseverance in this context means maintaining inner resolve and moral integrity while adapting our approach to circumstances. The good fortune promised comes not from overcoming the obstacle through force, but from developing character, wisdom, and relationships through the experience of difficulty.
The Image (大象传)
君子以反身修德。
Translation: "Water on the mountain: the image of Obstruction. Thus the superior person turns his attention to himself and molds his character."
The image of water upon the mountain presents a powerful natural metaphor for obstruction and the proper response to it. Water naturally flows downward, yet here it encounters the mountain's upward thrust, creating a situation where natural movement is blocked. This represents those times in life when our forward momentum meets immovable obstacles. Rather than exhausting ourselves in futile struggle, the image teaches us to use this enforced pause as an opportunity for inner development. The superior person recognizes that external obstacles often reflect internal areas requiring attention and growth.
Turning attention inward and molding character represents the transformative potential hidden within difficulty. When external progress is blocked, we have the precious opportunity to strengthen our foundation, refine our values, and deepen our self-understanding. This inner work prepares us for future advancement and ensures that when the obstacle eventually clears, we emerge stronger and wiser. The hexagram suggests that obstacles serve a purpose in our development, forcing us to cultivate qualities we might otherwise neglect in times of easy progress.
The Six Lines (六爻)
Six at the Beginning (初六)
Bottom line - Yin
"Going leads to obstructions, coming meets with praise."
At the beginning of encountering obstruction, wisdom lies in recognizing the danger ahead and choosing not to advance further into difficulty. Retreating or pausing at this early stage demonstrates prudence and earns respect from others who recognize your good judgment. This is not cowardice but intelligent assessment of circumstances. By avoiding unnecessary struggle, you preserve your resources and position yourself for better opportunities. The praise comes from demonstrating the maturity to know when not to act.
Six in the Second Place (六二)
Second line - Yin
"The king's servant is beset by obstruction upon obstruction, but it is not his own fault."
This line represents facing difficulties in service to a higher purpose or duty. You encounter repeated obstacles not through personal failing but because of your commitment to responsibility and service. Though the path is arduous, your dedication to duty is honorable and necessary. Continue to fulfill your obligations despite difficulties, knowing that your struggles serve a greater good. Your perseverance in the face of obstruction, motivated by loyalty rather than personal gain, builds character and earns lasting respect.
Nine in the Third Place (九三)
Third line - Yang
"Going leads to obstructions; hence he comes back."
Attempting to advance brings you face to face with serious obstacles that make further progress impossible or unwise. The correct response is to turn back and return to your starting point or to those who depend on you. This retreat is not defeat but wisdom, as it allows you to regroup, reassess, and maintain what you have rather than losing everything in futile struggle. Your return brings relief and joy to those who need you, and preserves your strength for better opportunities ahead.
Six in the Fourth Place (六四)
Fourth line - Yin
"Going leads to obstructions, coming leads to union."
Forward movement continues to meet obstacles, but returning or reaching out to others creates valuable connections and support. This line emphasizes the importance of collaboration and seeking help during difficult times. By joining forces with others who share your challenges or goals, you create strength through unity. The obstruction becomes an opportunity to build alliances and deepen relationships. Together, you can navigate difficulties that would be impossible to overcome alone, transforming isolation into community.
Nine in the Fifth Place (九五)
Fifth line - Yang
"In the midst of the greatest obstructions, friends come."
Even when facing the most severe difficulties, help arrives from unexpected sources. This line represents the principle that genuine need attracts genuine assistance. Your integrity and worthiness, demonstrated through how you handle adversity, draws supporters and helpers to your aid. The greatest obstructions often reveal who your true friends are and create bonds forged in shared struggle. Remain steadfast in your principles, and the help you need will manifest. This support transforms seemingly impossible situations into manageable challenges.
Six at the Top (上六)
Top line - Yin
"Going leads to obstructions, coming leads to great good fortune. It furthers one to see the great man."
At the culmination of the obstruction period, continuing forward still meets resistance, but turning back or seeking guidance brings exceptional benefits and breakthrough. This represents the moment when accumulated wisdom from navigating difficulties can be shared and applied to help others. Consulting with or becoming a mentor yourself leads to profound success. The obstruction has served its purpose in developing your character and wisdom. Now, applying these lessons and sharing them with others brings the greatest rewards and marks the transition from difficulty to achievement.
Love & Relationships (爱情)
In matters of the heart, hexagram 39 indicates a period where relationship progress faces significant obstacles or challenges that cannot be overcome through force or pressure. This may manifest as external circumstances preventing union, internal doubts requiring resolution, or timing issues that make advancement unwise. The wisdom here is to step back from pushing for commitment or progress and instead focus on self-development and understanding. Use this time to examine your own patterns, heal past wounds, and clarify what you truly seek in partnership. Forcing relationship advancement now will only create greater problems later.
For those in established relationships, obstacles may appear as communication breakdowns, external stressors, or recurring conflicts that seem insurmountable. Rather than demanding immediate resolution or threatening ultimatums, this hexagram counsels turning inward to examine your own contribution to difficulties. Seek guidance from couples counselors, trusted mentors, or relationship experts who can provide objective perspective. The obstruction serves to reveal areas where both partners need individual growth before the relationship can progress healthily. Patience and self-work now prevent future crises.
For those seeking love, this hexagram suggests that pursuing new relationships aggressively will meet with frustration and disappointment. Instead, focus on becoming the person who naturally attracts healthy partnership. Work on healing from past relationships, developing self-awareness, and building a fulfilling life independent of romantic connection. The right relationship will emerge when you have done this inner work, not through forced searching. Current obstacles protect you from partnerships that would ultimately prove unsatisfying or harmful.
Career & Business (事业)
Professionally, hexagram 39 signals encountering significant obstacles in career advancement, business development, or project completion that require strategic pause rather than aggressive pushing forward. This might manifest as funding falling through, key partnerships dissolving, market conditions turning unfavorable, or internal organizational resistance to your initiatives. The wisdom is to recognize when circumstances genuinely prevent progress and to use this enforced pause productively. Rather than exhausting resources fighting uphill battles, redirect energy toward skill development, strategic planning, and building relationships that will support future advancement when conditions improve.
For entrepreneurs and business leaders, obstacles may appear as regulatory challenges, supply chain disruptions, competitive pressures, or internal team conflicts that threaten business viability. Instead of desperately trying to maintain previous growth trajectories, this hexagram counsels strategic retreat or consolidation. Focus on strengthening core operations, improving product quality, deepening customer relationships, and ensuring financial stability rather than expansion. Seek mentorship from experienced business leaders who have navigated similar challenges. Their perspective can reveal opportunities hidden within apparent setbacks and prevent costly mistakes born of panic or stubbornness.
For employees facing career obstacles such as being passed over for promotion, experiencing workplace conflicts, or feeling stuck in unsatisfying roles, this hexagram advises against forcing change through confrontation or hasty job-hopping. Instead, use this period to honestly assess your skills, identify development areas, and invest in education or training that increases your value. Build relationships with mentors and expand your professional network. The current obstruction may be protecting you from advancement into roles you are not yet ready for or redirecting you toward better opportunities that require this preparation period.
Health & Wellness (健康)
In health matters, hexagram 39 indicates encountering obstacles in healing, fitness progress, or wellness goals that require a fundamental shift in approach rather than intensified effort. This might manifest as chronic conditions that resist treatment, injuries that do not heal as expected, or fitness plateaus despite increased training. The wisdom here is to recognize when your current approach is not working and to seek expert guidance rather than pushing harder in the same direction. Consult specialists, explore alternative healing modalities, or address underlying lifestyle factors that may be impeding progress. Sometimes the body's resistance signals the need for rest and different strategies.
For those dealing with chronic illness or persistent health challenges, this hexagram counsels patience and self-compassion rather than frustration with slow progress. Use this difficult period to deepen your understanding of your body's needs, explore the emotional and spiritual dimensions of healing, and build supportive relationships with healthcare providers and fellow patients. The obstruction may be teaching you to listen more carefully to your body's wisdom and to address root causes rather than merely suppressing symptoms. Inner work around stress, trauma, or unhealthy patterns often proves essential to physical healing.
For fitness and wellness pursuits, obstacles such as injuries, burnout, or motivation loss signal the need to reassess your approach and goals. Rather than pushing through pain or forcing yourself to maintain unsustainable routines, step back and examine whether your wellness practices truly serve your overall wellbeing or have become another source of stress and self-judgment. This period calls for gentler, more sustainable approaches that honor your body's current capacity. Focus on foundational practices like adequate sleep, stress management, and joyful movement rather than aggressive fitness goals.
Financial Matters (财运)
Financially, hexagram 39 warns of encountering significant obstacles to wealth accumulation, investment success, or business profitability that require conservative strategy and expert guidance rather than aggressive risk-taking. This might manifest as investments losing value, business revenue declining, unexpected expenses arising, or income sources becoming unstable. The wisdom is to recognize when market conditions or personal circumstances make wealth-building efforts futile or dangerous, and to focus instead on preserving capital, reducing expenses, and building financial knowledge. Seeking advice from experienced financial advisors or mentors who have navigated economic downturns can prevent catastrophic losses and reveal opportunities invisible to less experienced eyes.
For investors and entrepreneurs, financial obstacles may appear as market volatility, failed ventures, or poor investment performance that tempt desperate attempts to recover losses quickly. This hexagram strongly counsels against such reactive behavior, which typically compounds losses. Instead, return to fundamental principles of sound financial management: diversification, risk assessment, and long-term perspective. Use this difficult period to educate yourself about financial markets, examine past mistakes honestly, and develop more sophisticated strategies. The obstruction serves to prevent you from advancing into even riskier territory before developing necessary wisdom and discipline.
For those facing personal financial difficulties such as debt, job loss, or reduced income, this hexagram advises seeking help from financial counselors, debt advisors, or community resources rather than struggling alone or making desperate decisions. Strategic retreat might mean downsizing lifestyle, consolidating debts, or accepting temporary assistance to preserve long-term financial health. Focus on building skills and relationships that will support future earning capacity rather than quick fixes. The current financial obstruction, while painful, can teach invaluable lessons about money management, resilience, and what truly matters in life.
Personal Growth (个人成长)
In personal development, hexagram 39 represents encountering obstacles in self-improvement efforts that reveal the need for deeper inner work rather than continued external striving. This might manifest as repeated patterns despite conscious efforts to change, spiritual practices that feel empty or forced, or self-help approaches that no longer yield growth. The wisdom here is to recognize when surface-level changes are insufficient and to turn attention to examining core beliefs, unhealed wounds, or unconscious patterns that drive behavior. This period calls for honest self-reflection, possibly with the guidance of therapists, spiritual teachers, or wise mentors who can help you see blind spots and navigate inner terrain.
The obstruction in personal growth often signals that you have reached the limits of what can be achieved through willpower and conscious effort alone. Deeper transformation requires surrendering control, acknowledging vulnerability, and allowing yourself to be guided through unfamiliar inner territory. This might involve exploring shadow aspects of personality, healing childhood trauma, or confronting existential questions you have avoided. While this inner work is challenging and sometimes painful, it creates the foundation for authentic transformation that superficial self-improvement cannot achieve. The obstacle redirects you from doing to being, from achieving to understanding.
Use this period of obstruction to cultivate qualities that cannot be developed during times of easy progress: patience, humility, self-compassion, and trust in processes beyond your control. These qualities prove essential for navigating life's inevitable difficulties and for supporting others through their struggles. The character forged through facing and working with obstacles, rather than avoiding or conquering them, becomes your greatest asset. When external progress resumes, you will advance from a much stronger foundation, with wisdom earned through difficulty rather than merely accumulated through success.
Timing & Advice (时机与建议)
The timing indicated by hexagram 39 is fundamentally one of strategic pause and inner cultivation rather than external advancement. This is not the moment to launch new initiatives, make major commitments, or push aggressively toward goals. Instead, recognize this as a necessary period of consolidation, learning, and preparation that serves your long-term success even though it feels frustrating in the present. The obstacles you face are not random misfortune but meaningful signals that current approaches are inadequate or that you lack necessary preparation for the advancement you seek. Honor this timing by stepping back, seeking guidance, and doing the inner and outer work that will enable future success.
The key advice is to transform your relationship with obstacles from viewing them as enemies to be conquered into recognizing them as teachers offering essential lessons. Each difficulty reveals something important about yourself, your strategies, or your circumstances that you need to understand before proceeding. Seek out mentors, teachers, or advisors who have successfully navigated similar challenges and can offer perspective you lack. Be willing to admit what you do not know and to learn from those with greater experience. This humility and openness to guidance accelerates growth and prevents the costly mistakes that come from stubborn independence.
Most importantly, maintain your integrity and inner resolve even while adapting your external strategies. The perseverance that brings good fortune in this hexagram is not stubborn insistence on a particular path, but steadfast commitment to your core values and ultimate goals while remaining flexible about methods and timing. Use this period to strengthen your foundation, deepen your understanding, and build the relationships and resources that will support you when conditions shift. The obstruction is temporary, but the character and wisdom you develop through navigating it will serve you throughout life. Trust that this difficult passage has purpose and that emerging from it with grace and learning positions you for greater success than forcing through would ever achieve.