Hexagram 47.6 — Oppression (Top Line)

Original Text & Translation

「困于葛藟，于臲卼，曰動悔。有悔，征吉。」 — Entangled in creeping vines, in a precarious position, saying "Movement brings regret." Having regret, going forward brings good fortune.

The image is vivid: vines that wrap and tangle, a position so unstable that any movement seems to worsen the situation. The text acknowledges the paralysis that comes from over-thinking consequences. "Movement brings regret" is the voice of fear. But the oracle adds a crucial turn: having regret — recognizing the mistake of inaction or poor choices — and then moving forward anyway brings resolution. This is not reckless action but informed correction.

Core Meaning

Line six sits at the apex of the hexagram, where oppression has exhausted its force. In Hexagram 47, this top position represents the moment when constriction becomes so complete that it must either break or dissolve. The entangling vines symbolize complications that have accumulated over time — unresolved commitments, tangled relationships, mental narratives that loop endlessly without resolution.

The precarious position (臲卼) suggests instability born of over-extension. You may have climbed too high on faulty supports, or spread yourself across too many obligations. The fear of movement is rational in one sense: any shift might trigger collapse. Yet the oracle insists that staying frozen is worse. The path forward requires acknowledging past errors ("having regret"), cutting away what no longer serves, and taking deliberate steps toward simplicity and truth. This is not a heroic leap but a careful disentanglement — one vine at a time.

Practically, this line often appears when someone is trapped by their own complexity: too many projects, contradictory commitments, or mental models that no longer fit reality. The good fortune comes not from solving everything at once, but from the willingness to move, to choose, to let some things fall away.

Symbolism & Imagery

Creeping vines (葛藟) grow by attaching to whatever is near, spreading without central direction. They represent entanglements that began innocuously — a favor here, a commitment there, a belief that seemed useful once — but have now become a thicket. The more you pull at one strand, the more others tighten. This is the oppression of accumulated yes-es, of paths not pruned, of identities not updated.

The precarious position evokes a climber who has reached a height but on unstable footing. There is nowhere higher to go, and the structure beneath is fragile. This is the exhaustion of striving without foundation, of ambition that outran wisdom. The symbolism teaches that sometimes the way forward is first a way down — a return to solid ground, a shedding of false supports, a simplification that feels like loss but is actually liberation.

The phrase "movement brings regret" captures the voice of the inner critic, the part that anticipates every failure. But the oracle's counter — "having regret, going forward brings good fortune" — reframes regret as information rather than verdict. Regret here is the recognition that staying entangled is itself a choice, and a poor one. Once that is seen clearly, movement becomes possible and necessary.

Action Guidance

Career & Business

• Audit your commitments: list every project, role, and obligation. Identify which are life-giving and which are draining. The vines are the latter.
• Practice strategic withdrawal: it is not failure to step back from a role or project that no longer aligns. Communicate clearly, hand off responsibly, and exit with integrity.
• Simplify decision frameworks: if you're paralyzed by options, reduce variables. What is the one metric or principle that matters most right now?
• Cut legacy processes: systems and workflows accumulate like vines. Identify what was useful once but now only adds friction. Archive or delete.
• Acknowledge sunk costs: regret what didn't work, then move on. Holding onto failing ventures because of past investment deepens entanglement.
• Seek external perspective: when you're tangled, you can't see the pattern. A mentor or advisor can identify which threads to cut first.

Love & Relationships

• Name the entanglements: are you staying out of guilt? Fear of loneliness? Habit? Clarity about the "why" is the first step to untangling.
• Honest conversation over silent suffering: if the relationship feels constricting, speak. The conversation itself can loosen the vines, even if it's difficult.
• Release co-dependent patterns: notice where you've become enmeshed in another's emotions or decisions. Healthy boundaries are not rejection; they're structure.
• Forgive past choices: "having regret" means acknowledging what didn't work without self-punishment. You did the best you could with what you knew.
• Allow space: sometimes the best movement is creating distance — not as abandonment, but as a way to see clearly and breathe.
• Rebuild from simplicity: if you choose to stay, strip away the accumulated grievances and renegotiate from a place of presence, not history.

Health & Inner Work

• Identify mental loops: what thoughts repeat without resolution? Write them down, examine them, and consciously choose to release them.
• Simplify your routine: if your health regimen has become a source of stress (too many supplements, conflicting advice, rigid rules), pare back to basics: sleep, movement, whole food, sunlight.
• Practice "good enough": perfectionism is a vine. Allow yourself to be imperfect, to rest, to skip a day without guilt.
• Somatic release: entanglement lives in the body. Gentle movement, breathwork, or bodywork can help discharge what the mind can't untangle alone.
• Limit inputs: if you're consuming too much information (news, social media, advice), create a deliberate fast. Silence allows clarity.
• Therapeutic support: if you feel truly stuck, a skilled therapist or counselor can help you see and cut the vines you can't identify alone.

Finance & Strategy

• Consolidate accounts and positions: complexity in finance is often a form of entanglement. Simplify holdings, close unused accounts, streamline.
• Exit losing positions: "having regret, going forward brings good fortune" applies directly here. Acknowledge the loss, take the tax write-off, and free up capital and attention.
• Review recurring expenses: subscriptions, memberships, and services accumulate like vines. Cancel what you don't actively use.
• Renegotiate or exit bad agreements: if a partnership or contract has become a drain, address it directly. Sometimes paying to exit is cheaper than staying entangled.
• Resist new complexity: before adding a new investment, tool, or strategy, ask if it simplifies or complicates. Default to "no" unless it's clearly essential.
• Build a decision filter: create a simple rule (e.g., "Does this align with my three-year vision?") to prevent future entanglements.

Timing, Signals, and Readiness

The sixth line of Oppression marks a turning point. The signal that you are ready to move is not the absence of fear, but the clear recognition that staying entangled is no longer tenable. You know it's time when the cost of inaction — in energy, integrity, or opportunity — exceeds the discomfort of change.

Look for these signs: (1) you can name the specific vines (commitments, beliefs, relationships) that are constricting you; (2) you feel a quiet resolve beneath the anxiety, a willingness to let go even if it's hard; (3) you've consulted trusted others and they confirm what you already suspect; and (4) you can articulate a simpler vision of what life or work looks like on the other side.

Movement does not mean dramatic upheaval. It means taking the first deliberate step: the conversation, the resignation, the boundary, the cancellation. Once you begin to untangle, momentum builds naturally. The vines lose their grip as soon as you stop feeding them with attention and compliance.

When This Line Moves

A moving sixth line in Hexagram 47 signals the transition from peak oppression to the beginning of release. The resulting hexagram (determined by your casting method) will show the new configuration of forces once you've begun to disentangle. Often, the change reveals a simpler, more grounded situation — not necessarily easy, but no longer suffocating.

Practical takeaway: the movement from this line is not a single heroic act but a process of deliberate simplification. You are transitioning from entanglement to clarity, from paralysis to purposeful action. Honor the regret — it is the acknowledgment of past mistakes — and then move. Each small step of release compounds. What felt impossible becomes merely difficult, then manageable, then done.

The good fortune promised by the text comes from alignment with reality. You stop pretending the vines aren't there. You stop hoping they'll untangle themselves. You take responsibility for the complexity you've allowed, and you begin the patient work of cutting it away. This is mature action: not blame, not drama, but clear-eyed correction.

Concise Summary

Hexagram 47.6 represents the peak of oppression, where entanglement has become so complete that any movement feels risky. The image of creeping vines captures self-imposed complexity — commitments, beliefs, and patterns that have overgrown their usefulness. The oracle counsels acknowledging regret (seeing clearly what hasn't worked) and then moving forward anyway. This is not reckless action but deliberate disentanglement. The good fortune comes from simplification, from the willingness to let go, and from the recognition that staying frozen is the true danger. At the top of Oppression, the only way forward is through — one careful, honest step at a time.