Hexagram 9.6 — Small Taming (Top Line)
Xiao Chu · 上爻 — Rain comes, rest arrives
小畜卦 · 上九（既雨既处）
Read from the bottom upward. The highlighted bar marks the top line (上爻), which is the focus of this page.
If You Just Cast This Line
The oracle text of this line completes the hexagram's arc. It speaks to the culmination of restraint and accumulation — the moment when tension releases, conditions ripen, and what has been gathered finally manifests. The top line of Small Taming shows that gentle persistence has achieved its purpose.
Its message is arrival and caution. "Rain comes" means the drought of waiting is over; resources, clarity, or resolution arrive. "Rest arrives" means consolidate what you have gained rather than immediately reaching for more. The cycle of accumulation is complete; honor it by pausing, integrating, and allowing the ground to absorb what has fallen.
Key Concepts
Original Text & Translation
「既雨既处，尚德载。」 — Rain has come, rest has arrived; virtue is now carried forward.
The image is of clouds that have finally released their moisture. Throughout Small Taming, gentle force has restrained the strong, accumulating tension like vapor gathering in the sky. Now the rain falls — not as a storm, but as nourishing precipitation. The counsel is to recognize fulfillment and pause. What has been gathered through patience is now real; integrate it before seeking the next goal.
Core Meaning
Line six sits at the apex of the hexagram, where accumulation reaches its natural limit. In Small Taming, this limit is not failure but fulfillment — the small has successfully restrained the large, and the result is tangible benefit. The rain symbolizes release: what was held in suspension now becomes available. "Rest" is not collapse but dignified pause, the wisdom to stop accumulating and start absorbing.
Practically, this line addresses the trap of endless striving. Many people reach their goal and immediately set a new one, never pausing to let success settle. This line teaches that integration is as important as achievement. The rain must soak into the soil; the lesson must soak into the bones. Without rest, the next cycle begins on depleted ground.
Symbolism & Imagery
The arrival of rain after prolonged gathering evokes agricultural rhythms: the farmer who watches clouds build, trusts the process, and finally sees the fields watered. Wind over heaven (the trigrams of Hexagram 9) suggests that gentle, persistent influence has shaped conditions until they yield. The top line is the tipping point — accumulation becomes abundance, restraint becomes release, waiting becomes receiving.
This imagery also addresses ambition. Small Taming is not about grand conquest but incremental gain. The top line honors that scale: the rain is not a flood, the rest is not retirement. It is proportional completion — enough has been gathered, enough has been achieved, and now the wise response is gratitude and pause rather than grasping for more.
Action Guidance
Career & Business
- Recognize the milestone: if a project, negotiation, or learning curve has reached a natural conclusion, name it. Celebrate completion rather than rushing to the next sprint.
- Consolidate gains: document what you've learned, formalize new processes, update systems. Let the organization absorb the change.
- Resist scope creep: the temptation at the top line is to add "just one more thing." Don't. Close the loop cleanly.
- Rest your team: if you've been driving hard, schedule recovery time. Burnout erases the value of achievement.
- Prepare for the next cycle: rest is not stagnation. Use this pause to reflect, plan lightly, and restore energy for what comes next.
Love & Relationships
- Honor what you've built: if you've worked through a difficult phase, acknowledge the progress. Let the relationship breathe.
- Stop testing: if trust has been re-established, don't keep probing. Let the new equilibrium settle.
- Celebrate small victories: a conversation that went well, a boundary respected, a habit changed — these are the "rain" of relational work.
- Avoid new demands: this is not the moment to introduce the next big issue. Let integration happen first.
- Rest together: shared downtime — quiet evenings, easy routines — allows intimacy to deepen without effort.
Health & Inner Work
- Acknowledge progress: if you've hit a fitness goal, completed a healing protocol, or established a new habit, pause and feel it.
- Schedule recovery: deload weeks, lighter practice, more sleep. The body integrates adaptation during rest, not during effort.
- Reflect on the journey: journal or talk through what you've learned. Insight solidifies when you name it.
- Don't add new stressors: resist the urge to stack another challenge immediately. Let the nervous system recalibrate.
- Gratitude practice: simple acknowledgment of what has arrived — energy, clarity, strength — anchors the gain.
Finance & Strategy
- Lock in gains: if an investment has reached your target, take profit or rebalance. Don't let greed erase discipline.
- Review and document: what worked? What didn't? Capture the lessons while they're fresh.
- Pause new positions: if you've been actively accumulating, this is the moment to stop and let your portfolio stabilize.
- Celebrate milestones: hitting a savings goal, clearing debt, or completing a financial plan — these deserve recognition.
- Prepare for the next phase: use the pause to refine your strategy, update assumptions, and restore decision-making energy.
Timing, Signals, and Readiness
How do you know when "rain has come"? Look for natural completion signals: (1) the goal you set has been met or the problem you faced has resolved; (2) effort that once felt necessary now feels forced; (3) external feedback confirms the shift — stakeholders relax, metrics stabilize, or relationships ease; and (4) you feel a quiet sense of "enough" rather than hunger for more. When these align, the cycle is complete.
If you feel restless or guilty about pausing, that is often a sign you need to rest. If you feel calm and clear about what has been achieved, that is confirmation that the rain has indeed arrived and the ground is ready to absorb it.
When This Line Moves
A moving top line often signals a transition from completion to a new beginning. The reading indicates that your period of gentle accumulation has borne fruit, and the next phase will involve a different energy — perhaps more active, more visible, or more expansive. Depending on your casting method, the resultant hexagram will show the specific character of what follows; consult that hexagram to understand the new terrain.
Practical takeaway: do not leap from rest straight into intensity. Move from consolidation to intentional re-engagement — clear goals, renewed energy, updated plans. The pause you take now ensures the next cycle begins from solid ground rather than depletion.
Concise Summary
Hexagram 9.6 is the gentle arrival of what has been patiently gathered. It asks you to recognize fulfillment, honor completion, and rest before reaching for more. "Rain comes" confirms that your restraint has borne fruit; "rest arrives" protects that fruit from being wasted. When you pause to integrate, the harvest becomes nourishment rather than mere event.
