䷹ Duì duì
Core Meaning
The Duì hexagram reveals the wisdom of joy. Duì represents the lake, with two lakes connected and nourishing each other, symbolizing joy and harmony. The Duì hexagram emphasizes: joy must uphold righteousness, 'joyful in advantageous perseverance' joy must be beneficial for holding to the right path; it must be firm within and gentle without, 'firm within and gentle without' masculinity at the center, femininity on the outside; it must be accordant with heaven and responsive to humanity, 'accordant with heaven and responsive to humanity' aligning with destiny and responding to the people's will; it must lead the people with joy, 'leading the people with joy, they forget their toil' inspiring the people with joy makes them forget their labor; it must face hardship with joy, 'facing hardship with joy, they forget their deaths' confronting adversity with joy makes people forget their deaths; the meaning of joy is great, 'great joy encourages the people' enabling people to encourage themselves. Modern society needs the wisdom of joy, and the Duì hexagram tells us: joy must be sincere, like line 1.1 'harmonious joy is auspicious' peaceful joy, like line 2.2 'trusting joy is auspicious, regret vanishes' sincere joy; it cannot be false, like line 3.3 'approaching joy leads to misfortune' seeking external joy will be inauspicious; one must guard against small-minded people, like line 5.5 'faith in decay leads to danger' trusting small-minded people is dangerous; one cannot induce others, like line 6.6 'inducing joy is not brilliant' luring others is not bright. True joy is 'firm within and gentle without', firm in the heart and gentle on the outside, 'joyful in advantageous perseverance' upholding righteousness.
The Judgment
Smooth, advantageous for perseverance.
Interpretation:
Smooth sailing, beneficial for upholding righteousness.
The Image
Adorned with lakes, Duì; the superior person learns and practices through friendships.
Structure
Both the upper and lower trigrams of the Duì hexagram are Duì, which represents the Lake. It is one of the eight pure trigrams, forming the image of Duì as a lake. Adorned with lakes, two lakes are connected, their waters intermingling, creating the atmosphere of 'Duì'. Duì means joy; happiness and delight. With lakes above and below, they nourish each other, signifying harmony and friendliness. The key to Duì lies in: 'Joyful expression' Duì is joy; 'firm within and gentle without' masculinity is at the center, femininity is on the outside; 'joyful in advantageous perseverance' joy must be conducive to upholding righteousness; 'accordant with heaven and responsive to humanity' both aligning with fate and responding to the hearts of the people; 'leading the people with joy, they forget their toil' leading the people with joy makes them forget their labor; 'facing hardship with joy, they forget their deaths' confronting adversity with joy makes people forget their deaths; 'great joy encourages the people' profound joy can inspire people to encourage themselves. The Duì hexagram emphasizes: joy must uphold righteousness, 'joyful in advantageous perseverance' one cannot be like line 6.3 'approaching joy leads to misfortune' seeking external joy; one must be sincere within and harmonious without, like line 1.1 'harmonious joy is auspicious' peaceful, and like line 2.2 'trusting joy is auspicious' trustworthy; one must guard against small-minded people, like line 5.5 'faith in decay leads to danger' trusting small-minded people is perilous. Duì is the opposite of Gèn (Stillness), Gèn represents stopping and Duì represents joy, one is stillness and the other is movement.
The Lines
The six lines are read from bottom to top, representing the progression from the foundation to the culmination.
Line 1.1: Harmonious joy, auspicious. (harmonious and peaceful joy is auspicious.)
Line 2.2: Trusting joy, auspicious, regret vanishes. (sincere joy is auspicious, regret disappears.)
Line 3.3: Approaching joy, inauspicious. (seeking external joy is inauspicious.)
Line 4.4: Deliberating joy, not yet settled, isolating illness leads to joy. (deliberating joy, not yet settled, isolating from flatterers brings joy.)
Line 5.5: Faith in decay, there is danger. (trusting in those who peel away brings danger.)
Line 6.6: Inducing joy. (inducing joy but without brilliance.)
Modern Interpretation
💼 Career & Business
In your career, treat people with joy but uphold righteousness. 'Smooth, advantageous for perseverance', joy is smooth but must uphold righteousness. Line 1.1 is the best, 'harmonious joy is auspicious', 'actions are not doubted' treating people with peaceful joy, acting properly, not being suspected, leads to auspiciousness. Line 2.2 is also good, 'trusting joy is auspicious, regret vanishes', 'faithful will' inner sincerity and joy in upholding righteousness makes regret disappear. Line 3.3 is the most dangerous, 'approaching joy leads to misfortune', 'position inappropriate' seeking external joy from an improper position will be inauspicious; one cannot lose principles for the sake of flattery. Line 4.4 'deliberating joy, not yet settled, isolating illness leads to joy', 'there is rejoicing' because of unsettled deliberations concerning joy, but being able to 'isolate illness' from flatterers brings good fortune. Line 5.5 'faith in decay leads to danger' warns, 'position is rightful' although in a central and proper position, treating small-minded people who 'peel away' with trust can be dangerous; one must be vigilant. Line 6.6 'inducing joy', 'not brilliant' inducing others to be joyful is not bright. The key is 'firm within and gentle without, joyful in advantageous perseverance', firm within, gentle without, joyful yet upholding righteousness. One must 'lead the people with joy, they forget their toil' inspiring the people with joy. Joy is a means, upholding righteousness is the foundation.
❤️ Relationships
In relationships, be sincerely joyful and uphold the right path. 'Joyful in advantageous perseverance', joy must be beneficial for upholding righteousness. Line 1.1 'harmonious joy is auspicious', 'actions are not doubted' treating the other person with a peaceful and joyful attitude, acting properly, not being suspected, leads to auspiciousness. Line 2.2 'trusting joy is auspicious, regret vanishes', 'faithful will' inner sincerity and joy in upholding righteousness makes regret disappear; sincerity is most important. Line 3.3 'approaching joy leads to misfortune' is the most dangerous, 'position inappropriate' seeking external joy from an improper position will be inauspicious; one cannot be misled by false joy. Line 4.4 'deliberating joy, not yet settled, isolating illness leads to joy', 'there is rejoicing' although unsettled by deliberations, being able to 'isolate illness' from flattering small-minded people brings joy. Line 5.5 'faith in decay leads to danger' warns, 'position is rightful' even if in a proper position, treating those who would harm oneself ('decay') with trust will be dangerous; one must distinguish between true and false. Line 6.6 'inducing joy', 'not brilliant' inducing others is not bright. The key is 'firm within and gentle without', firm in the heart and gentle on the outside, sincere joy without pretense. 'Facing hardship with joy, they forget their deaths', true joy can make people forget difficulties. Joy must come from within and uphold righteousness.
🎯 Decision Making
In decision-making, treat people with joy and inspire them. 'Joyful expression', Duì is joy, requiring 'firm within and gentle without' masculinity at the center, femininity on the outside; it requires 'joyful in advantageous perseverance' joy to uphold righteousness; it requires 'accordant with heaven and responsive to humanity' both aligning with destiny and responding to the people's will; it requires 'leading the people with joy, they forget their toil' inspiring the people with joy; it requires 'facing hardship with joy, they forget their deaths' confronting adversity with joy makes people forget their deaths. Line 1.1 'harmonious joy' is a good example, 'actions are not doubted' peaceful joy and proper conduct. Line 2.2 'trusting joy' is even better, 'faithful will' inner sincerity. Line 3.3 'approaching joy leads to misfortune' must be avoided, 'position inappropriate' improper external seeking of joy. Line 4.4 'deliberating joy, not yet settled, isolating illness leads to joy', 'there is rejoicing' although unsettled, isolating from flatterers brings joy. Line 5.5 'faith in decay leads to danger' must be guarded against, even if 'position is rightful', trusting small-minded people is dangerous. Line 6.6 'inducing joy is not brilliant', inducing is not bright. The key is 'great joy encourages the people indeed', profound joy can greatly inspire people to encourage themselves. It should be like 'adorned with lakes' two lakes connected and nourishing each other, and like 'friends learning and practicing' discussing and practicing knowledge with friends. True joy is firm within, gentle without, leading the people with joy, upholding righteousness and not being flattered.
⚠️ Warning & Caution
The greatest warning of the Duì hexagram is false joy and trusting small-minded people. Line 3.3 'approaching joy leads to misfortune' is the most dangerous, 'position inappropriate' seeking external joy from an improper position will inevitably lead to misfortune; losing principles for the sake of flattery will surely fail. Line 5.5 'faith in decay leads to danger' is also very dangerous, 'position is rightful' although in a central and proper position, treating deceitful small-minded people with trust can be dangerous; one must distinguish between true and false, good and evil. Line 6.6 'inducing joy is not brilliant' warns that inducing others to be joyful is not bright, and false joy cannot last long. Be wary of: losing principles for flattery, false and insincere joy, trusting small-minded people, and inducing others to join in corruption. Remember: Duì requires 'joyful in advantageous perseverance' joy to uphold righteousness, 'firm within and gentle without' masculinity at the center, femininity on the outside, 'accordant with heaven and responsive to humanity' both aligning with destiny and responding to the people's will, 'leading the people with joy, they forget their toil' inspiring the people with joy, and 'facing hardship with joy, they forget their deaths' confronting adversity with joy makes people forget their deaths. Line 1.1 'harmonious joy is auspicious, actions are not doubted' is an example, peaceful joy and proper conduct. Line 2.2 'trusting joy is auspicious, regret vanishes, faithful will' is even better, inner sincerity. Line 4.4 'isolating illness leads to joy' should be learned, isolating from flattering small-minded people. 'Great joy encourages the people indeed', true joy has profound meaning and can inspire people, but it must uphold righteousness, be sincere, not falsely flattering, and not trusting small-minded people.
Applicable Scenarios
The Duì hexagram can provide guidance and inspiration when you encounter the following situations:
Historical Context & Cultural Heritage
Liu Bei's ability to win over people with virtue exemplifies the Duì hexagram. Liu Bei 'led the people with joy, they forgot their toil', treating people with joy and inspiring them. He was like line 1.1 'harmonious joy is auspicious, actions are not doubted', treating people with peaceful joy and acting properly without being suspected. He was like line 2.2 'trusting joy is auspicious, regret vanishes, faithful will', treating people with inner sincerity and virtue, 'firm within and gentle without' with a firm heart and gentle exterior. He 'faced hardship with joy, they forgot their deaths', confronting adversity with joy, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and others followed him, forgetting life and death. He understood 'accordant with heaven and responsive to humanity', aligning with destiny and responding to the people's will. He 'adorned with lakes' with wise men like Zhuge Liang, 'friends learning and practicing' mutually nourishing each other. He was like line 4.4 'isolating illness leads to joy', able to discern and isolate flattering small-minded people. However, he also had the lesson of line 5.5 'faith in decay leads to danger', overly trusting people like Liu Zhang ultimately led to being 'peeled away' and exploited. He was not like line 3.3 'approaching joy leads to misfortune', losing principles for flattery, nor like line 6.6 'inducing joy is not brilliant', inducing others. This is precisely the wisdom of the Duì hexagram: 'joyful in advantageous perseverance' joy must uphold righteousness, 'firm within and gentle without' firm within and gentle without, 'leading the people with joy, they forget their toil' and 'facing hardship with joy, they forget their deaths' inspiring the people with joy, 'great joy encourages the people' its meaning is profound. But one must guard against 'faith in decay' (trusting small-minded people), must guard against 'approaching joy' (false flattery), and must 'isolate illness' (from flattery). Be sincerely joyful, uphold righteousness, and do not flatter.
Related Hexagrams
Based on the connections between hexagrams, the following are also worth exploring:
Deepen Your Understanding
This interpretation provides a foundational understanding of the Duì hexagram. For a deeper comprehension, consider:
- • Reading commentaries from classical scholars and modern interpreters
- • Studying the hexagram's position within the overall sequence of the 64 hexagrams
- • Reflecting on how its wisdom applies to your current life situation
- • Exploring the changing lines and their resulting hexagrams in divination
Authoritative Resources
Want to explore the I Ching more deeply? These authoritative resources provide scholarly perspectives: