Hexagram 36: 明夷

míng yí — brightness obscured

Upper TrigramEarth

Lower TrigramFire

Judgment

明míngbrightness, light, clarity, intelligence, vision

夷yíobscured, repressed, covered, covert, wounded

利lìworth, meriting, warranting, rewarding

艱jiāndifficult, hard, laborious, wearying

貞zhēnpersistence, determination, resolve, focus

Darkening of the Light. In adversity it furthers one to be persevering. Maintain inner light while remaining outwardly yielding. Don't let yourself be swept along by unfavorable circumstances.

Image

明míngthe brightness, light, clarity

入rùenters; goes in, within; (has) gone into

地dì^(the) earth, ground, land

中zhōngto the middle, midst, heart, core of v

The light has sunk into the earth: the superior man lives with the great mass, veils his light yet still shines. Be cautious, reserved. Don't needlessly awaken overwhelming enmity through inconsiderate behavior.

Digital Artifact

Blade Runner's Underground Replicant Network

Ridley Scott / Philip K. Dick (1982)

The replicants in Blade Runner live in the cracks of a city that wants them dead. Roy Batty, Pris, Zhora—they've come back to Earth illegally, knowing they're hunted, knowing their four-year lifespan is expiring. They hide in plain sight in Sebastian's apartment building, in the crowd at Taffy Lewis's bar. The light has sunk beneath the earth. They can't reveal their true nature without attracting blade runners. They must maintain inner light—the genuine desire for more life, the valid claim to personhood—while remaining outwardly compliant, not drawing attention. Wilhelm says: hide your light to make your will prevail despite difficulties in immediate environment. Roy doesn't announce his brilliance; he waits, gathers information, learns where Tyrell lives. Preserves his core purpose while adapting to hostile circumstances. The wise man surviving under the rule of darkness by veiling brightness, yet still shining.

Historical Context

Period: Zhou Dynasty
Oracle Bone Etymology: Earth (☷) above, Fire (☲) below—the Receptive covering the Clinging. The sun has sunk under the earth. Wounding of the bright.
Traditional Use: Wilhelm describes this as the exact opposite of Progress: a person of dark nature in authority brings harm to the wise and able. One must hide inner light while remaining outwardly yielding and tractable.

Lines

Line 1: 明夷于飛垂其翼君子于行三日不食有攸往主人有言

明míngbrightness, light, clarity, intelligence, vision

夷yíobscured, repressed, covered, covert, wounded

于yúin, during; on, while on

飛fēiflight; the wing

垂chuílet drag, drop, droop, hang, lower (ing)

其qíone, one's, that

翼yìwing

君jūna, the noble, worthy, honored

子zǐyoung one, heir, disciple

于yúin, while, when

行xíngpassing, going, traveling, moving (on)

三sānis, goes (for) three

日rìdays

不bùwithout; with no

食shíeating; a meal; taking nourishment, food

有yǒuhaving; (if, when, where) there is

攸yōusomewhere; a place, direction, purpose

往wǎngto go; in going; ahead, beyond

主zhǔ^(in) authority, charge, power; ^(the)

人rénthose; (the) people, ones v; } authorities

有yǒuwill, would, could, might (have)

言yántalk, gossip; things, something to say

Line 2: 明夷夷于左股用拯馬壯吉

明míngbrightness, light, clarity, intelligence, vision

夷yíobscured, repressed, covered, covert, wounded

夷yíand wounded, injured, hurt

于yúin

左zuǒthe left, [spare, back up, auxiliary]

股gǔthigh, leg

用yòngbut use, avail of, rely (ing) on, upon

拯zhěngrelief, help, aid, assistance, a lift

馬mǎa, the horse

壯zhuàngis strong, mighty, powerful (enough)

吉jípromising, auspicious, opportune, timely

Line 3: 明夷于南狩得其大首不可疾貞

明míngbrightness, light, clarity, intelligence, vision

夷yíobscured, repressed, covered, covert, wounded

于yúon, while on, during; while

南nánthe southern; (in the) south

狩shòuwinter hunt, inspection tour; hunting

得définding, capturing, catching, taking, seizing

其qítheir; the others'

大dàgreat, big, important, major, mighty

首shǒuhead, chief, leader

不bùthis (is) no, (does) not

可kěa, an, the call(ing) for, invitation to; allow

疾jía hasty, hurried, rushed, urgent

貞zhēnpersistence, determination, resolution

Line 4: 入于左腹獲明夷之心于出門庭

入rùentering; penetrating; going

于yúby, through; within, into, inside

左zuǒthe left (side)

腹fùof the belly, gut, viscera

獲huòseize, take, capture, gain, get, steal (ing)

明mínga, the intelligence, perception, vision (of)

夷yía, an, the obscure(ity), dark, hidden (ness)

之zhīone's; (in, of) its, their

心xīnheart, mind (s); intentions, motives, desires

于yúbefore, besides; while, along with

出chūexit, leave, quit, depart; go, get (ing) out

門ménby, through (the) door, gate (way); ^ gate

庭tíngand, of the court(yard); (the) courtyard v

Line 5: 箕子之明夷利貞

箕jī^(of) Ji (ancient Shang state); ^

子zǐthe prince, son v; } Jizi *

之zhīheld, kept his; in, with his; resorted to

明míngbrightness, light, clarity, intelligence, vision

夷yíobscured, hidden, repressed, covert

利lìit is, was worth(while); (^) reward (ed, ing)

貞zhēnto persist, be determined; (the) persistence (v) "

Line 6: 不明晦初登于天後入于地

不bùnot, no, without; instead of, rather than

明míngbrightness, light, clarity, intelligence, vision

晦huìbut darkness, obscurity, shadow, gloom

初chūat first; to begin (by, with)

登dēngto rise, ascend, climb, scale (ing) (upwards)

于yúinto, to, towards, before; to the place of

天tiānthe heavens, sky, skies

後hòuand, but at last; then; and end (by, with)

入rùto enter, go (ing); received, admitted

于yúinto, within, inside; by, in

地dìthe earth, ground, land, soil

Practical Guidance

Sometimes the environment is actively hostile to what you're trying to do. This doesn't mean surrender. It means strategic concealment. Here's what this probably means: maintain steadfastness, but don't make it discernible from without. The replicants don't stage public protests about their four-year lifespan. They work within the system's cracks—gathering allies, learning the territory, preserving their core objective while adapting tactics to circumstances. The thing about darkening: it's often temporary, but only if you don't get yourself killed during it. The failure mode is grandiose resolve—trying to soar above all obstacles, thus encountering hostile fate. You see this constantly in tech: people with genuinely good ideas who insist on fighting every battle publicly, who can't modulate their approach to match the environment's receptivity. If you're working in a hostile environment—and some environments genuinely are hostile to certain kinds of innovation—your job is to veil your light, not extinguish it. Keep working. Build in private. Find the allies who understand. Don't compromise your core principles, but don't announce them to people who will use that information to destroy you. This isn't about permanent hiding. It's about invincible perseverance of spirit combined with redoubled caution in dealings with the world. The replicants failed in the end, but they got farther than they should have by understanding this principle. Sometimes survival itself is the victory that enables the next attempt.

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