Hexagram 48:

jǐngthe well, wellspring, spring; resource-ful

Upper TrigramWater
Lower TrigramWind

Judgment

jǐngthe well, wellspring, spring; resource-ful
gǎito change, alter, rearrange, reorganize
the town, village, settlement, community
is not; does, will not; without; rather than
gǎito change, alter; rearrange, reorganize
jǐngthe well, wellspring, spring, source
neither; regardless of; without; neither
sànglosing; loss; foregone; lost
nor; regardless of; or; nor
gaining; gain; secured; found
wǎngin, whether going; leaving; departing
láior coming; arriving; approaching
jǐngthe well
jǐngis the well
to almost, nearly, just about to, be about to
zhìreach, arrive, attain, succeed, consummate
and but then; and yet
wèito fall, come up short in, with
rope; the rope
jǐngthe well('s); of the well
léior to break, damage, ruin; entangle, upset
its, the, that
píngbucket, jug, jar, pitcher is; could, would be
xiōngunfortunate, disappointing, unlucky, sad

The well. The town may be changed, but the well cannot be changed. The BBS node might upgrade hardware, move to a new machine, but the message base—the actual structure of shared knowledge—persists.

Image

the wood
shàngover, above, on top of
yǒuis, there is
shuǐthe water
jǐngthe well
jūnnoble, worthy, honored
young one, heir, disciple
accordingly, therefore, thus
láoworks, labors, toils for, so that
mínthe people, others, multitude, humanity
quànto encourage; urging, encouraging
xiāngeach other; reciprocity, cooperation

Water over wood: the image of the well. Thus the superior man encourages the people at their work, and exhorts them to help one another. The sysop maintains the boards, welcomes new users, encourages posting. The system works when people contribute, when they replenish what they draw from.

Digital Artifact

The BBS Node's Message Base

Ward Christensen & Randy Suess (1978)

In 1978, Christensen and Suess built CBBS—the first bulletin board system—running on a CP/M machine connected to a phone line. The system wasn't about cutting-edge technology. It was about creating infrastructure. A message board that stayed constant while everything around it changed: computers upgraded, users cycled through, software evolved. But the well remained. You dialed in with your 300-baud modem, the handshake screeched through, and there it was: the message base. Always available. Sysops maintained it, refreshed the boards, purged old messages, but the structure persisted. New users found help files, old-timers posted wisdom, everyone drew from the same communal source. The BBS wasn't about novelty—it was about being there, consistently, offering what people needed: connection, information, community. Cities changed, administrations changed, but the well stayed in the same place.

Historical Context

Period
Zhou Dynasty
Oracle Bone Etymology
Wind (☴) sits below, Water (☵) sits above—wood penetrates earth to bring water upward.
Traditional Use
The classical text describes the well as social infrastructure that outlasts political change. The shape of the well remains constant; generations come and go, all drawing from the same source.

Lines

Line 1: 井泥不食舊井無禽

jǐngthe well('s)
mud; is muddy
is not, less than; and not
shíconsumed; nourish, refresh
jiùan, the old, ancient, classic
jǐngwell
with, having, has nothing, not much
qínto hunt for, catch, capture, take from

Line 2: 井谷射鮒甕敝漏

jǐngthe well
is empty, down low; impractical
shèaim, shoot at, for
the fish, perch, carp
wèngthe, its earthen bucket, jar, urn, pitcher
is cracked, broken, worn out, damaged
lòuand leaking, leaky, dripping, trickling

Line 3: 井渫不食為我心惻可用汲王明並受其福

jǐngthe well is, has been merely, only
xièturbid, unsettled, muddy; cleaned, cleared
but nothing; there is no
shíis consumed; nourish, refresh, ment
wéimaking; causing, producing, becoming
our, my
xīnheart(s); heart's, heart's; feelings, affections
sad; sorry; sadness, sorrow, grief, pity, pain
it is suitable, sufficient, fit, alright, tolerable
yòngto use, exploit, produce; and available
and to draw, gather, take from, upon
wángwere the sovereign, king, ruler
míngmade clear, aware; enlightened, informed
bìngall, many; all together could, might, would
shòureceive, enjoy, accept, inherit, be given
in, of, from its, this; these
enrichment, abundance; gifts, blessings

Line 4: 井甃無咎

jǐngthe well is being
zhòure- lined, tiled, bricked, furbished
no; not; nothing; without, with no
jiùblame; is wrong; a mistake, an error

Line 5: 井洌寒泉食

jǐngthe well
lièis, has a clear, pure, limpid
háncold, icy, cool, chilly
quánspring, fountain, source
shíto drink, draw from, upon; partake in

Line 6: 井收勿幕有孚元吉

jǐngas, when a, the well
shōucomes in, fills up; is received in full
do not, don't
cover, cap, restrict, hide, tent it, this
yǒubeing, holding, staying; having, finding
true, sincere, confident, assured, truth, etc.
yuánis most, supremely, extremely
promising, auspicious, fortunate, timely

Practical Guidance

You're building infrastructure. Not the flashy stuff—infrastructure. The thing that needs to be there tomorrow, next year, when everything else has changed. Here's what this probably means: two dangers from the classical text. Going down almost to the water but the rope doesn't reach—superficial effort that doesn't hit the real foundation. Or the jug breaks—careless maintenance that destroys what you've built. The BBS sysop knows this. You can't just set it up and walk away. You have to maintain it. But you also can't over-control it—the value comes from the community using it, not from your personal genius. Here's the thing about wells: they're not about individual achievement. You build the thing, maintain the thing, and then—crucially—you let people use it. Your job is to keep the water clean and the structure sound. Their job is to draw what they need. The well doesn't run dry because people use it. It runs dry when maintenance fails or when it's not being used at all. Build it right. Maintain it consistently. Let it serve its purpose. That's the pattern.

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