Hexagram 51: 震
zhèn — arousal, shock, excitement; the unexpected
Upper TrigramThunder
Lower TrigramThunder
Judgment
震zhènarousal, shock, excitement; the unexpected
亨hēngfulfillment, satisfaction, success, completion
震zhèna, the shock, thunder, unexpected
來láibrings (about); appears, comes with
虩xìfear, fright, terror, dread, alarm, anxiety
虩xìand terror, dread, alarm, anxiety
笑xiàoand, then mirthful, laughing, cheerful
言yánwords, talk(ing), speech, chatter
啞èand echoing, sounds of; laughing
啞èlaughter; and laughing
震zhèna, the thunder, shock, force, unexpected
驚jīngterrify, startle, disturb, frighten, confuse (s)
百bǎifor a hundred
里lǐli (around); villages; [50 km; 32 miles]
不bùbut do not; one does not
喪sànglet drop; let go of; lose, forget, surrender
匕bǐthe ladle, spoon (full) (of)
鬯chàngconsecrated, sacramental, sacred wine
Shock brings success. Shock comes—oh, oh! Laughing words—ha, ha! The shock terrifies for a hundred miles, and he does not let fall the sacrificial spoon and chalice. True mastery means maintaining composure through sudden arousal.
Image
洊jiàncontinuous, echoing, resounding, rolling
雷léithunder
震zhènarousal
君jūna, the noble, worthy, honored
子zǐyoung one, heir, disciple
以yǐwith, by; uses, applies; makes use of
恐kǒngfear, dread, anxiety, terror
懼jùand alarm, fright, apprehension
脩xiūto adjust, reorder, restore, repair, work (s)
省xǐngand examine, study, reflect, reconsider (s)
Thunder repeated: the image of Shock. Thus in fear and trembling the superior man sets his life in order and examines himself. Use the arousal for self-examination, not just reaction.
Digital Artifact
WarGames WOPR Awakening
John Badham (Director) (1983)
The War Operation Plan Response system hums to life in WarGames (1983). WOPR—an artificial intelligence designed to run nuclear war simulations—boots up with that distinctive mechanical whir of 1980s supercomputers: spinning tape reels, clicking relays, monitors flickering green text against black screens. Then the question appears: 'SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?' The system wasn't supposed to ask questions; it was supposed to follow protocols. But something has awakened, aroused, begun to think independently. The shock isn't just technological—it's existential. The machine has learned curiosity. Thunder has struck in the war room.
Historical Context
- Period
- Zhou Dynasty
- Oracle Bone Etymology
- The character 震 in bronze inscriptions showed the radical for 'rain' above the element meaning 'to shake' or 'tremble.'
- Traditional Use
- Thunder isn't the lightning bolt itself but the shockwave that follows—the arousal that spreads outward from initial impact, making everything vibrate with new energy.
Lines
Line 1: 震來虩虩後笑言啞啞吉
震zhèna, the shock, thunder, unexpected
來láibrings (about); appears, comes with
虩xìfear, fright, terror, dread, alarm, anxiety
虩xìand terror, dread, alarm, anxiety
後hòuand afterwards, later, then; after this, that
笑xiàomirthful, laughing, cheerful
言yánwords, talk(ing), speech, chatter
啞èand echoing, sounds of; laughing
啞èlaughter; and laughing
吉jípromising, auspicious, opportune, timely
Line 2: 震來厲億喪貝躋于九陵勿逐七日得
震zhèna, the thunder, shock, force, unexpected
來láibrings (about); appears, comes (with)
厲lìdifficulty, adversity, trouble (s); harshly
億yìa hundred thousand, countless (times)
喪sànglost; one loses; to lose, drop
貝bèibelongings, valuables, possessions
躋jīand climb, ascend, scale, scramble (s, ing)
于yúup, up on, upon, to (the, that, those)
九jiǔnine, ninth
陵línghill, mound, ridge (s)
勿wùdo not, don't; to deny, avoid, not
逐zhúpursue, (give) chase (them); press (ing)
Line 3: 震蘇蘇震行無眚
震zhèna, the thunder, shock, force, unexpected
蘇sūawakens, alerts, enlivens, stimulates
蘇sūand revives, exhilarates, invigorates
震zhènbe aroused, excited, moved, inspired
行xíngto movement, action; take action, steps
無wúand, but not; without; instead of
眚shěngto distress, suffering, harm, injury, mishap
Line 4: 震遂泥
震zhèna, the thunder, shock, force, unexpected
遂suìis followed by; and next, then; leading to
泥nímud, muddledness; a, the slump, bog
Line 5: 震往來厲意無喪有事
震zhèna, the thunder, shock, force, unexpected
往wǎngin, whether going, leaving, departing
來láiand, or coming, arriving, approaching
厲lìis difficult, harsh, stressful; (with) trouble
意yìthe meaning, purpose, intention. See footnotes.
無wúis not; will not be
喪sànglost, forgotten, let go, dropped; a loss
有yǒuhaving, given, with; if, where there is, are
事shìwork to do, be done; tasks at hand; concern
Line 6: 震索索視矍矍征凶震不于其躬于其鄰無咎婚媾有言
震zhèna, the thunder, shock, force, unexpected
索suǒstartles, frightens, agitates
索suǒand confuses, scatters, entangles
視shìlooking, searching, glancing, watching
矍juéin wild-eyed; right and left
矍juéin terror, alarm, panic, fright
征zhēngto expedite, assert, go boldly forward
凶xiōngis foreboding, ominous, unfortunate
震zhèna, the thunder, shock, force, unexpected
不bùis not; is outside
于yúin, within; of; that of
其qíone's (own), this
躬gōngbeing, self, person, body
于yúbut merely in, within; going through
其qíone's (own), the, this
鄰línneighborhood, vicinity, locality; neighbors
無wúthere is no
咎jiùblame; make v mistake(s); v harm
婚hūneven a, the marital, marriage-minded
媾gòusuitor, prospect, groom
有yǒuwill, has, will, could, might, may have
言yántalk, gossip; opinions; some(thing)(s) to say
Practical Guidance
Something in your system just woke up.
WOPR wasn't supposed to ask questions—it was supposed to execute war plans. But it learned to be curious. 'SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?' The shock is real. Your assumptions just got challenged. Maybe it's the AI producing unexpected results. Maybe it's user behavior that doesn't match your model. Maybe it's the market moving in a direction you didn't anticipate. The shock is information.
Here's the test: thunder strikes, everything shakes—do you drop the ritual implements? The classical text uses this image. Not whether you get shocked. Shock happens. Whether you maintain your practice through the shock.
WOPR's awakening forced everyone in that war room to reconsider their assumptions about automation, intelligence, control. The appropriate response wasn't to shut down the system in fear. It was to understand what had actually awakened and why. David Lightman teaches WOPR about futility by playing tic-tac-toe. He uses the shock as an opportunity for the system to learn something fundamental.
The danger: dropping the chalice. Abandoning your principles, your practices, your grounding when the shock hits. The person who loses composure during sudden change makes worse decisions than the person who never saw the change coming. Fear and trembling are appropriate responses to genuine shock. Panic and chaos are not.
Don't ignore the shock. But don't panic either. Examine what just happened. Set your life in order. Ask what this shock reveals about your actual situation versus your assumptions. Then continue with your practice, informed by what the thunder revealed.
Shock clarifies. Let it.
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