Hexagram 2:

kūnaccepting, receiving; acceptance, tolerance

Upper TrigramEarth
Lower TrigramEarth

Judgment

kūnaccepting, receiving; acceptance, tolerance
yuánfirst-rate, basic, fundamental, supreme
hēngfulfillment, satisfaction, success
worth, the harvest of; meriting, rewarding
pìnfemale
horse; mare
zhī's
zhēnpersistence, steadfastness, loyalty
jūnnoble, worthy, honored
young one, heir, disciple
yǒuhas, will have; finds, will find
yōusomewhere; a place, direction, purpose
wǎngto go; to move towards; in going, en route
xiānat first, initially; to lead, go first, initiate
confusion, amazement, bewilderment
hòuthen, later, at last; to follow, succeed
to gain, find, learn, acquire, receive
zhǔmastery, command, authority, control
worthwhile, rewarding, productive
西west
nánsouth
find, gain, meet, acquire
péngcompanions, friends, allies, associates
dōngeast
běinorth
sàngforgo, do without, fail to find, lose, forget
péngcompanions, friends, allies, associates
ānsecure, confirm, be content with; peaceful
zhēncertain, true, genuine; persistence
good fortune; promising, opportune

The Receptive brings about sublime success, furthering through the perseverance of a mare. The mare doesn't lead the herd through aggression but through steady, grounded movement—just as memory storage doesn't flash and spark like active CPU cores but faithfully preserves what's entrusted to it.

Image

earth's, world's, land's
shìcapacity, forte, special strength, disposition
kūnacceptance
jūnnoble, worthy, honored
young one, heir, disciple
accordingly, therefore, thus; with
hòutolerant, generous, genuine; tolerance
character, nature, temperament, spirit
zàiupholds, sustains, carries, bears, honors
the outer world, all things, creation, reality

The earth's condition is receptive devotion. Thus the superior man of broad character carries the outer world. Six broken lines create maximum capacity, the ability to hold vast complexity without imposing structure prematurely.

Digital Artifact

HAL 9000's Memory Banks

Stanley Kubrick (Director), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

In Discovery One's "logic memory center," HAL 9000's memory banks fill an entire room—row upon row of translucent blocks glowing from within. When Dave Bowman begins the shutdown in Kubrick's 2001 (1968), we witness consciousness stored: every thought, calculation, song HAL learned, preserved in amber light. This isn't active processing—it's pure receptivity. The memory core doesn't initiate; it receives, contains, yields data only when accessed. Six broken lines creating space for holding complexity. The soft amber glow suggests warmth, not the aggressive green of active computation.

Historical Context

Period
Han Dynasty commentators emphasized interpretation
Oracle Bone Etymology
In oracle bone script, 坤 originally depicted earth or soil, representing the yin principle's capacity to receive seeds, nurture growth, and bring form to formless energy.
Traditional Use
Han Dynasty commentators emphasized that Kun doesn't create independently but makes creation possible by providing ground, space, containment.

Lines

Line 1: 履霜堅冰至

footsteps, treading, stepping, walking on
shuāngfrost, hoarfrost, frozen dew
jiānsolid, firm, hard, hardened, solidified
bīngice
zhìresults, arrives; realized; the outcome

Line 2: 直方大不習無不利

zhístraightforward, upright, to the point
fāngsquare, direct, definite, methodical, prompt
complete, full, whole, great, solid
without; there is no; instead of, rather than
practice, rehearsal, repetition, duplication
without; there is nothing
doubt; that is not; which cannot be
worthwhile, turned to advantageous

Line 3: 含章可貞或從王事無成有終

hánrestrain, contain, withhold, reserved
zhāngdisplay, composition, order, elegance
suited, conducive to; permits, allows
zhēnpersistence, resolution, resolve, focus
huòsomeone, sometimes
cóngpursuing, following, attending, engaged in
wángsovereign; sovereign's, royal
shìaffairs, business, tasks, matters, service
no
chéngachievement, accomplishment, outcome
yǒuhas, attains, achieves, brings about, reaches
zhōngclosure, finality; a conclusion, finish; an end

Line 4: 括囊無咎無譽

kuòtied up; enclosed, bound in; tying up
nángbag, sack, pouch, skin
no, without, with no; nothing
jiùblame, fault
no, without, with no; nothing
praise, honor, glory, fame

Line 5: 黃裳元吉

huánggolden, yellow-brown, harvest gold
chángdress, lower garment, skirt, clothing
yuánmost, supremely; excellent, outstanding
promising, fortunate; promise, opportunity

Line 6: 龍戰于野其血玄黃

lóngdragons
zhànat war; do, join battle, combat; fight
in, on
wilds, wastelands, open country
their; they
xuèblood; bleed
xuánindigo, blue-black, black
huánggolden, gold, yellow, harvest gold

Practical Guidance

Six broken lines. Maximum capacity, zero initiative. This isn't your moment to force outcomes. This is your moment to be the thing that makes outcomes possible. You know this person. Everyone does. The one who says 'yes, I'm listening' while already formulating their response. The storage system that corrupts the data it's supposed to preserve because it has opinions about what should be stored. That's not receptivity—that's creative force wearing receptivity's mask, and everyone can tell. Here's what this probably means right now: receptivity is not passivity. Storage capacity takes strength. Can you actually be the foundation? Can you contain what's being handed to you—the demands, the information, the emotional load, the complexity—without distorting it through your own agenda? The classical text uses the mare as the image—steady, grounded, persevering across distance without drama. Not the stallion. Your job right now: reliable containment. Consistent availability. Faithful reproduction when the data's needed. This takes more discipline than most people think. The question you're probably asking: 'When can I start creating?' Wrong question. The question is: Am I receiving clearly? Am I holding faithfully? When something needs to be retrieved, will it still be intact? You're the ground. That boot sequence energy from Hexagram 1—pure yang, maximum acceleration—it can't sustain itself indefinitely. It needs somewhere to land. You're that somewhere. The mare doesn't lead the charge. But without the mare, nothing moves.

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