Hexagram 52:

gèn stillness, keeping still, bound

By Augustin Chan · Last updated 2025

Upper Trigram
Lower Trigram

Judgment

gènkeep, hold, still, quiet, balance, restrain
about, in, with one's own, that
bèiback, spine
there is no; not even, without, rather than
huòa grasp, sense, apprehension, involve
by, for, in, of, on, with one's own, this
shēnselfhood, being, person, lifetime, body
xíngmove, wander, pass, walk, go
about, in, through one's own, this, that
tíngcourtyard, court, chambers, hall
but, yet without; and, but not, never
jiànsee, perceive, encounter, meet, receive
one's own; the, those other
rénpeople; persons, individuals, occupants
but no; not; nothing; no ^ is done
jiùblame; is wrong; a mistake; harm

艮。艮其背, 不獲其身。 行其庭, 不見其人。 無咎。

Image

jiānconnected, adjoining, adjacent, combined
shānmountains
gènstillness
jūnthe noble, worthy, honored
young one, heir, disciple
accordingly, therefore, thus
thinks of, contemplates, considers, ponders
nothing; no; without, with no
chūbeyond, outside of; departure, exit from
this; its own
wèiplace, position, situation, context, conditions

兼山,艮。 君子以思不出其位。

動畫電影片段

Hexagram 52 digital artifact

千與千尋——水淹火車

宮崎駿 / 吉卜力工作室 (公元2001年)

宮崎駿明白咗大部分動畫師走漏嘅嘢:靜止唔係冇咗運動。而係運動去到完美嘅內在平衡。 水淹火車嗰段——一段差唔多靜晒嘅延長片段——畀你唔間斷嘅幾分鐘,同千尋一齊坐喺度,喺童年結束嘅確切時刻。唔戲劇化。冇象徵性破繭而出。淨係坐低。睇住啲水淹咗嘅電燈柱好似墓碑咁滑過。影子般嘅乘客透明而且靜晒。水隨住火車嘅節奏輕輕晃。久石讓嗰極簡鋼琴好似冥想計時器咁重複。 天才之處:佢唔凍結個動作。火車喺度郁。水喺度郁。電燈柱喺度過。但千尋——企埋一邊對住個窗,個樣映喺嗰塊藍色玻璃度——做到咗前面九十分鐘任何魔法變身都冇咁罕見嘅嘢。佢搵到內在嘅穩定,令你喺過渡入面完全臨在,唔會grab住任何一邊岸。 山上山。☶☶。當運動同靜止唔係相反,而係從唔同角度睇同一個姿態嗰陣出現嘅卦象。當坐喺移動緊嘅火車入面靜止不動變成最深刻嘅行動。宮崎駿同王家衛都明:最緊要嘅時刻發生喺目的地之間嘅交通工具度,當你既唔係喺以前嗰度,又唔係喺要去嗰度,淨係懸浮喺個旅程本身入面。

Historical Context

Period
周朝
Oracle Bone Etymology
甲骨文入面嘅艮字畫住一個人回頭睇——隻眼越過膊頭凝視,暗示通過自我意識同內省嘅靜止。
Traditional Use
艮(gèn)代表山:穩定、冥想、界限。喺占卜入面,佢建議就算喺外部運動入面都要搵到內在嘅靜止點——唔係凍結動作,而係達到容許明智嘅唔作為或審慎停頓嘅中心臨在。

Lines

Line 1: 艮其趾無咎利永貞

gènstillness, rest, quiet; restrain, check
in one's own; the, those
zhǐtoes, feet
no; not; nothingis; no ^ done
jiùblame; wrong; making mistakes; harm
worth, meriting, warranting; profit by
yǒnglasting, prolonged, enduring, sustained
zhēnpersistence, determination, resolve, focus

Line 2: 艮其腓不拯其隨其心不快

gènstillness, rest, quiet; restrain, check
in one's own; the, those
féicalves, legs [this word also meant to follow]
this does, will not; this is no, not
zhěnghelping; relief, aid, assistance; helpful
in, for, to one's own; the, those
suípursuits; response; succeeding, success
this one's; the
xīnheart, mind, conscience
is not, without, less than; has no, not much
kuàihappy, gratified, cheerful; at ease, peace

Line 3: 艮其限列其夤厲薰心

gènstill; fix, setting, tie; re-, constrain
in, on, with one's own; the, that, those
xiànboundaries, limits, restrictions, constraints
lièseparate, divide; arrange; rank; line, up
up in, at one's own; at the, those
yínloins, lower back, waist, area of kidneys
harshness, severity, rigors, suppression
xūnchoke, smother, suffocate, befog, fume
xīnthe heart, mind, affections, feelings

Line 4: 艮其身無咎

gènstillness, rest, quiet; restrain, check
in, of, with one's own; the, that
shēnselfhood, being, person, lifetime, body
no; not, nothing; without, with no
jiùblame; is wrong; a mistake, an error

Line 5: 艮其輔言有序悔亡

gènstillness, rest, quiet; restrain, check
in one's own; the, those
jawbones, jaws, jowls
yánspeech, words, talk, expression
yǒuhas, will have; takes on, possess, assume
meaningful order, arrangement, sequence
huǐregrets, remorse; regret, repent and
wángpass, disappear, dissolve; move on

Line 6: 敦艮吉

dūnauthentic, genuine, real, true, honest, candid
gènstillness, quiet, balance, equilibrium, restraint
promising, auspicious, opportune, timely

Practical Guidance

你喺過渡入面——字面或隱喻——成個情況要求你做啲嘢。做決定。採取行動。解決緊張。但嗰個火車片段教嘅係:有時最深刻嘅行動係喺運動繼續嘅同時達到內在靜止。 唔係解離。唔係退出。唔係恐慌入面凍結。而係搵到嗰座內在嘅山——就算環境好似火車車廂周圍嘅洪水咁旋轉,都唔郁嘅嗰part。 你喺一個爭論激烈嘅會議度。個個都互相講嘢,立場強硬。業餘做法:加入你嘅觀點,將你把聲加入個混亂。52嘅做法:達到內在靜止。從嗰個山嘅地方聽。畀個對話好似水繞石頭咁喺你周圍move。留意當你唔grab嗰陣會出現啲乜。 你嘅關係喺過渡入面——唔係危機,淨係變化。業餘做法——唔化咁試圖凍結佢,釘住咩嘢喺變緊,要求清晰。52嘅做法:側窗做法。保持臨在。畀電燈柱過。搵到喺你哋兩個轉化嗰陣keep住穩定嘅嗰part。 你嘅職業喺變動入面。個行業喺變緊。你唔知呢架火車去邊。業餘做法:癲咁研究目的地,試圖控制結果。52嘅做法:側身對住個窗。喺唔知道入面完全臨在。搵到唔需要確定性都可以keep住平衡嘅內在穩定。 人哋miss咗嘅係:呢個唔係被動。火車上嘅千尋做到咗比英雄主義更難嘅嘢。佢搵到允許真正轉化而唔係強制改變嘅內在點。Wilhelm翻譯講得好準確:艮其背,不獲其身。呢個唔係麻木。呢個係停止同每一個經過嘅感覺、每一個波動嘅想法、每一個環境嘅轉變認同嘅內在穩定。你仍然感受晒所有嘢——你冇解離——但你從山嘅靜止入面feel佢,唔係從需要佢唔同嘅攪動入面。 水淹火車keep住move。電燈柱keep住過。童年keep住結束。唯一嘅問題係你會唔會搵到嗰個側窗時刻——嗰個唔需要運動停就可以完全、毀滅性地臨在嘅內在穩定。

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