Modesty谦 · Qiān
Quiet capabilityTrue modesty balances excess and supports what is lacking. Let competence be visible through useful action while keeping claims proportionate.
THE STRUCTURE
Two trigrams, one field of change.
Earth 坤
receptivity and support · Earth
Mountain 艮
stillness and limits · Mountain
SIX STAGES
Read from the ground upward.
These are original modern reflection prompts, not translations of the traditional line texts.
- Line 1Foundation
At the beginning, quiet capability asks for quiet preparation. Establish the ground before seeking visible progress.
- Line 2Emergence
Bring quiet capability into ordinary work and relationships. Support and honest feedback now matter more than display.
- Line 3Friction
Friction tests the theme. Name the strain, keep the next step proportionate, and avoid forcing an early conclusion.
- Line 4Responsibility
Influence is growing. Align inner intent with outward conduct and notice the example your choices set for others.
- Line 5Maturity
Use quiet capability with clarity and responsibility. This is a moment to coordinate, correct, and serve the larger whole.
- Line 6Transition
At the extreme, even a strength can harden into excess. Recognize when to release, rebalance, or change course.
Sources and editorial record
Original modern-English draft informed by the public-domain source tradition; no Wilhelm/Baynes prose is reproduced.
- Status
- editorial-draft
- Version
- hexagram-en-draft-v1
- Reviewer
- Pending
- Zhouyi (received Chinese text)Ancient source used for the sequence, names, line structure, and source comparison.
- James Legge, The Yî King (1882)Public-domain English reference used to cross-check structure and conventional naming; no passage is copied into this draft.