Hexagram 18
山风蛊
Decay
Upper Trigram
☶
艮 (土)
Lower Trigram
☴
巽 (木)
Palace
巽 Palace
Shi / Ying Lines
Shi: Line 3 · Ying: Line 6
The 艮 trigram (土) sits above the 巽 trigram (木), forming 山风蛊. This hexagram belongs to the 巽 Palace.
Judgment (卦辞)
Work on what has been spoiled has supreme success. It furthers one to cross the great water.
Image (象辞)
The wind blows low on the mountain: the image of Decay.
Line Texts (爻辞)
Setting right what has been spoiled by the father. (干父之蛊)
Setting right what has been spoiled by the mother. (干母之蛊)
Setting right what has been spoiled by the father. Little remorse. (干父之蛊)
Tolerating what has been spoiled by the father. (裕父之蛊)
Setting right what has been spoiled by the father. Praise. (干父之蛊)
He does not serve kings and princes. (不事王侯)
In-Depth Analysis
Hexagram 18, Gu (Decay), is Wind below Mountain - the wind trapped beneath the mountain, unable to circulate. This is the hexagram of inherited corruption, of problems passed down from previous generations that must now be faced. The judgment says work on what has been spoiled has supreme success - facing decay is not shameful; ignoring it is. The lines address different forms of inherited trouble: the father's mistakes, the mother's mistakes, and the consequences of tolerating decay. The hexagram teaches that every generation must clean house, and that this work is not only necessary but potentially transformative.
Historical Stories
📜 Emperor Wu of Han inherited a prosperous but stagnant empire from his father and grandfather. His reforms - expanding the empire, establishing the Silk Road, promoting Confucianism - addressed the decay of complacency, though at great cost.
📜 The Meiji Restoration in Japan: a new generation confronted centuries of inherited decay in the Tokugawa system and transformed Japan from a feudal isolationist state into a modern power within a single generation.
Practical Applications
Career: Inheriting a broken team or project is an opportunity, not a curse. Fixing what is spoiled builds your reputation more than maintaining what is already working.
Relationships: Family patterns of dysfunction must be confronted. You cannot choose your inheritance, but you can choose what to do with it.
Personal Growth: What habits did you inherit that need cleaning? The work on what is spoiled begins with self-examination.