Hexagram 60
水泽节
Limitation
Hexagram 60, Jie (Limitation), is Water over Lake - water held within a lake, its volume bounded, its flow governed.
Upper Trigram
☵
坎 (水)
Lower Trigram
☱
兑 (金)
Palace
坎 Palace
Shi / Ying Lines
Shi: Line 1 · Ying: Line 4
The 坎 trigram (水) sits above the 兑 trigram (金), forming 水泽节. This hexagram belongs to the 坎 Palace.
Judgment (卦辞)
Limitation. Success. Galling limitation must not be persevered in.
Judgment text follows the Wilhelm–Baynes translation (The I Ching or Book of Changes, Princeton University Press), quoted for commentary.
Image (象辞)
Water over lake: the image of Limitation.
Line Texts (爻辞)
Not going out of the door. Without blame. (不出户庭)
Not going out of the gate brings misfortune. (不出门庭)
He who knows no limitation will have cause to lament. (不节若)
Contented limitation. Success. (安节)
Sweet limitation brings good fortune. Going brings esteem. (甘节)
Galling limitation. Perseverance brings misfortune. (苦节)
Hexagram 60 in Love & Relationships
Relationships: Healthy relationships need limits as much as love. Boundaries protect what affection builds.
Hexagram 60 in Career & Decisions
Career: Set wise boundaries. The right limit channels your energy; the galling limit drains it.
Hexagram 60 as a yes / no answer
Depends on timing
The hexagram counsels timing and care: the answer depends on how and when you proceed.
The I Ching reads situations, not fixed outcomes — your reading can weigh the moving lines with this leaning.
In-Depth Analysis[+]
Hexagram 60, Jie (Limitation), is Water over Lake - water held within a lake, its volume bounded, its flow governed. This is the hexagram of limits, of the boundaries and rhythms that make life orderly and sustainable. The judgment: 'Limitation. Success. Galling limitation must not be persevered in' - limits are good, but the bitter, excessive kind is not. The lines trace the spectrum: the door not gone out of, the contented and sweet limitation, and the final galling limitation that brings misfortune. Jie teaches that freedom lives within wise limits - enough structure to flow, not so much as to dam the spirit.
Historical Stories[+]
The disciplined life of a musician, whose daily practice - a self-imposed limit - becomes the foundation of creative freedom.
A river kept within its banks, which nourishes the land; a river without banks, which floods and destroys. Limits are the shape of flourishing.
Practical Applications[+]
Career: Set wise boundaries. The right limit channels your energy; the galling limit drains it.
Relationships: Healthy relationships need limits as much as love. Boundaries protect what affection builds.
Personal Growth: Distinguish sweet limitation from galling limitation. One liberates; the other imprisons.
Classical Sources for Hexagram 60
易隐 (The Hidden Changes)清 (Qing Dynasty, 1644–1912)
Advanced analytical frameworks for hexagram interpretation: Flying/Hidden lines, Six Animals contextual dynamics, and inter-hexagram comparison logic.
Related Hexagrams
Learn More
Wonder how Hexagram 60 applies to your situation?
Ask the I Ching about Hexagram 60