Yarrow / Source Notes / 2026-07-17
Yarrow source note · 2026-07-17
A source-first reading note for Hexagram 2, Kun (The Receptive), with a reference translation, trigram frame, and one reversible observation practice.
The Receptive
The lower trigram is 坤 (地), associated in the bundled corpus with 顺; the upper trigram is 坤 (地), associated with 顺. Read the lower trigram as the inner or starting field and the upper trigram as the outward field before turning the pattern into advice.
The Receiving. Sublime origination, pervading success, furthering through the perseverance of a mare. If the superior man undertakes to act and tries to lead, he goes astray; but if he follows, he finds guidance. It is favorable to find friends in the west and south, and to forego friends in the east and north. Quiet perseverance brings good fortune.
See the original-text and authority layers in the complete catalog entry.
This historical commentary interprets Kun through following and responsiveness rather than taking the lead, using the mare as an image of receptivity. Its claims generalizing men's and women's abilities reflect the commentator's period; they are not Yarrow's view or a modern standard for judging anyone.
The lower trigram is 坤 (地), associated in the bundled corpus with 顺; the upper trigram is 坤 (地), associated with 顺. Read the lower trigram as the inner or starting field and the upper trigram as the outward field before turning the pattern into advice.
Copy one concrete verb, condition, or image from the reference translation for Hexagram 2. Name one place where it is observable in the situation you are examining. Then choose one small step you can reverse and write the condition that would make you review it.
Do not turn The Receptive into a personality label, a guaranteed event, or a verdict about another person. The translation and trigram frame are source layers to examine, not an instruction to surrender judgment.
The reference translation and context are drawn from Yarrow's bundled structured Zhouyi authority layer. Yarrow keeps that layer separate from optional modern reflection. This page does not claim that Hexagram 2 was cast for your question.