初六：往蹇，来誉。
Returning to observe an early obstacle shows discernment. You do not have to advance prematurely to demonstrate courage.
I Ching Hexagram 39
Jiǎn · Obstruction
蹇 · Hexagram 39
Jian describes an obstructed passage with danger ahead and a need for secure footing. Water stands above the Mountain; going straight on may not provide a way through. Reflect on your position and seek help, separating the purpose from insistence on the original route.
Upper trigram: Water/Kǎn
Lower trigram: Mountain/Gèn
The situation you may be in
Repeated attempts may be failing, or essential conditions may lie outside your control. Do not immediately interpret the obstruction as personal inadequacy. Examine whether the route and available support fit the task.
How to respond
Identify the actual obstacle and return to a position where help is available. Adjust the route, consult experience, and address the difficulty with companions while keeping the purpose in view.
Judgment and Image
Judgment
蹇：利西南，不利东北。利见大人，贞吉。
Obstruction. The southwest furthers. The northeast does not further. It furthers one to see the great person. Perseverance brings good fortune.
Image
山上有水，蹇；君子以反身修德。
Water on the mountain: Obstruction. The superior person turns his attention to himself and molds his character.
Applying it to real life
Love & relationships
When conversation repeatedly stalls, more explaining and questioning may not help. Establish what both people want to resolve and seek suitable support when needed. Greater effort from one side cannot replace mutual participation.
Career & work
For a difficulty beyond your individual authority or reach, find someone who can coordinate. Restore missing information, resources, and support rather than repeating the blocked action.
Choice & decisions
Determine whether the obstacle calls for a different route, a changed condition, or joint effort. Choose a direction with practical support rather than mistaking isolation for resolve.
Timing & pace
Regroup and adjust before deciding when to advance. The southwest and northeast in the Judgment point toward a course with less resistance and more support; they do not require you to arrange travel by those compass directions.
The six changing lines
The lines unfold from the bottom upward, describing one pattern of change from its first appearance to its extreme. If your reading has a changing line, begin with that position.
六二：王臣蹇蹇，匪躬之故。
The difficulty belongs to a shared responsibility rather than personal ambition. Fulfill the duty while seeking support proportionate to it.
九三：往蹇，来反。
Pressing onward deepens the obstruction. Return to supported ground and reorganize the next move.
六四：往蹇，来连。
Returning need not end the undertaking. Connect with people who can help, gathering the strength required to set out again.
九五：大蹇朋来。
Dependable companions may come during a major difficulty. State what is needed instead of refusing assistance because you hold responsibility.
上六：往蹇，来硕，吉；利见大人。
Leaving the obstructed route can restore stronger conditions. Guidance from someone experienced may reveal how to proceed.
A common misreading
Jian does not condemn the goal or demand permanent stillness. Its repeated contrast between going and returning points toward a workable passage found through regrouping, companionship, and assistance.
Related hexagrams
Text and interpretation
Updated 12 September 2026Reviewed by MysticEast Research
This page preserves the Chinese Judgment, Image, and line texts of the received Zhouyi. MysticEast's modern explanations are newly written to emphasize stages of change and practical judgment rather than fixed good-or-bad predictions.
Read the Zhouyi at the Chinese Text ProjectLet the hexagram meet your actual question
A guide gives you the map. A cast made with a clear question can help locate the exact stage of change you are experiencing.