Hexagram Phong Sơn Tiệm (No. 53, 漸): Gradual Advance in Order and the Six Stages of the Wild Goose

Quẻ Phong Sơn Tiệm (number 53, 漸): Gradual advance in order and the six stages of the wild goose

What is the Phong Sơn Tiệm hexagram, and where does it sit among the 64 hexagrams?

Phong Sơn Tiệm (風山漸), usually shortened to Tiem (漸), is hexagram number 53 of the 64 hexagrams of the Kinh Dịch in the Chu Dịch ordering. The hexagram consists of the lower trigram Can ☶, the image of a mountain, and the upper trigram Ton ☴, the image of wind, which is also the image of a tree. The word "tiem" means to advance gradually, step by step.

Upper trigram, lower trigram and the name

What does the Phong Sơn Tiệm judgment text say, and what does it mean?

The judgment text, that is the words of the classic attached to the whole hexagram, is written here in the Han text and in Han-Viet pronunciation read according to those exact Chinese characters:

漸：女歸吉，利貞。

Tiem: Nu quy cat, loi trinh.

Literal meaning: a young woman going to her husband's home is auspicious; holding firm is beneficial. The image of "nu quy" here is the ritual and the norms of marriage in former times: getting to know each other, the betrothal inquiry, the wedding ceremony, and only then living under one roof. The judgment text takes that sequence as a metaphor for every matter that needs to be done in the right steps. This is the social context of ancient times, not a prescriptive instruction for marriage today.

Wang Bi's commentary: "以漸進得位也." That is: by gradual advance one obtains the position.

Zhu Xi (Chu Dịch ban nghia) comments: "漸漸進也為卦止於下而巽於上為不遽進之義有女歸之象焉又自二至五位皆得正故其占為女歸吉而又戒以利貞也." That is: Tiem means advancing gradually. The hexagram has Can stopping below and Ton yielding above, which is the meaning of not rushing forward, and it has the image of a woman going to her husband's home. Further, from line 2 to line 5 all obtain correctness, so its prognostication is that the woman's marriage is auspicious, and it further warns that holding firm is beneficial.

What do the Thoan truyen and Tuong truyen say about the Tiem hexagram?

The Thoan truyen and Tuong truyen belong to the Thập Dực, the commentaries of later generations, and are not merged into the words of the classic. Tradition attributes them to Khổng Tử; modern scholarship places them between the 5th and 2nd centuries BCE and does not regard that as proven.

The Thoan truyen reads:

漸之進也，女歸吉也。進得位，往有功也。進以正，可以正邦也。其位剛，得中也。止而巽，動不窮也。

Tiem chi tien da, nu quy cat da. Tien dac vi, vang huu cong da. Tien di chinh, kha di chinh bang da. Ky vi cuong, dac trung da. Chi nhi ton, dong bat cung da.

Literal meaning: Tiem is advance, and the woman's marriage is auspicious. Advancing and obtaining the position, going brings merit. Advancing by correctness, one can rectify a state. Its position is firm, it obtains the center. Stopping and yielding, movement is inexhaustible.

The Đại Tượng (Tuong truyen) reads:

山上有木，漸；君子以居賢德，善俗。

Son thuong huu moc, Tiem; quan tu di cu hien duc, thien tuc.

Literal meaning: there is a tree on the mountain, this is Tiem; the noble person accordingly dwells in good virtue and improves customs.

Wang Bi's commentary on the Thoan truyen: "以漸進得位也." That is: by gradual advance one obtains the position.

Zhu Xi (Chu Dịch ban nghia) comments on the Thoan truyen: "漸漸進也為卦止於下而巽於上為不遽進之義有女歸之象焉又自二至五位皆得正故其占為女歸吉而又戒以利貞也." That is: Tiem means advancing gradually. The hexagram has Can stopping below and Ton yielding above, which is the meaning of not rushing forward, and it has the image of a woman going to her husband's home. Further, from line 2 to line 5 all obtain correctness, so its prognostication is that the woman's marriage is auspicious, and it further warns that holding firm is beneficial.

The six line texts: the wild goose's journey through six stages

All six lines of the Tiem hexagram open with the image of the wild goose (swan goose) advancing gradually to a place. Read from the bottom up: the first line is the lowest line, the top line is the highest. Below, the line texts are given in the exact Han text, with the commentaries of Wang Bi and Zhu Xi where they appear in the fact table.

First line, Six at the beginning

初六：鴻漸于干，小子厲，有言，无咎。

So luc: Hong tiem vu can, tieu tu le, huu ngon, vo cuu.

Literal meaning: the wild goose advances gradually to the water's edge. The petty person meets danger, there is criticism, but no harm.

Wang Bi's commentary: "鴻，水鳥也。適進之義，始於下而升者也，故以鴻為喻之。又皆以進而履之為義焉，始進而位乎窮下，又無其應。若履于幹，危不可以安也。始進而未得其位，則困於小子，窮於謗言，故曰「小子厲有言」也。困於小子讒諛之言，未傷君子之義，故曰「無咎」也。" Close in meaning: the goose is a water bird. The meaning is gradual advance, beginning below and rising, so the goose is taken as the illustration. And all of them take advancing and treading as the meaning. Just advancing while positioned at the exhausted bottom, and again without a counterpart. It is like treading on the water's edge, dangerous and impossible to be at ease. Just advancing and not yet obtaining the position, one is troubled by petty people and brought low by slanderous talk, hence it says "the petty person meets danger, there is criticism." Being troubled by the slanderous flattery of petty people does not yet harm the noble person's righteousness, hence it says "no harm."

Zhu Xi (Chu Dịch ban nghia) comments: "鴻之行有序而進有漸干水涯也始進於下未得所安而上復无應故其象如此而其占則為小子厲雖有言而於義則无咎也." Close in meaning: the wild goose moves in order and advances gradually. Can is the water's edge. Just advancing below, not yet obtaining security, and above there is again no counterpart, so its image is like this. Its prognostication is that the petty person meets danger; though there is criticism, in terms of righteousness there is no fault.

The Tiểu Tượng: 小子之厲，義无咎也。

Tiểu Tượng: Tieu tu chi le, nghia vo cuu da.

Literal meaning: the petty person meets danger, in terms of righteousness there is no fault.

In Nhật Nguyệt's reading: the first line, Six at the beginning, is a yin line at the very bottom, its ability still weak, and its counterpart is line 4, also yin, so it has nothing to lean on. At the stage when a matter is just beginning, being criticized at the outset is an ordinary thing.

Second line, Six in the second place

六二：鴻漸于磐，飲食衎衎，吉。

Luc nhi: Hong tiem vu ban, am thuc khan khan, cat.

Literal meaning: the wild goose advances gradually to a boulder. Eating and drinking joyfully. Auspicious.

Wang Bi's commentary: "磐，山石之安者也。進而得位，居中而應，本無祿養，進而得之，其為歡樂，願莫先焉。" Close in meaning: the boulder is the stable rock of the mountain. Advancing and obtaining the position, dwelling in the center and having a counterpart, originally without emolument or support, advancing and obtaining it, that joy, nothing is wished for more.

Zhu Xi (Chu Dịch ban nghia) comments: "衎苦旦反○磐大石也漸逺於水進於磐而益安矣衎衎和樂意六二柔順中正進以其漸而上有九五之應故其象如此而占則吉也." Close in meaning: khan is read with the fanqie khu dan. The boulder is a large rock. Gradually moving away from the water, advancing to the boulder and becoming more secure. Khan khan is the sense of harmonious joy. Six in the second place is yielding, compliant, central and correct, advancing by gradual steps, and above it has the counterpart of Nine in the fifth place, so its image is like this, and its prognostication is auspicious.

The Tiểu Tượng: 飲食衎衎，不素飽也。

Tiểu Tượng: Am thuc khan khan, bat to bao da.

Literal meaning: eating and drinking joyfully, not eating idly.

In Nhật Nguyệt's reading: the second line, Six in the second place, obtains the center, obtains correctness, and further has a counterpart with the yang firm line 5 above. This is a stage with a relatively firm foothold: work begins to bring income, relationships begin to have trust. But the boulder is only a stopping point, not yet the destination.

Third line, Nine in the third place

九三：鴻漸于陸，夫征不復，婦孕不育，凶；利禦寇。

Cuu tam: Hong tiem vu luc, phu chinh bat phuc, phu dung bat duc, hung; loi ngu khau.

Literal meaning: the wild goose advances gradually onto high ground. The husband goes far and does not return, the wife conceives and does not give birth. Inauspicious; beneficial for defending against bandits.

Wang Bi's commentary: "陸，高之頂也。進而之陸，與四相得，不能復反者也。「夫征不復」，樂於邪配，則婦亦不能執貞矣。非夫而孕故不育也。三本艮體而棄乎群醜，與四相得，遂乃不反，至使婦孕不育，見利忘義，貪進忘舊，凶之道也。異體合好，順而相保，物莫能間，故「利禦寇」也。" Close in meaning: luc is the summit of the high ground. Advancing to the high ground, it finds accord with line 4, and cannot turn back. "The husband goes and does not return": taking pleasure in an improper match, so the wife too cannot hold to chastity. Conceiving not by her husband, hence not giving birth. Line 3 originally belongs to the Can body yet abandons its crowd, finds accord with line 4, and then does not return, to the point that the wife conceives and does not give birth, seeing profit and forgetting righteousness, coveting advance and forgetting the old, which is the way of misfortune. Different bodies joining in good, yielding and mutually protecting, nothing can come between them, hence "beneficial for defending against bandits."

Zhu Xi (Chu Dịch ban nghia) comments: "復房六反○鴻水鳥陸非所安也九三過剛不中而无應故其象如此而其占夫征則不復婦孕則不育凶莫甚焉然以其過剛也故利禦寇." Close in meaning: phuc is read with the fanqie phong luc. The goose is a water bird, and high ground is not a place of security. Nine in the third place is excessively firm and not central and has no counterpart, so its image is like this. Its prognostication: if the husband goes he does not return, if the wife conceives she does not give birth, there is no misfortune greater than this. But because it is excessively firm, it is beneficial for defending against bandits.

The Tiểu Tượng: 夫征不復，離群丑也。婦孕不育，失其道也。利用禦寇，順相保也。

Tiểu Tượng: Phu chinh bat phuc, ly quan xu da. Phu dung bat duc, that ky dao da. Loi dung ngu khau, thuan tuong bao da.

Literal meaning: the husband goes and does not return, he leaves the crowd. The wife conceives and does not give birth, she loses her way. Beneficial to defend against bandits, yielding, they mutually protect each other.

In Nhật Nguyệt's reading: the third line, Nine in the third place, is yang and firm, at a position already high within the lower trigram Can, adjacent to the yin and yielding line 4 but without a proper counterpart. This is a stage when a matter is left unfinished and the outcome has not yet appeared, when one easily grows impatient and wants to take a shortcut or abandon it midway. The line text adds "beneficial for defending against bandits": one should defend, not yet attack. Sayings like "the husband goes far and does not return, the wife conceives and does not give birth" are the social norms of former times and need to be read in their historical context, not as advice for modern marriage.

Fourth line, Six in the fourth place

六四：鴻漸于木，或得其桷，无咎。

Luc tu: Hong tiem vu moc, hoac dac ky giac, vo cuu.

Literal meaning: the wild goose advances gradually to a tree. It may find a flat branch to perch on, no harm.

Wang Bi's commentary: "鳥而之木，得其宜也。「或得其桷」，遇安棲也。雖乘於剛，志相得也。" Close in meaning: a bird going to a tree finds what suits it. "It may find a flat branch": it meets a peaceful perch. Though it rides above a firm line, their aims find accord.

Zhu Xi (Chu Dịch ban nghia) comments: "桷音角○鴻不木棲桷平柯也或得平柯則可以安矣六四乘則而順巽故其象如此占者如之則无咎也." Close in meaning: giac is pronounced goc. The wild goose does not perch in trees; a giac is a flat branch. If it happens to find a flat branch, then it can be at peace. Six in the fourth place rides above a firm line yet is yielding and compliant, so its image is like this. If the one consulting the oracle is like this, then there is no fault.

The Tiểu Tượng: 或得其桷，順以巽也。

Tiểu Tượng: Hoac dac ky giac, thuan di ton da.

Literal meaning: it may find a flat branch, yielding and compliant.

In Nhật Nguyệt's reading: the fourth line, Six in the fourth place, is yin and yielding, in the upper trigram Ton, whose meaning is yielding. The wild goose normally perches on the ground, and now must perch on a tree branch, which is not a familiar place. Adapt gradually, find a suitable foothold in new circumstances, and do not force yourself into a place that does not fit.

Fifth line, Nine in the fifth place

九五：鴻漸于陵，婦三歲不孕，終莫之勝，吉。

Cuu ngu: Hong tiem vu lang, phu tam tue bat dung, chung mac chi thang, cat.

Literal meaning: the wild goose advances gradually onto a hill. The wife for three years does not conceive, but in the end no one can overcome it. Auspicious.

Wang Bi's commentary: "陵，次陸者也。進得中位，而膈乎三四，不得與其應合，故「婦三歲不孕」也。各履正而居中，三四不能久塞其塗者也。不過三歲，必得所願矣。進以正邦，三年有成，成則道濟，故不過三歲也。" Close in meaning: lang is the level below luc. Advancing, it obtains the central position, but is separated by lines 3 and 4 and cannot unite with its counterpart, hence "the wife for three years does not conceive." Each treads correctness and dwells in the center, and lines 3 and 4 cannot block the road for long. In no more than three years, it will surely obtain what it wishes. Advancing to rectify a state, in three years there is completion, and once complete the way is carried through, hence no more than three years.

Zhu Xi (Chu Dịch ban nghia) comments: "陵高阜也九五居尊六二正應在下而為三四所隔然終不能奪其正也故其象如此而占者如是則吉也." Close in meaning: lang is a high mound. Nine in the fifth place dwells in the honored position, and Six in the second place is its proper counterpart below but is separated by lines 3 and 4, yet in the end they cannot seize away its correctness. So its image is like this, and if the one consulting the oracle is like this, it is auspicious.

The Tiểu Tượng: 終莫之勝，吉；得所愿也。

Tiểu Tượng: Chung mac chi thang, cat; dac so nguyen da.

Literal meaning: in the end no one can overcome it, auspicious; it obtains what it wishes.

In Nhật Nguyệt's reading: the fifth line, Nine in the fifth place, is yang and firm in a high position, with a proper counterpart with the yin line 2. But line 4 blocks line 5, and line 3 blocks line 2, so they are kept apart. Both line 2 and line 5 obtain the center, and their joining is proper, so lines 3 and 4 in the end give way. This stage tests one's perseverance.

Top line, Nine at the top

上九：鴻漸于陸，其羽可用為儀，吉。

Thuong cuu: Hong tiem vu luc, ky vu kha dung vi nghi, cat.

Literal meaning: the wild goose advances gradually on high. Its feathers can be used as ceremonial ornaments. Auspicious.

Wang Bi's commentary: "進處高絜，不累於位，無物可以屈其心而亂其志。峨峨清遠，儀可貴也，故曰「其羽可用為儀，吉」。" Close in meaning: advancing to dwell in a high and clean place, not entangled by position, nothing can bend its heart or disorder its will. Lofty and pure and far, its bearing is to be prized, hence it says "its feathers can be used as ceremonial ornaments, auspicious."

Zhu Xi (Chu Dịch ban nghia) comments: "胡氏程氏皆云陸當作逵謂雲路也今以韻讀之良是儀羽旄旌纛之飾也上九至高出乎人位之外而其羽毛可用以為儀飾位雖極高而不為无用之象故其占為如是則吉也." Close in meaning: both Master Ho and Master Trinh say luc should be read as quy, meaning a path in the clouds. Now reading it by rhyme, this is indeed right. Nghi is an ornament of feather banners and ceremonial standards. Nine at the top is extremely high, rising beyond the position of a person, and its feathers can be used as ceremonial ornaments. Though its position is extremely high, it is not an image of uselessness, so its prognostication is that if it is like this, it is auspicious.

The Tiểu Tượng: 其羽可用為儀，吉；不可亂也。

Tiểu Tượng: Ky vu kha dung vi nghi, cat; bat kha loan da.

Literal meaning: its feathers can be used as ceremonial ornaments, auspicious; it cannot be disordered.

In Nhật Nguyệt's reading: the top line, Nine at the top, is a yang line at the very top, rising beyond the ordinary position. The destination: the fruit of one who proceeds in the right order has lasting value and is preserved by later generations. In another reading, when the character 陸 is read as 逵, the top line depicts the wild goose soaring on a path in the clouds, its integrity pure and lofty, an example for the age. Both readings have been handed down.

When you meet the Phong Sơn Tiệm hexagram asking about work, how should you understand it?

Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: the Tiem hexagram suggests a path of step-by-step advancement, not skipping stages. This is a time to build foundations, accumulate experience, and build reputation through real results. It should not be taken as a verdict on the outcome of any particular person's work.

When you meet the Phong Sơn Tiệm hexagram asking about love, how should you understand it?

Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: a relationship needs to develop slowly and in the right order, getting to know each other first and bonding later. The judgment text "the woman's marriage is auspicious" shows that marriage goes well when it passes through all the steps. This is a reading based on the imagery of the words of the classic, not a prescriptive instruction for marriage today.

When you meet the Phong Sơn Tiệm hexagram asking about money, how should you understand it?

Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: income rises gradually rather than suddenly. It suits steady saving and long-term investment more than the search for quick returns. This is a reference reading, not a statement about any particular person's finances.

When you meet the Phong Sơn Tiệm hexagram asking about health, how should you understand it?

Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: it suggests a stage of gradual recovery, and one should not expect to be well at once. This is a reference reading, not medical advice.

Tiem and Quy Muội: the two hexagrams that are the thac and tong of each other

In the Kinh Dịch, many pairs of hexagrams have the relation of thac qua (opposite) and tong qua (inverted). Tiem (hexagram 53) has the tong qua relation with Lôi Trạch Quy Muội (hexagram 54), like the pair Ký Tế (63) and Vị Tế (64). Quy Muội is the tong hexagram of Tiem: reversing the order of Tiem's lines gives Quy Muội. As for the images of the hexagrams, Tiem is a tree on a mountain, Quy Muội is thunder over a marsh; the two images differ but have a structural relation to each other.

It is important to distinguish clearly: the thac qua and tong qua relations are relations of line structure, not relations of meaning.

Is the Phong Sơn Tiệm hexagram auspicious or inauspicious?

The sources are not entirely consistent in classifying the auspiciousness or inauspiciousness of this hexagram. Some place Tiem in the group of ordinary hexagrams, holding that the fortune of the time is gradually improving, that every matter carried out step by step will have many chances of success, and that impatience and forcing the pace easily lead to failure. Others emphasize the lines with the word "inauspicious" (line 3) and the lines with the word "danger" (line 1), and so regard Tiem as a hexagram requiring caution rather than a favorable one.

What the readings have in common is this: Tiem is not a hexagram of standing still, nor is it a hexagram of sudden breakthrough. This is the point that needs to be stated clearly rather than quietly choosing a side.

Reading Tiem correctly: the words of the classic, the commentaries and the divination books are three different layers

When consulting the Phong Sơn Tiệm hexagram, one needs to distinguish three layers of text. The first layer is the words of the classic: the judgment text and the line texts, the part traditionally attributed to Văn Vương and Chu Công; modern scholarship does not regard that attribution as proven. The second layer is the commentaries of later generations: the Thoan truyen, Tuong truyen, Tự Quái truyen, He tu, that is the part written by later scholars to expound the words of the classic. The third layer is divination books and modern applied books, which interpret the hexagram according to each area of life.

These three layers have different values and should not be mixed together. When copying the judgment text, copy it in the Han text and Han-Viet pronunciation read according to those exact Chinese characters, adding and subtracting nothing. When citing the Thoan truyen or Tuong truyen, call the commentary by its correct name. When citing a divination book, say clearly that it is a divination book. Do not take the words of one layer and assign them to another.

One point to avoid: the verse cards in the Khổng Minh Thần Toán book are the words of a separate divination system, NOT the line texts of the Chu Dịch. Do not mix the words of the Khổng Minh cards into the line text section of the Tiem hexagram.

The structure of the Phong Sơn Tiệm hexagram in one table

Where do the six lines of the Phong Sơn Tiệm hexagram stand, and which hexagram does each line change into when it moves?

The table is read from the first line (the bottom) up to the top line. The line name is composed of the position and the nature: yang is called Cuu, yin is called Luc. The last column is the changed hexagram when ONLY that line moves, calculated by the same method that Nhật Nguyệt's hexagram-casting tool uses.

Overview article on the topic: What the Kinh Dịch is and the 64 hexagrams