What is Thủy Phong Tỉnh and where does it sit among the 64 hexagrams?
Thủy Phong Tỉnh is hexagram 48 of the 64 I Ching hexagrams in the King Wen sequence, written 井 (tỉnh), literally meaning the well. It is made of the outer trigram Khảm ☵ (Water) above and the inner trigram Tốn ☴ (Wind, Wood) below, hence also called Water Over Wind or Thủy Phong Tỉnh. The hexagram has three yang and three yin lines alternating, and belongs to the Wood element.
In the standard list of the 64 hexagrams, hexagram 48 carries the Unicode symbol ䷯ and is commonly translated into English as "The Well". It is one of the most concrete and everyday images in the I Ching: it does not speak of heaven and earth, war, or dynasties, but of a village well.
Upper trigram, lower trigram, and the image
| Position | Trigram | Image | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outer (upper) | Khảm ☵ | Water | Water source, flow, the deep |
| Inner (lower) | Tốn ☴ | Wind, Wood | Seepage, growth from the root |
The root image is a tree drawing water up from the ground, much as a bucket draws water up from a well. Water lies in the earth, the tree draws it up, and that is the well. From this image the I Ching draws a lesson about a resource that stays in one place yet nourishes many people.
Why does Tỉnh follow Khốn?
According to the Tự Quái truyện (Sequence of Hexagrams commentary), when hardship is above, things must turn downward, so Tỉnh follows Khốn. Hexagram 47, Trạch Thủy Khốn, is the inverse hexagram of Tỉnh: Khốn speaks of extreme exhaustion, dried water, and people trapped. Once at the end of their rope, people must return to the most basic source of life, and the well is the symbol of that source.
A clear distinction is needed: the Tự Quái truyện is a later commentary, not the classic text itself. The classic text consists of the Judgment and the line texts, while the Thoán truyện, Tượng truyện, Hệ từ, and Tự Quái are all commentaries written later to explain the classic. This article presents both layers but names each layer correctly.
What does the Judgment of Tỉnh say?
Original Chinese: 井：改邑不改井，無喪無得，往來井井。汔至亦未繘井，羸其瓶，凶。
Sino-Vietnamese reading: Tỉnh: Cải ấp bất cải tỉnh, vô táng vô đắc, vãng lai tỉnh tỉnh. Hất chí diệc vị duật tỉnh, luy kỳ bình, hung.
Meaning: The village may be changed but the well is not changed, it loses nothing and gains nothing, those who come and go all use the same well. One nearly reaches the water but has not yet drawn the rope up out of the well, and breaks the pitcher: misfortune.
This Judgment is one of the most vivid passages in the I Ching. The first half speaks of the well's endurance: the village may change owners, change names, residents may leave and return, but the well stays in its old place, its water neither decreasing nor increasing with use. The second half is a warning: the drawer is one arm's length from the water, but if careless and the pitcher breaks, the whole task fails, and that is misfortune.
What does the Image of Tỉnh teach?
Original Chinese: 木上有水，井；君子以勞民勸相。
Sino-Vietnamese reading: Mộc thượng hữu thủy, Tỉnh; quân tử dĩ lao dân khuyến tương.
Meaning: Wood over water is the image of Tỉnh. The noble person follows this to encourage the labor of the people and urge mutual help.
The Image does not discuss drawing water for oneself. From the image of the well it draws a social norm of ancient times: a leader does not sit above and make others serve, but recognizes the labor of those below and arranges for people to help one another. The well nourishes the whole village, regardless of who comes first or last. This is a norm of its historical setting, not advice to apply directly to life today.
The six line texts of Tỉnh and their plain-language readings
The six lines of Tỉnh sketch six stages of a well, from abandonment to becoming a great well that nourishes the whole village.
| Line | Original Chinese | Sino-Vietnamese | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sơ lục (1) | 井泥不食，舊井無禽 | Tỉnh nê bất thực, cựu tỉnh vô cầm | The well is muddy and undrinkable, the old well no longer draws birds |
| Cửu nhị (2) | 井谷射鮒，甕敝漏 | Tỉnh cốc xạ phụ, úng tệ lậu | The well bottom only shoots small fish, the jar is cracked and leaks |
| Cửu tam (3) | 井渫不食，為我心惻。可用汲，王明並受其福 | Tỉnh tiết bất thực, vi ngã tâm trắc. Khả dụng cấp, vương minh tịnh thụ kỳ phúc | The well is cleaned yet no one drinks, my heart grieves. It can be drawn and used; if the king is enlightened, all receive its blessing |
| Lục tứ (4) | 井甃，無咎 | Tỉnh trứu, vô cữu | Lining the well with stone, no harm |
| Cửu ngũ (5) | 井冽寒泉食 | Tỉnh liệt hàn tuyền thực | The well is clear, the cold spring water can be drunk |
| Thượng lục (6) | 井收勿幕，有孚元吉 | Tỉnh thu vật mạc, hữu phu nguyên cát | The well is complete, do not cap it; with sincerity, great good fortune |
Line Sơ lục: a muddy well, no birds come
This is the image of a well long neglected: mud settles at the bottom, the water is murky, no longer drinkable, and even birds do not stop by. This line speaks of the consequence of neglecting oneself. A skill unused for a long time, a relationship untended, a health unguarded, all grow murky like an old well. No one blames, but no one comes either.
Line Cửu nhị: the well bottom has only small fish
This well has declined so far that water is not enough, only small fish at the bottom can be shot, and the water jar is cracked, leaking everything away. This line speaks of a stage of fumbling with small matters, spending energy on useless things while the resource leaks away. The problem is not lack of ability but failure to tell what is the main task. However good the source, if the container is broken, it is wasted.
Line Cửu tam: the well is clean yet no one draws from it
This is one of the saddest lines in the I Ching. The well has been cleaned, the water is clear, but no one has come to draw. The line says "my heart grieves", a rare emotional phrase in a text that is usually restrained. Talent is ready, the work is done, the heart is open, but the time has not come and no one who can see has appeared.
The next phrase immediately opens hope: that water can be drawn and used, and if the king is enlightened, all receive its blessing. This line is often cited in later books to describe a talented person who has not met the right time. The common reading is to wait for the right person, good work will be recognized, and it also reminds those in power to know how to see people.
Line Lục tứ: lining the well with stone
The well's mouth has been repaired, lined with stone to make it firm, no harm. This is a stage of investing in the foundation, not work for display but indispensable. Learning more expertise, strengthening a relationship through small daily acts, rebuilding a healthy routine. The work takes time and shows no immediate result, but it is the foundation for every later stage.
Line Cửu ngũ: a clear well, cold spring water
This line holds the ruling position of the hexagram and carries the most beautiful image. The well has become a good well: clear, cold, drinkable water. The line says nothing more than a simple phrase: it can be drunk. The person has matured, has solid expertise, a clean heart, the strength to nourish self and others. At this level no advertising is needed; good water draws people on its own.
Line Thượng lục: the well is complete, do not cap it
This is the closing line and the most beautiful in moral terms. The well is complete, the water is full, and what is the task of the one who owns the well? Do not cap it, let others come and use it. With sincerity in sharing, it is very good. One who has matured, gained position and strength, does not keep it for himself but opens it for others to share. This is the highest state of the hexagram: nourishing oneself is done, now it is time to nourish others.
How does Tỉnh differ from common understandings of water and wells?
There are two easy confusions when discussing this hexagram.
First, Tỉnh is not a hexagram about health in the medical sense. Khảm is water, and in traditional medicine water is linked to the kidneys and the excretory system, but that is a connection made by other systems, not the content of the line texts. The classic text speaks of the well only as a social and moral image.
Second, one should not merge divination-card texts from other books into the Zhou Yi line texts. Card sets such as Khổng Minh Thần Toán have their own texts and their own systems, not the line texts of the I Ching. Mixing the two is a mistake in sourcing.
As for interpretation, the schools are not fully agreed. One reading leans toward ethics, taking the line texts as lessons in self-cultivation, and another leans toward prediction, using the moving line, the Dụng thần (useful spirit), and the day and month to judge fortune for a specific matter. The predictive reading has its own system of rules and gives different results depending on the changed hexagram and the question. This article presents the meaning of the classic text and its commentaries, and does not assert an absolute fortune or misfortune for any specific situation.
The core lesson of Thủy Phong Tỉnh
The most striking thing about this hexagram is the image of the well staying in one place while the village may change hands many times. Times rise and fall, people come and go, but the water stays there. The well does not need to go anywhere to prove its worth. Stay clear, stay cool, stay ready in the right place, and people will find their way to you.
The Judgment reminds of two things at once: keep the root firm, and finish the task at hand. The well does not move, but the drawer must still draw all the way, not break the pitcher when only an arm's length remains. The Image adds one more: once you have water, do not cap it. A resource is truly alive only when it is shared.
Frequently asked questions about Thủy Phong Tỉnh
What number is Thủy Phong Tỉnh and what does it mean?
Thủy Phong Tỉnh is hexagram 48 of the 64 I Ching hexagrams, water above and wind or wood below. Its core meaning is the way of the well: staying in one place, the village changes but the well does not, enduringly nourishing those who come to draw water.
Why does Tỉnh follow Khốn?
According to the Tự Quái truyện, when hardship is above, things must turn downward, so Tỉnh (48) follows Khốn (47). Khốn is the inverse hexagram of Tỉnh, speaking of extreme exhaustion, and when one reaches the end, one must return to the most basic source of life.
What does line Cửu tam of Tỉnh speak of?
Line Cửu tam speaks of a well cleaned yet no one draws from it, my heart grieves, but that water can be used and if the king is enlightened all receive its blessing. It is the image of a person with talent and heart who has not yet met the time or someone who can see.
The structure of Thủy Phong Tỉnh in one table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Number in the Zhou Yi | 48 |
| Chinese character | 井 |
| Upper trigram | Khảm (Water) |
| Lower trigram | Tốn (Wind) |
| Six lines, from top down | yin, yang, yin, yang, yang, yin |
| Nuclear hexagram | Hỏa Trạch Khuê (hexagram 38) |
| Inverse hexagram | Hỏa Lôi Phệ Hạp (hexagram 21) |
| Opposite hexagram | Trạch Thủy Khốn (hexagram 47) |
Where do the six lines of Thủy Phong Tỉnh sit, and what hexagram does each produce when moving?
The table reads from the first line (bottom) up to the top line. Line names combine position and nature: yang is called Cửu, yin is called Lục. The last column is the changed hexagram when ONLY that line moves, calculated by the same method used in the Nhật Nguyệt casting tool.
| Line | Name | Nature | Correct position | Central | Correspondence | Changes into |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sơ Lục | yin | no | no | with line 4, no response | Thủy Thiên Nhu (hexagram 5) |
| 2 | Cửu Nhị | yang | no | yes | with line 5, no response | Thủy Sơn Kiển (hexagram 39) |
| 3 | Cửu Tam | yang | yes | no | with line 6, response | Thuần Khảm (hexagram 29) |
| 4 | Lục Tứ | yin | yes | no | with line 1, no response | Trạch Phong Đại Quá (hexagram 28) |
| 5 | Cửu Ngũ | yang | yes | yes | with line 2, no response | Địa Phong Thăng (hexagram 46) |
| 6 | Thượng Lục | yin | yes | no | with line 3, response | Thuần Tốn (hexagram 57) |