Hexagram 2: The Receptive
坤 · Kūn
The Receptive brings sublime success, furthering through the perseverance of a mare. It is favorable to find friends in the west and south; in the east and north, it is better to part from friends. Quiet perseverance brings good fortune.Judgment 卦辭
The earth’s condition is receptive devotion; the noble one, with broad virtue, carries all things outer and inner.Image 象辭
Core Meaning of Hexagram 2
Hexagram 2 is six broken yin lines — pure receptivity, the yielding substance of Earth. It is not weakness but a different mode of power: accommodation, patience, nurture. Where The Creative initiates, The Receptive completes. It counsels yielding to the situation, serving rather than commanding, and letting things ripen in their own time.
Hexagram 2 in a Reading
In a reading, The Receptive asks you to stop forcing. Follow rather than lead, support rather than push, and trust that consistent quiet work compounds. If you have been aggressive or controlling, this is a signal to soften. Early, quiet persistence — not dramatic moves — is what fortune favors now.
Common Questions
What does hexagram 2 mean?
Hexagram 2 is six broken yin lines — pure receptivity, the yielding substance of Earth. Read the full meaning above, or cast your own reading with our free online I Ching coins.
What is the structure of hexagram 2?
Hexagram 2 is built from the trigram Earth above and Earth below — binary 000000 read from the bottom line to the top. The Receptive is King Wen number 2 of the 64 hexagrams.
Related Hexagrams
Other Hexagrams with Trigram Earth Above
Keywords: i ching hexagram 2, hexagram 2 meaning, the receptive, kun, six yin lines, pure yin, earth hexagram