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Hexagram 47: Oppression
困 · Kùn
Oppression. Success. Perseverance. The great man brings about good fortune. No blame. When one has something to say, it is not believed.Judgment 卦辭
There is no water in the lake: the image of Oppression. The superior man stakes his life on following his will.Image 象辭
Core Meaning of Hexagram 47
Hexagram 47 is exhaustion — the lake drained dry above the flowing water it cannot reach: resources present somewhere but unavailable here. Constraint, poverty of options, words that ‘are not believed.’ The teaching is stark and famous: the great man creates good fortune even here — by what happens inwardly. Oppression cannot reach the will unless you hand it over.
Hexagram 47 in a Reading
In a reading, you are squeezed — money, energy, credibility, room to move. Do not perform your suffering to the crowd (they will not believe it); do not make big speeches from a weak position. Conserve, endure, and keep the inner purpose absolutely intact: ‘stake your life on following your will.’ Oppression ends by cycle. Who you are when it ends is the only thing it cannot take.
Common Questions
What does hexagram 47 mean?
Hexagram 47 is exhaustion — the lake drained dry above the flowing water it cannot reach: resources present somewhere but unavailable here. Read the full meaning above, or cast your own reading with our free online I Ching coins.
What is the structure of hexagram 47?
Hexagram 47 is built from the trigram Lake above and Water below — binary 010110 read from the bottom line to the top. Oppression is King Wen number 47 of the 64 hexagrams.
Related Hexagrams
Other Hexagrams with Trigram Lake Above
Keywords: i ching hexagram 47, hexagram 47 meaning, oppression, kun, lake over water, exhaustion, adversity, confinement, keeping spirit unbroken