Which hexagram does Hexagram 52 change into?

It depends on which lines change. With one changing line: line 1 gives Hexagram 22, Grace; line 2 gives Hexagram 18, Work on What Has Been Spoiled; line 3 gives Hexagram 23, Splitting Apart; line 4 gives Hexagram 56, The Wanderer; line 5 gives Hexagram 53, Development; line 6 gives Hexagram 15, Modesty. With every line changing it becomes Hexagram 58, The Joyous.

I Ching · King Wen 52

Hexagram 52: Keeping Still

䷳ 艮 Gèn · also called Mountain, Stillness, Bound · Keeping Still above Keeping Still

The mountain doubled: stillness so complete that one keeps the back still and does not feel the body.

stillnessmeditationrestraintpresencerest

The meaning of Hexagram 52

Mountain below, mountain above: stillness upon stillness. Keeping Still is the hexagram of rest, of the pause between movements, of the mind that has stopped chasing itself. The tradition's judgement is an image of meditation: keeping the back still so that the body is no longer felt, going into the courtyard and not seeing the people there, without blame. Stillness of this kind is not withdrawal from life; the image says the wise person does not let their thoughts go beyond the situation. The reading says the moment asks for stopping, for full attention to what is here, and for restraint of the impulse to move. Every line is a part of the body coming to rest.

The image. Mountains standing close together; the wise person does not let thoughts go beyond the situation.

Advice: Stop; keep the mind within the present situation and let the body rest.
Warning: Stillness forced on the body while the mind races, or imposed on someone not ready for it, is not rest but strain.

over

Structure: ☶ Keeping Still (Mountain) below, ☶ Keeping Still (Mountain) above. Nuclear hexagram 40, Deliverance. Every line reversed: 58, The Joyous.

Hexagram 52 for love and relationships

Be still. Do not act, do not push, do not run thoughts ahead to what might happen. The reading favours calm presence over any gesture. Some of the lines describe stillness forced on someone too early; the whole describes stillness chosen, which is what is asked here.

Hexagram 52 love & relationships in full →

Hexagram 52 for career

A pause. Stop, attend to what is in front of you, and do not let the mind race to the next thing. Not the time for initiatives. The reading is favourable for reflection, planning done quietly, and the restraint of ambition for a season.

Hexagram 52 career in full →

Hexagram 52 for money

Hold. No new positions, no reactions, no plans running ahead of the facts. The reading is for stillness, and stillness with money means doing nothing until there is a real reason to move.

Hexagram 52 money in full →

Hexagram 52 for decisions

Do not decide; stop. The reading is explicit that thought should not go beyond the situation, which means the decision cannot be made until the situation itself changes. Wait in full attention.

Hexagram 52 a decision in full →

The six changing lines

Read from the bottom. A changing line flips, and the hexagram it changes into is named with each.

Line 6 · yang
Noble-hearted keeping still. Good fortune.
Stillness that has become the person's nature, at the top of the mountain, complete and untroubled. The line is the hexagram fulfilled: rest that is not effort, presence that is not strain. Good fortune.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 15, Modesty. Read line 6 →
Line 5 · yin
Keeping the jaws still. The words have order. Remorse disappears.
Stillness in speech: saying only what is measured and necessary. The tongue held still until the words are in order. Someone who governs their speech this way removes the cause of most regret.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 53, Development. Read line 5 →
Line 4 · yin
Keeping the trunk still. No blame.
The body at rest and the mind still moving a little: real calm, not yet complete. The line approves. It is the stage of stillness that most people can reach, and it is enough to be blameless.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 56, The Wanderer. Read line 4 →
Line 3 · yang
Keeping the hips still. Making the sacrum stiff. Dangerous; the heart suffocates.
Stillness forced violently on a body that is not ready, rigidity mistaken for calm. The result is not peace but suffocation. The line warns against imposing stillness by force, on oneself or on others.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 23, Splitting Apart. Read line 3 →
Line 2 · yin
Keeping the calves still. Cannot rescue the one he follows. His heart is not glad.
Forced to stop by someone one is following, who is heading the wrong way and cannot be saved. The stillness is imposed, not chosen, and the heart is unhappy. The line describes obedience that costs.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 18, Work on What Has Been Spoiled. Read line 2 →
Line 1 · yin
Keeping the toes still. No blame. Continued persistence furthers.
Stopping before the first step, at the moment before movement begins. The easiest stillness and the wisest. The line asks for continued steadiness in it.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 22, Grace. Read line 1 →

Related hexagrams

← 51 The Arousing 53 Development →

Cast your own reading

Ask a question and toss six lines. The oracle does not choose the hexagram for you; the coins do.

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Common questions

What does I Ching Hexagram 52 mean?: The mountain doubled: stillness so complete that one keeps the back still and does not feel the body. Mountain below, mountain above: stillness upon stillness. Keeping Still is the hexagram of rest, of the pause between movements, of the mind that has stopped chasing itself. The tradition's judgement is an image of meditation: keeping the back still so that the body is no longer felt, going into the courtyard and not seeing the people there, without blame. Stillness of this kind is not withdrawal from life; the image says the wise person does not let their thoughts go beyond the situation. The reading says the moment asks for stopping, for full attention to what is here, and for restraint of the impulse to move. Every line is a part of the body coming to rest.
What does Hexagram 52 mean for love?: Be still. Do not act, do not push, do not run thoughts ahead to what might happen. The reading favours calm presence over any gesture. Some of the lines describe stillness forced on someone too early; the whole describes stillness chosen, which is what is asked here.
Which hexagram does Hexagram 52 change into?: It depends on which lines change. With one changing line: line 1 gives Hexagram 22, Grace; line 2 gives Hexagram 18, Work on What Has Been Spoiled; line 3 gives Hexagram 23, Splitting Apart; line 4 gives Hexagram 56, The Wanderer; line 5 gives Hexagram 53, Development; line 6 gives Hexagram 15, Modesty. With every line changing it becomes Hexagram 58, The Joyous.