Hexagram 47 of 64 · Lake ☱ over Water ☵
Oppression
Kùn
Oppression — the lake drained dry, resources exhausted; the test of whether your inner strength holds when nothing else does.
The Judgment
Oppression: success. Perseverance. The great person brings about good fortune. No blame. When one has something to say, it is not believed — act, do not talk.
The Image
There is no water in the lake: the lake bed is dry and the fish are exposed. The wise person stakes their life on following their will — when circumstances offer nothing, character is all that remains.
Hexagram 47 Meaning
The water has drained out of the lake below: exhaustion, depletion, adversity that leaves you with nothing to draw on. The hexagram is one of the four dark ones, and it says something surprising — success. Not because the situation is good, but because oppression is the proving ground of greatness: the great person, stripped of everything, is revealed. The practical instruction is stark: your words will not be believed right now, so stop explaining. Act. Stake your life on your own will and endure.
Oppression in Love
A relationship in a dry season — exhausted, depleted, both people with nothing left to give. Or the oppression of loving someone who does not believe you, where every word makes it worse. The hexagram says stop talking; nothing you say lands now. Act with quiet integrity and let time work. Your inner strength is being tested, and it is what will decide whether the relationship refills or whether you walk out of the dry lake bed on your own feet.
Oppression in Career & Money
Burnout, financial exhaustion, a role where you are undermined and disbelieved. The counsel: do not try to argue your way out. Words are not believed under Oppression. Do the work that can be seen; preserve your energy; hold to your principles when there is no reward for doing so. The lines trace the way through — sit calmly (line 5), recognise the ropes that bind you are partly your own (line 6), and move.
What to Do
Stop explaining yourself; it is not the time for words. Act with integrity and endure. Stake everything on your own will. Oppression is a test of character, and passing it is the success the hexagram promises.
Oppression as a Yes or No
no
No — resources are exhausted and your words are not believed; endure and act rather than push for this now.
The Trigrams
Above: Lake (兌 Duì) — the joyous — pleasure, openness, the youngest daughter.
Below: Water (坎 Kǎn) — the abysmal — danger, depth, the middle son.
The Six Lines of Oppression
Read when the line is moving (a 6 or 9 in the cast). Bottom line first.
- 1
Line 1 · yin
One sits oppressed under a bare tree and strays into a gloomy valley, for three years one sees nothing: depression deepened by giving in to it — misfortune.
- 2
Line 2 · yang
One is oppressed while at meat and drink, the man with the red knee bands is just coming — it furthers one to offer sacrifice, to set forth brings misfortune, no blame: comfortable but blocked; help is coming — do not go seeking it.
- 3
Line 3 · yin
A man permits himself to be oppressed by stone and leans on thorns and thistles, he enters his house and does not see his wife: leaning on the wrong supports — misfortune of your own making.
- 4
Line 4 · yang
He comes very quietly, oppressed in a golden carriage, humiliation but the end is reached: help arrives slowly, in an awkward way — but it arrives.
- 5
Line 5 · yang
His nose and feet are cut off, oppression at the hands of the man with the purple knee bands — joy comes softly, it furthers one to make offerings and libations: obstructed from above and below; calm devotion brings a slow turn.
- 6
Line 6 · yin
He is oppressed by creeping vines, he moves uncertainly and says “movement brings remorse” — if one feels remorse over this and makes a start, good fortune comes: the bonds are weaker than they look; move and they break.
Will Oppression Appear in Your Cast?
Cast the coins on your own question — free, instant, with every moving line explained.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does hexagram 47, Oppression, mean?
The water has drained out of the lake below: exhaustion, depletion, adversity that leaves you with nothing to draw on. The hexagram is one of the four dark ones, and it says something surprising — success. Not because the situation is good, but because oppression is the proving ground of greatness: the great person, stripped of everything, is revealed. The practical instruction is stark: your words will not be believed right now, so stop explaining. Act. Stake your life on your own will and endure.
What does Oppression mean in love?
A relationship in a dry season — exhausted, depleted, both people with nothing left to give. Or the oppression of loving someone who does not believe you, where every word makes it worse. The hexagram says stop talking; nothing you say lands now. Act with quiet integrity and let time work. Your inner strength is being tested, and it is what will decide whether the relationship refills or whether you walk out of the dry lake bed on your own feet.
What does Oppression mean for career and money?
Burnout, financial exhaustion, a role where you are undermined and disbelieved. The counsel: do not try to argue your way out. Words are not believed under Oppression. Do the work that can be seen; preserve your energy; hold to your principles when there is no reward for doing so. The lines trace the way through — sit calmly (line 5), recognise the ropes that bind you are partly your own (line 6), and move.
Is hexagram 47 a yes or a no?
Oppression answers "no". No — resources are exhausted and your words are not believed; endure and act rather than push for this now.
Previous hexagram
46. Pushing Upward
ascent
Next hexagram
48. The Well
the source
Last updated: August 30, 2026
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