Hexagram 60 of 64 · Water ☵ over Lake ☱
Limitation
Jié
Limitation — the bamboo’s joints that let it grow tall; boundaries that give form, and the warning against boundaries so harsh they cannot be kept.
The Judgment
Limitation: success. Galling limitation must not be persevered in. Limits give form and strength — but limits that are too bitter break the one who keeps them.
The Image
Water over the lake: the lake holds only so much water; beyond its limit it overflows. The wise person creates number and measure, and examines the nature of virtue and correct conduct — limits are made consciously, not suffered.
Hexagram 60 Meaning
The character is the joint of a bamboo stalk — the nodes that divide it into sections and, precisely because of that division, let it grow far taller than it otherwise could. Limitation is the hexagram of discipline, budgets, boundaries, moderation: the structure that gives freedom. Its second sentence is the balancing wisdom — galling limitation, the rule so harsh it becomes bitter, must not be persisted in. The right limit is one you can live inside. The wrong limit breaks either the rule or the person.
Limitation in Love
Boundaries in love — the limits that make a relationship safe and the ones that suffocate it. The hexagram favours setting clear, agreed limits: on time, on money, on what is acceptable. It warns equally against the partner who imposes galling restrictions and against the one who accepts them. Moderation is the tone: not too much, not too little, a rhythm you can both keep. Line 3 describes the person who does not know limits and comes to grief; line 5 describes sweet limitation, the discipline that feels like care.
Limitation in Career & Money
Budgets, deadlines, scope, the discipline of saying no. Limitation favours the leader who sets clear, achievable constraints and lives inside them. It warns against the rigid regime that nobody can actually follow — the rule that exists to be broken is worse than no rule. Know what you can hold. The lake that tries to hold the ocean overflows.
What to Do
Set limits and keep them — they are what let you grow tall. Make them livable, not galling; a boundary too bitter to keep is not a boundary. Moderation in all things, including moderation.
Limitation as a Yes or No
maybe
Yes within limits — the answer depends on whether you can keep to a clear, sustainable boundary.
The Trigrams
Above: Water (坎 Kǎn) — the abysmal — danger, depth, the middle son.
Below: Lake (兌 Duì) — the joyous — pleasure, openness, the youngest daughter.
The Six Lines of Limitation
Read when the line is moving (a 6 or 9 in the cast). Bottom line first.
- 1
Line 1 · yang
Not going out of the door and the courtyard is without blame: stay within your bounds for now — it is right.
- 2
Line 2 · yang
Not going out of the gate and the courtyard brings misfortune: the moment to act has come — hesitation is the mistake.
- 3
Line 3 · yin
He who knows no limitation will have cause to lament, no blame: excess brings its own regret — learn from it.
- 4
Line 4 · yin
Contented limitation, success: limits that are natural and comfortable — they work.
- 5
Line 5 · yang
Sweet limitation brings good fortune, going brings esteem: discipline that is graceful and applied to oneself first — admired.
- 6
Line 6 · yin
Galling limitation, perseverance brings misfortune, remorse disappears: too severe — relax the rule before it breaks something.
Will Limitation Appear in Your Cast?
Cast the coins on your own question — free, instant, with every moving line explained.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does hexagram 60, Limitation, mean?
The character is the joint of a bamboo stalk — the nodes that divide it into sections and, precisely because of that division, let it grow far taller than it otherwise could. Limitation is the hexagram of discipline, budgets, boundaries, moderation: the structure that gives freedom. Its second sentence is the balancing wisdom — galling limitation, the rule so harsh it becomes bitter, must not be persisted in. The right limit is one you can live inside. The wrong limit breaks either the rule or the person.
What does Limitation mean in love?
Boundaries in love — the limits that make a relationship safe and the ones that suffocate it. The hexagram favours setting clear, agreed limits: on time, on money, on what is acceptable. It warns equally against the partner who imposes galling restrictions and against the one who accepts them. Moderation is the tone: not too much, not too little, a rhythm you can both keep. Line 3 describes the person who does not know limits and comes to grief; line 5 describes sweet limitation, the discipline that feels like care.
What does Limitation mean for career and money?
Budgets, deadlines, scope, the discipline of saying no. Limitation favours the leader who sets clear, achievable constraints and lives inside them. It warns against the rigid regime that nobody can actually follow — the rule that exists to be broken is worse than no rule. Know what you can hold. The lake that tries to hold the ocean overflows.
Is hexagram 60 a yes or a no?
Limitation answers "maybe". Yes within limits — the answer depends on whether you can keep to a clear, sustainable boundary.
Previous hexagram
59. Dispersion
dissolution
Next hexagram
61. Inner Truth
sincerity
Last updated: August 30, 2026
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