Hexagram 10 Lu - Complete Guide Part 2: The Six Lines and the Stages of Treading
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BY NICOLE LAU
Hexagram 10 Lu - Complete Guide Part 2: The Six Lines and the Stages of Treading
Lu's six lines tell the complete story of careful conduct - from the simple, unpretentious treading of the first line, through the dangerous inaccuracy of the third line (the single yin line that treads where it does not belong), to the resolute treading of the fifth line and the complete examination of conduct that brings supreme good fortune at the sixth. Each line reveals a different quality of treading and a different wisdom about how to navigate the genuinely dangerous terrain of the tiger's tail.
Line 1 - Nine at the Bottom: Simple Treading
Simple conduct. Progress without blame.
The very beginning of the treading: the first yang line treads simply, without pretension, without complexity, without the elaborate performance of someone trying to impress. Simple conduct - the plain, unpretentious treading of the person who knows their place and moves accordingly. Progress without blame: the simple treading of Line 1 makes genuine progress precisely because it does not attract the tiger's attention. The person who treads simply - who does not pretend to be more than they are, who does not perform the elaborate conduct of someone trying to impress the powerful - is the person who moves through the dangerous terrain without being noticed and without being bitten.
- Stage: The simple beginning - unpretentious, plain conduct that makes genuine progress
- Action: Tread simply; do not pretend to be more than you are; do not perform elaborate conduct
- Danger: Pretension - the elaborate performance that attracts the tiger's attention
- Wisdom: Simple, unpretentious conduct makes genuine progress without attracting danger
When this line appears: Begin simply. Do not pretend to be more than you are. The simple, unpretentious conduct makes genuine progress without blame.
Line 2 - Nine in the Second Place: The Quiet Person's Smooth Path
Treading a smooth and level path. The perseverance of a dark man brings good fortune.
The second yang line: the quiet, self-contained person who treads a smooth and level path. The dark man (the person who is inwardly focused, who does not seek external recognition, who is content with their own inner life) treads a smooth path because they do not seek the dangerous terrain of the tiger's tail. The perseverance of the dark man brings good fortune: the person who maintains their quiet, self-contained conduct through all circumstances - who does not seek the recognition of the powerful, who does not try to impress the great, who is content with the smooth and level path of their own genuine life - is the person who finds genuine good fortune.
- Stage: The quiet path - the self-contained person who treads the smooth and level path of their own genuine life
- Action: Maintain quiet, self-contained conduct; do not seek the recognition of the powerful; be content with the smooth and level path
- Danger: Seeking the dangerous terrain of the tiger's tail out of ambition or the desire for recognition
- Wisdom: The quiet, self-contained person who is content with their own genuine life treads the smoothest path
When this line appears: Maintain quiet, self-contained conduct. Do not seek external recognition. The smooth and level path of your own genuine life brings good fortune through perseverance.
Line 3 - Six in the Third Place: The One-Eyed and the Lame
A one-eyed person is able to see, a lame person is able to tread. He treads on the tail of the tiger. The tiger bites the person. Misfortune. Thus does a warrior act for his great prince.
The third position: the single yin line - the most dangerous position in Lu. The one-eyed person who thinks they can see clearly, the lame person who thinks they can tread firmly - the person whose self-assessment is dangerously inaccurate. The one-eyed person can see, but not clearly enough for the dangerous terrain of the tiger's tail. The lame person can tread, but not firmly enough for the dangerous terrain of the tiger's tail. They tread on the tiger's tail anyway - and the tiger bites.
The warrior who acts for his great prince is the image of the person of Line 3: the person who has genuine courage and genuine loyalty but whose self-assessment is dangerously inaccurate. The warrior who charges the tiger on behalf of the prince is brave - but the bravery without accurate self-knowledge produces the misfortune of the tiger's bite. The courage of Line 3 is not in question; the accuracy of the self-assessment is.
- Stage: The dangerous inaccuracy - the person whose self-assessment does not match their actual capability
- Action: Develop accurate self-knowledge before treading the dangerous terrain; do not tread where your capability does not genuinely reach
- Danger: The dangerous inaccuracy of the one-eyed and the lame - the courage without accurate self-knowledge that produces the tiger's bite
- Wisdom: Accurate self-knowledge is the prerequisite for safe treading on the tiger's tail; courage without accurate self-knowledge produces misfortune
When this line appears: Examine your self-assessment honestly. Are you genuinely capable of the treading you are attempting? The one-eyed person can see, but not clearly enough. The lame person can tread, but not firmly enough. Develop accurate self-knowledge before proceeding.
Line 4 - Nine in the Fourth Place: Treading on the Tiger's Tail with Caution
He treads on the tail of the tiger. Caution and circumspection lead ultimately to good fortune.
The fourth yang line: the person who is genuinely treading on the tiger's tail - who is in the genuinely dangerous situation - but who approaches it with genuine caution and genuine circumspection. Unlike Line 3 (whose self-assessment is dangerously inaccurate), Line 4 knows exactly where they are: on the tiger's tail, in genuine danger. And the response to this accurate self-knowledge is genuine caution and genuine circumspection - the careful, respectful, light-footed conduct that the tiger does not find threatening.
Caution and circumspection lead ultimately to good fortune: the person who treads on the tiger's tail with genuine caution and genuine circumspection - who is fully aware of the danger and who conducts themselves accordingly - is the person who ultimately achieves good fortune. The good fortune is not immediate; it comes ultimately, after the careful, circumspect treading has navigated the dangerous terrain successfully.
- Stage: The genuine danger - treading on the tiger's tail with accurate self-knowledge and genuine caution
- Action: Tread with genuine caution and genuine circumspection; be fully aware of the danger and conduct yourself accordingly
- Danger: Losing the caution and circumspection in the midst of the dangerous terrain - becoming careless after the initial careful treading
- Wisdom: Genuine caution and genuine circumspection in the face of genuine danger lead ultimately to good fortune
When this line appears: You are in genuinely dangerous terrain. Tread with genuine caution and genuine circumspection. Be fully aware of the danger. The good fortune comes ultimately - after the careful, circumspect treading has navigated the danger successfully.
Line 5 - Nine in the Fifth Place: Resolute Treading
Resolute conduct. Perseverance with awareness of danger.
The fifth yang line: the ruler's position, the position of genuine authority. The resolute conduct of Line 5 is the conduct of the person who has the genuine authority to tread the dangerous terrain - who has the genuine strength, the genuine wisdom, and the genuine self-knowledge to tread on the tiger's tail with resolute, decisive conduct. But the warning is immediate: perseverance with awareness of danger. The resolute conduct of Line 5 is not the reckless boldness of the person who has forgotten the tiger; it is the resolute conduct of the person who is fully aware of the tiger and who treads with resolute decisiveness precisely because they are fully aware of the danger.
The distinction between Line 4 (caution and circumspection) and Line 5 (resolute conduct with awareness of danger) is the distinction between the person who is navigating the dangerous terrain carefully and the person who is leading through the dangerous terrain resolutely. The leader of Line 5 cannot afford the caution of Line 4; the leader must tread resolutely, decisively, with full awareness of the danger. But the awareness of danger must never be lost: the resolute conduct without awareness of danger is the reckless boldness that produces the tiger's bite.
- Stage: The resolute leadership - treading with resolute decisiveness and full awareness of danger
- Action: Tread resolutely and decisively; maintain full awareness of the danger throughout
- Danger: Losing the awareness of danger in the midst of resolute conduct - the reckless boldness that forgets the tiger
- Wisdom: Resolute conduct with full awareness of danger is the conduct of genuine leadership in dangerous terrain
When this line appears: You are in the position of genuine leadership in dangerous terrain. Tread resolutely and decisively. But maintain full awareness of the danger. The perseverance with awareness of danger is the conduct of genuine leadership.
Line 6 - Nine at the Top: The Complete Examination of Conduct
Look to your conduct and weigh the favorable signs. When everything is fulfilled, supreme good fortune comes.
The sixth and final yang line: the completion of the treading. Look to your conduct and weigh the favorable signs: the person of Line 6 has completed the treading of the dangerous terrain and is now examining the conduct of the entire journey. Was the treading simple and unpretentious (Line 1)? Was the path smooth and level (Line 2)? Was the self-assessment accurate (Line 3 warning)? Was the caution and circumspection genuine (Line 4)? Was the resolute conduct maintained with full awareness of danger (Line 5)? When everything is fulfilled - when the complete examination of conduct reveals that the treading has been genuine throughout - supreme good fortune comes.
Line 6 is the most auspicious line of Lu - but only for the person whose conduct has been genuinely fulfilled throughout the entire journey of treading. The supreme good fortune of Line 6 is not a gift; it is the natural consequence of the complete, genuine fulfillment of the conduct of Lu. The person who has treaded simply (Line 1), quietly (Line 2), accurately (Line 3 avoided), cautiously (Line 4), and resolutely (Line 5) is the person whose complete examination of conduct reveals the favorable signs that bring supreme good fortune.
- Stage: The complete examination - reviewing the entire journey of treading and weighing the favorable signs
- Action: Examine your conduct honestly and completely; weigh the favorable signs; recognize when everything is genuinely fulfilled
- Danger: The incomplete examination - the person who claims supreme good fortune without genuinely examining whether the conduct has been fulfilled throughout
- Wisdom: Supreme good fortune is the natural consequence of genuinely fulfilled conduct throughout the entire journey of treading
When this line appears: Examine your conduct honestly and completely. Has the treading been simple, quiet, accurate, cautious, and resolute throughout? When everything is genuinely fulfilled, supreme good fortune comes naturally.
The Complete Journey: A Summary
- Line 1: Simple treading - unpretentious conduct; progress without blame
- Line 2: The quiet person's smooth path - self-contained conduct; perseverance brings good fortune
- Line 3: The one-eyed and the lame - dangerous inaccuracy of self-assessment; the tiger bites; misfortune
- Line 4: Treading on the tiger's tail with caution - genuine caution and circumspection; ultimately good fortune
- Line 5: Resolute treading - resolute conduct with full awareness of danger; perseverance
- Line 6: The complete examination - look to your conduct and weigh the favorable signs; supreme good fortune
The consistent theme throughout: the quality of the treading determines the outcome. The simple, unpretentious treading (Line 1), the quiet self-contained treading (Line 2), the cautious circumspect treading (Line 4), and the resolute aware treading (Line 5) all lead to good fortune. The inaccurate treading of Line 3 - the one-eyed and the lame who tread where they do not genuinely belong - leads to the tiger's bite. And the complete examination of Line 6 brings supreme good fortune to the person whose conduct has been genuinely fulfilled throughout.
What Is Next in This Series
- Part 1: The Symbol and Structure
- Part 2 (This Article): The Six Lines - Complete Line-by-Line Commentary
- Part 3: Divination Guide - How to Read Lu in Practice
- Part 4: Philosophy - Lu in Confucian, Taoist, and Ritual Thought
- Part 5: Practical Applications - Career, Negotiation, Social Navigation, Personal Conduct
- Part 6: Modern Interpretations - Emotional Intelligence, Power Dynamics, Contemporary Relevance
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As you walk the careful path of Hexagram 10, each line reveals a deeper layer of your own treading, inviting you to align your steps with celestial wisdom and mindful intention. To further refine your practice, explore the 40 manifestation rituals intention to reality for grounding these insights into daily action, or let the 13 new moon rituals lunar beginnings guide you through fresh cycles of self-awareness. For those drawn to the symbolic language of tarot, the tarot journaling prompts 100 questions for self discovery can illuminate the shadows each line casts, while the 30 day tarot practice workbook offers structured reflection on the stages of your journey. Embrace the stillness of the void whisper subconscious drift audio wav pdf to quiet the mind and hear the whispers of the Tao as you tread with grace.
