Hexagram 18 Gu - Complete Guide Part 2: The Six Lines and the Stages of Corrective Work
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BY NICOLE LAU
Hexagram 18 Gu - Complete Guide Part 2: The Six Lines and the Stages of Corrective Work
Gu’s six lines tell the complete story of genuine corrective work across generations — from the capable son who corrects the father’s corruption, through the difficulty of correcting the mother’s corruption, to the person who transcends service to kings and princes and sets lofty aims beyond the immediate work of correction. The journey of Gu is the journey from inherited decay to genuine renewal.
Line 1 — Six at the Bottom: Setting Right What the Father Has Spoiled
Setting right what the father has spoiled. If there is a son, no blame rests upon the departed father. Danger. In the end, good fortune.
The first line of Gu describes the beginning of genuine corrective work — the capable son who sets right what the father has spoiled. The father’s corruption is the inherited decay that the son must address: the accumulated neglect, the unattended affairs, the genuine inner virtue that has been allowed to deteriorate. If there is a son, no blame rests upon the departed father: the genuine corrective work of the capable son restores the genuine inner virtue of the family line — the father’s corruption is not a permanent stain but a temporary decay that genuine corrective work can address. Danger: genuine corrective work is not without risk. In the end, good fortune: the genuine corrective work of the capable son finds good fortune in the end.
- Stage: The beginning of genuine corrective work — setting right the inherited decay of the father
- Action: Address the inherited decay with genuine corrective work; do not flee from the danger of genuine correction
- Wisdom: Danger, but in the end good fortune — genuine corrective work is worth the risk
When this line appears: Address the inherited decay. Genuine corrective work is not without risk — but in the end, good fortune.
Line 2 — Nine in the Second Place: Setting Right What the Mother Has Spoiled
Setting right what the mother has spoiled. One must not be too persevering.
The second line of Gu describes the more delicate corrective work of addressing the mother’s corruption — the decay that is grounded in genuine care and genuine love rather than neglect or malice. One must not be too persevering: the corrective work of the mother’s corruption requires a gentler touch than the corrective work of the father’s corruption. The mother’s corruption is not the corruption of neglect but the corruption of excessive care — the smothering love that prevents genuine growth. The corrective work of Line 2 requires the genuine gentleness of the wind: penetrating but not forcing, correcting but not crushing.
- Stage: The delicate corrective work — addressing the corruption of excessive care
- Action: Correct with genuine gentleness; do not be too persevering in the correction of the mother’s corruption
- Wisdom: One must not be too persevering — genuine gentleness is the key to correcting the corruption of excessive care
When this line appears: Correct with genuine gentleness. Do not be too persevering — the corruption of excessive care requires a gentler touch than the corruption of neglect.
Line 3 — Nine in the Third Place: Setting Right What the Father Has Spoiled — Some Remorse
Setting right what the father has spoiled. There will be a little remorse. No great blame.
The third line of Gu describes the corrective work that is done with some excess — the son who corrects the father’s corruption with a little too much force, a little too much zeal, a little too much of the genuine corrective energy of the wind. There will be a little remorse: the excess of genuine corrective zeal generates a little remorse — the recognition that the correction was done with more force than the situation required. No great blame: the excess of genuine corrective zeal is not a catastrophe; it is a natural consequence of the genuine commitment to corrective work.
- Stage: Corrective work with some excess — a little too much zeal
- Action: Continue the corrective work; accept the little remorse of excess zeal as a natural consequence
- Wisdom: No great blame — the excess of genuine corrective zeal is not a catastrophe
When this line appears: Continue the corrective work. A little remorse from excess zeal — but no great blame. The genuine commitment to corrective work is worth the occasional excess.
Line 4 — Six in the Fourth Place: Tolerating What the Father Has Spoiled
Tolerating what the father has spoiled. In continuing one sees humiliation.
The fourth line of Gu describes the failure of genuine corrective work — the person who tolerates the father’s corruption rather than addressing it. In continuing one sees humiliation: the person who tolerates the decay — who allows the corruption to continue rather than engaging it with genuine corrective work — finds humiliation as the natural consequence. This is the most important warning of Gu: the failure to engage genuine decay with genuine corrective work is not neutral; it is the active choice to allow the decay to continue, and the humiliation of that choice is the natural consequence.
- Stage: The failure of genuine corrective work — tolerating the decay rather than addressing it
- Action: Do not tolerate the decay; engage it with genuine corrective work
- Danger: Humiliation — the natural consequence of tolerating decay rather than addressing it
- Wisdom: In continuing one sees humiliation — the failure to correct is not neutral
When this line appears: Do not tolerate the decay. The humiliation of continued tolerance is the natural consequence of the failure to engage genuine decay with genuine corrective work.
Line 5 — Six in the Fifth Place: Setting Right What the Father Has Spoiled — One Meets with Praise
Setting right what the father has spoiled. One meets with praise.
The ruler’s position in Gu — the person who sets right what the father has spoiled and meets with genuine praise. This is the most auspicious line of Gu: the genuine corrective work of the ruler finds the genuine praise of the people. The ruler who engages the inherited decay with genuine corrective work — who uses the genuine penetrating intelligence of the wind and the genuine stillness of the mountain to restore genuine inner virtue — finds the genuine praise of the people as the natural consequence.
- Stage: The ruler’s genuine corrective work — setting right the inherited decay and meeting with praise
- Action: Engage the inherited decay with genuine corrective work; use the genuine penetrating intelligence of the wind
- Wisdom: One meets with praise — the genuine corrective work of the ruler finds the genuine praise of the people
When this line appears: Engage the inherited decay with genuine corrective work. The genuine praise of the people is the natural consequence of genuine corrective work done well.
Line 6 — Nine at the Top: Not Serving Kings and Princes
He does not serve kings and princes. He sets himself higher goals.
The supreme line of Gu — the person who transcends the immediate work of correcting inherited decay and sets lofty aims beyond the service of kings and princes. This is the most philosophically rich line of Gu: the person who has completed the genuine corrective work of the lower five lines finds that the genuine inner virtue cultivated through genuine corrective work transcends the immediate context of the correction. He sets himself higher goals: the genuine corrective work of Gu is not an end in itself but the foundation of the genuine higher aims that genuine inner virtue makes possible.
- Stage: Transcending the immediate corrective work — setting lofty aims beyond service to kings and princes
- Action: Complete the genuine corrective work; set lofty aims beyond the immediate context of the correction
- Wisdom: He sets himself higher goals — genuine corrective work is the foundation of genuine higher aims
When this line appears: You have completed the genuine corrective work. Set lofty aims beyond the immediate context. Genuine corrective work is the foundation of genuine higher aims.
The Complete Journey: A Summary
- Line 1: Setting right the father’s corruption — danger, but in the end good fortune
- Line 2: Setting right the mother’s corruption — genuine gentleness; one must not be too persevering
- Line 3: Corrective work with some excess — a little remorse, but no great blame
- Line 4: Tolerating the decay — humiliation; do not tolerate what must be corrected
- Line 5: The ruler’s genuine corrective work — one meets with praise
- Line 6: Transcending the immediate — setting lofty aims beyond service to kings and princes
The consistent theme: genuine corrective work is not passive tolerance of decay but active engagement with the genuine penetrating intelligence of the wind and the genuine stillness of the mountain. The person who engages genuine decay with genuine corrective work finds good fortune; the person who tolerates genuine decay finds humiliation. And the person who completes genuine corrective work finds the genuine higher aims that genuine inner virtue makes possible.
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 Gu in Practice
- Part 4: Philosophy — Gu in Confucian, Taoist, and Political Thought
- Part 5: Practical Applications — Organizational Renewal, Leadership, Personal Correction, Generational Healing
- Part 6: Modern Interpretations — Organizational Decay, Systems Repair, Trauma Healing, Contemporary Relevance
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