20. Contemplation
觀 · Guān · La Contemplazione · lines from the bottom: 000011
The two trigrams
The Judgement
Contemplation sets before you an image of great composure: the worshipper who has washed his hands but has not yet presented the offerings. It is that suspended moment, before the gesture, when sincerity is at its height and bearing commands respect from those who watch. The text tells you that the way you carry yourself, right now, counts for more than what you do: you are being observed, at the office, in the family, among friends, and those who watch take their bearings from you. If these days you feel in the position of someone who must set the example, or on the contrary of someone studying another person to decide whether to trust them, this hexagram asks two things of you at once: sincerity within and dignity without. It is not the time to act quickly, but to look and to let yourself be looked at with seriousness. The practical advice is to tend your conduct before any word: arrive on time, keep what you promised, do not play a part. Authority is not declared; it shows itself in the moment when you have not yet done anything and already everyone understands who you are.
Source: James Legge, The Yî King (Sacred Books of the East, vol. XVI) (1882) · read the original passage
The Image
The image is that of wind moving above the earth: it passes everywhere, touches everything, nothing escapes its breath. The ancient kings, the text says, travelled the regions of the kingdom to see how people lived, and only then set forth their instructions. If you hold a role of responsibility, or simply have to make a decision that concerns others, this image asks you to look before you speak. The practical advice: go and see for yourself, listen to those who live the situation every day, ask questions. The right rules are born of observation, not of the desk.
Source: James Legge, The Yî King (Sacred Books of the East, vol. XVI) (1882) · read the original passage
The six lines
First line
The first line shows the looking of a lad: a superficial gaze that does not see far. The text is indulgent with those who are young or inexperienced and does not blame them; but for someone with a role and a maturity, such a gaze is cause for regret. If you are forming an opinion about a person or a situation, be careful not to stop at appearances, at the first glance, at gossip. The advice is to take the time to look deeper before you judge.
Source: James Legge, The Yî King (Sacred Books of the East, vol. XVI) (1882) · read the original passage
Second line
The second line shows someone peeping out from behind a door: watching from afar, in hiding, without exposing themselves. The text says it would be fine only if it were the reserve of someone who lives apart by choice; for someone who ought to take part, it is too little. If you notice yourself observing other people's lives, or a possibility that interests you, always staying on the threshold without ever stepping in, be careful: little can be understood from behind a door. The advice is to come out into the open and look at things up close.
Source: James Legge, The Yî King (Sacred Books of the East, vol. XVI) (1882) · read the original passage
Third line
The third line shows someone looking at the course of their own life and deciding, on the basis of what they see, whether to advance or withdraw. It is an honest look at oneself, without illusions and without harshness: where I have got to, what I have done, what I can still do. If you are at a crossroads, at work or in a relationship, the advice is not to decide on the basis of what you would like to be, but of what you really are. Whoever observes themselves sincerely knows when it is time to push and when it is time to step back.
Source: James Legge, The Yî King (Sacred Books of the East, vol. XVI) (1882) · read the original passage
Fourth line
The fourth line shows someone contemplating the glory of the kingdom, and concluding that for a person like them it is advantageous to seek to be a guest of the king. It is the portrait of someone who, looking closely at an organisation, an environment, a community, recognises its worth and feels the wish to be part of it. If you are weighing up a company, a city, a group, and what you see convinces you, do not remain a spectator: this is the right moment to put yourself forward, apply, ask to join. Do it with the dignity of someone who has something to offer.
Source: James Legge, The Yî King (Sacred Books of the East, vol. XVI) (1882) · read the original passage
Fifth line
The fifth line shows someone contemplating the course of their own life, and doing so as a person of worth: in this way they fall into no error. It is the position of someone who holds authority and knows that their conduct is the mirror in which others look at themselves. The way to examine yourself, the commentary says, is to look at the people who depend on you: how they are, how they behave, what the air around you is like. If you lead a team or a family, the advice is to read in their faces the judgment on yourself, and to correct yourself before they have to say it.
Source: James Legge, The Yî King (Sacred Books of the East, vol. XVI) (1882) · read the original passage
Sixth line
The sixth line shows someone contemplating their own character to see whether it is truly that of a person of worth, and falling into no error. We are outside the action, at the top, where there are no more posts to hold or results to obtain; only the question of who one has become remains. If you find yourself in a phase of detachment, after an appointment, a separation, a goal reached, do not think you are finished: the mind is not yet at rest. The advice is to devote this time to a sincere examination of yourself, without complacency and without needless severity.