62–Thunder over Mountain: Small Beyond

Translation of the Hexagram title

• Wing: Conscientiousness
• Huang: Little Exceeding
• Pearson: Minor Surplus
• Hinton: Small Beyond

Decision:

Pearson: “Minor excess. Success. Persistence is effective. You can accomplish small goals but not great deeds. A flying bird leaves a song. Rising is inappropriate, descending apropos: great good fortune.

Image:

Huang: “Thunder above Mountain. An image of Little Exceeding. In correspondence with this, the Superior Person weighs the pros and cons of his conduct: Excessive humility is better than excessive arrogance in behavior. Excessive sorrow is better than excessive expense in a funeral. Excessive frugality is better than excessive luxury in spending.”

Hinton: “Above mountains, thunder: that is small beyond. Using it, the noble-minded move beyond veneration in their actions, beyond grief in their losses, beyond economy in their expenditures:

Personal Reflections

When we are on the mountain, we need just that small bit more to keep going. And each decision matters since it can put you on one side or the other of the precipice. Tempting as it is to soar above the mountain, that really is not impossible. We should enjoy the song of our slow and careful steps.

Return to Index of Hexagrams