水山蹇Jiǎn · Obstruction
坎上 · 艮下Water over Mountain
卦辞The Judgement
蹇：利西南，不利东北；利见大人，贞吉。Jiǎn. Favorable to the southwest, unfavorable to the northeast. Favorable to see a great person. Steadfast and upright: good fortune.
前路艰难、困难重重、寸步难行。艮山在下属土居东北，坎水在上属水居北方——山上有水，水在山上流不动，山被水泡着也动不了。土克水，但这里是水把山困住了——方向不对，越走越堵。但这种艰难是在告诉你——往哪个方向能走（西南），哪个方向走不通（东北）。要找有德有能的人帮你，回头反省自己——困境是修行的机会。
The road ahead is hard, obstacles piled up, every step difficult. The lower trigram Gèn is Mountain, element Earth, in the northeast; the upper trigram Kǎn is Water, element Water, in the north — water on top of the mountain, unable to flow, and the mountain too is stuck, soaked and stalled. Earth checks Water, but here it's the water that traps the mountain — wrong direction, and the further you go the more blocked you get. But this difficulty is telling you which way you can move (southwest) and which way you can't (northeast). Find a capable, principled person to help you, and turn inward to examine yourself — hardship is an opportunity for cultivation.
大象The Image
《象》曰：山上有水，蹇；君子以反身修德。Water rests upon the mountain: the image of Obstruction. The noble one, accordingly, turns within and cultivates his own character.
六爻The Six Lines
初六，往蹇，来誉。Going forward: obstruction. Coming back: praise.
现在不要前进，停下来等待——艮山初爻，山脚被水泡着——往前走就是泥潭，停住反而会得到赞誉，会得到赞誉。能识时务、不硬冲的人最聪明。
Don't advance now — Gèn's Mountain, first line, the mountain's foot soaked in water — forward is a quagmire, but to halt earns praise — stop and wait, and you'll be praised. Those who can read the moment and not force the charge are the wise ones.
六二，王臣蹇蹇，匪躬之故。The king's servant, in obstruction upon obstruction — not for his own ends.
为大义不惜劳苦地奋斗——艮山居中，山体最硬——不是为了自己，是为了更高的目标在硬扛，不是为自己，是为了更高的目标。这种付出最终会有回报。
Striving through hardship for a great cause — Gèn's Mountain centered, the body of the mountain at its hardest — not for your own sake, but bearing it for a higher aim — not for yourself, but for something higher. This kind of giving will, in the end, be repaid.
九三，往蹇，来反。Going forward: obstruction. Coming back to one's place.
不要硬往前——艮山唯一的阳爻，最硬的那块石头——硬冲会碎，回头反而有人高兴，回头是上策。回头不是软弱，是有人会替你高兴你的明智。
Don't push ahead — the one yang line of Gèn, the hardest rock — charge ahead and it shatters; turn back and there are those who are glad — turning back is the better move. To turn back is not weakness; there are people glad of your good sense.
六四，往蹇，来连。Going forward: obstruction. Coming back: union.
前进就有阻碍，回头反而能联合更多人。坎水初爻——水刚漫上来，回头才能连成一片。困境中要懂得团结，单干没出路。
To advance meets obstruction; turning back lets you join with more people. Kǎn's Water, first line — the water just rising; only by turning back can you link up into one body. In hardship, know how to band together — going it alone leads nowhere.
九五，大蹇，朋来。Great obstruction. Friends come.
处境最艰难的时候，坎水居中，水深最大——但水深到极点，真正的朋友会来帮你，朋友们都来帮你了。困境中能聚拢真朋友，是最大的财富。
At the very hardest moment, Kǎn's Water centered, the water at its deepest — but at the depth's extreme, true friends come to help — your friends all come to your aid. The ability to gather true friends in adversity is the greatest wealth of all.
上六，往蹇，来硕；吉，利见大人。Going forward: obstruction. Coming back: a great achievement. Good fortune. Favorable to see a great person.
前进走不通，回头反而获得大成就。坎水到极处——水到尽头，回头一看，来路才是大路。从一个有威望的人那里得到帮助——主动求助是脱困的关键。
Forward is blocked, but turning back wins a great achievement. Kǎn's Water at its extreme — the water reaches its end, and looking back, the road you came by was the great road all along. Getting help from a person of standing — taking the initiative to seek aid is the key to getting out.