Dui :: Pleasuring

Offerings: Auspicious

兌

䷹

6 :: first

Pleasuring in harmony.

You experience joy. Humbly taking pleasure in a simple life is truly rewarding. Simple friendship is a delight.

9 :: second

Pleasuring in confidence.

You enjoy doing the right thing. There is pleasure in being capable, honest, and loyal.

6 :: third

Excess pleasuring. Flattery. Misfortune.

Too much joy is harmful to your heart. A selfish interest in pleasure leads to artifice, dishonesty, and flattery and that, in turn, leads to loss.

9 :: fourth

Displeasure. There are disagreements. Illness is contained. Ultimate success.

You take pleasure in new or renewed alliances. In this case, however, alliance is "hard won" -- there is much to negotiate. Disagreements may arise, but ulti-mately, a new alliance takes place. Illness may arise, but ultimately, there is recovery.

9 :: fifth

Pleasuring in dominance. Sacrificing captives. Danger.

Do not to seek pleasure too aggressively. Taking sadistic pleasure in winning and stripping others of their power is not a sustainable form of pleasure.

6 :: top

Pleasuring in following.

Joy is a gift from Heaven (ancestors) and you know it. Happiness that is either gained or made through effort does not compare favorably with the happiness that is simply found in ordinary daily life.

Image

Dui is about the simple nature of pleasure-an exchange with nature. When ordinary happiness is found, it can expand and turn into the more profound feeling of joy. Joy¹ is the radiance that rises naturally from the happiness derived from synchronicity and harmony. Dui is delicate and not a thing to be won by force.

Auspices

Generally auspicious and associated with a light-handed approach to things. It is not how you find pleasure, but how you express it that will determine the longevity of your happiness.

Good for travel, vacations, education, romance, examinations, and artwork.

Bad for marriage and family matters.

Comment

Dui has the shortest line statements of any hexagram in the text. The pithiness of the line statements says volumes about the Zhouyi's idea of pleasure. It tells us that pleasure is not the outcome of effort or a sensible goal in life. It even goes so far as to say, that if we make personal pleasure our goal, we will find only danger and loss and yet Dui is not pessimistic. Instead, we are told that the secret of pleasure is that it is found in the simple, ordinary appreciation of life as-it-is.

Other Correspondences

Business: New ventures, changing jobs, and promotions.

Disharmonies: Kidney qi deficiency, neurosis, insomnia, asthma, and tuberculosis.

Prognosis: Very Good. The patient enjoys the treatment and recovers quickly.