Annotated Book of Changes · Hexagram 48

井jing

The Well

卦

Hexagram Statement

卦辭

經 Classic Text

井巽下坎上井，改邑不改井，无喪无得，往來井井。汔至亦未繘井，羸其瓶，凶。「无喪无得」者，此明井用有常德，終日引汲，未嘗言損。終日泉注，未嘗言益，故曰无喪无得也。「往來井井」者，此明性常。井井，絜靜之貌也。往者來者，皆使絜靜，不以人有往來改其洗濯之性，故曰往來井井也。「汔至亦未繘井，羸其瓶，凶」者，此下明井，誡言井功難成也。汔，幾也。幾，近也。繘，綆也。雖汲水以至井上，然綆出猶未離井口，而鉤羸其瓶而覆之也。棄其方成之功，雖有出井之勞，而與未汲不異，喻今人行常德，須善始令終。若有初无終，則必致凶咎，故曰「汔至亦未繘井，羸其瓶，凶」。言亦者，不必之辭，言不必有如此不克終者。計覆一瓶之水，何足言凶？以喻人之修德不成，又云但取喻人之德行不恒，不能慎終如始，故就人言凶也。

Translation

Jing (The Well) — Xun below, Kan above

The Well: One may change the city but cannot change the well.

There is no loss and no gain.

Those who come and go find the well always the same.

When nearly arrived, if the rope has not yet reached the well,

or if one snags and overturns the pitcher — misfortune.

'No loss and no gain' — this clarifies that the well's function possesses constant virtue. All day long one draws water from it, yet never speaks of diminishment. All day long the spring pours forth, yet never speaks of increase. Therefore it says 'no loss and no gain.'

'Those who come and go find the well always the same' — this clarifies the constancy of its nature. 'Well, well' (jing jing) describes the appearance of purity and stillness.

Those who go and those who come are all made pure and still; it does not alter its cleansing nature on account of people coming and going. '

'When nearly arrived, if the rope has not yet reached the well, or if one snags and overturns the pitcher — misfortune' — this passage below clarifies the well, admonishing that the well's work is difficult to complete.

' Even though one draws water and brings it to the top of the well, if the rope has not yet cleared the well's mouth and the hook snags and overturns the pitcher — one discards the work that was almost completed.

Though there was the labor of drawing from the well, it is no different from never having drawn at all. This is an analogy: when people practice constant virtue, they must bring good beginnings to a good end. If there is a beginning but no end, then misfortune and blame will surely follow.

' The word 'also' (yi) is a word expressing uncertainty, saying that there are not necessarily such cases of failing to reach completion. Considered merely as spilling one pitcher of water, how could that be worth calling misfortune?

It is used as an analogy for a person whose cultivation of virtue does not reach completion.

It further says this merely takes up the analogy of a person whose virtuous conduct lacks constancy and who cannot be as careful at the end as at the beginning — therefore with respect to people it speaks of misfortune.

注 Wang Bi's Commentary

井以不變為德者也。德有常也。不渝變也。已來至而未出井也。井道以已出為功也。幾至而覆，與未汲同也。

Translation

The well takes constancy as its virtue.

Its virtue possesses constancy.

It does not alter or change.

The water has come up but has not yet left the well.

The Way of the well takes having already emerged as its accomplishment. To be nearly there and then overturn is the same as never having drawn at all.

疏 Kong Yingda's Subcommentary

正義曰：井者，物象之名也。古者穿地取水，以瓶引汲，謂之為井。此卦明君子脩德養民，有常不變，終始無改，養物不窮，莫過乎井，故以脩德之卦取譬名之井焉。「改邑不改井」者，以下明井有常德，此明井體有常，邑雖遷移而井體无改，故云改邑不改井也。

Translation

The Correct Meaning states: 'Well' (jing) is the name of a physical image. In antiquity, people dug into the ground to obtain water, drawing it up with a pitcher — this was called a well.

This hexagram illuminates how the noble person cultivates virtue and nourishes the people with constancy and without change, unaltered from beginning to end, nourishing things without exhaustion.

' 'One may change the city but cannot change the well' — what follows clarifies that the well possesses constant virtue. This clarifies that the substance of the well is constant: although a city may be relocated, the substance of the well does not change. '

鎖

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Source: eee-learning.com (易學網) · Edition: 武英殿十三經注疏

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