井 · Jǐng — The Inexhaustible Wellspring

Q: What is the meaning of I Ching Hexagram 48 (井 Jǐng)?

Hexagram 48 is 井 (Jǐng — The Inexhaustible Wellspring), formed by 坎 Kan (Water) above and 巽 Xun (Wind / Wood) below. King Wen Sequence #48 (井 Jǐng — The Inexhaustible Wellspring) embodies wooden bucket descending into a cool stone well. Assigned to the Kun Earth Palace (坤宫八卦 · Receptive Treasury) and resonant with Major Snow (大雪 · Zi Month), its six-line binary vector (011010) pairs 巽 Xun (Gentle Penetration) at the root with 坎 Kan (Abysmal Depth) at the crown.

Upper Trigram: 坎 Kan (Water) · Lower Trigram: 巽 Xun (Wind / Wood)

Cast 3-Coin Oracle

Classical Judgment (卦辞) — 井卦（第48卦）：上坎下巽，属Kun。错卦为噬嗑，综卦为困，互卦见睽。

King Wen Sequence #48 (井 Jǐng — The Inexhaustible Wellspring) embodies wooden bucket descending into a cool stone well. Assigned to the Kun Earth Palace (坤宫八卦 · Receptive Treasury) and resonant with Major Snow (大雪 · Zi Month), its six-line binary vector (011010) pairs 巽 Xun (Gentle Penetration) at the root with 坎 Kan (Abysmal Depth) at the crown.

Great Image (象传)

《大象传》：坎下巽交感成井（䷯），君子观此象以明进退之枢。

Visual Archetype: stone-lined village wellspring. When Water (Water) interacts with Wind / Wood (Wood), the primary strategic mandate centers on building perennial infrastructure that nourishes everyone. Its Polarity Opposite (Cuo Gua · 错卦) is #21 噬嗑 (Decisive Enforcement), its Overturned Inverse (Zong Gua · 综卦) is #47 困 (Fortitude in the Crucible), and its Nuclear Core (Hu Gua · 互卦) reveals #38 睽 (Harmonizing Polarities).

Career, Strategy & Timing

Executive Decision Counsel

For decision-makers consulting 井 (Jǐng) regarding building perennial infrastructure that nourishes everyone, the hexagram highlights the interplay between Wood foundation and Water manifestation. Rather than generic haste, align execution with Major Snow (大雪 · Zi Month) rhythms and inspect whether your natal BaZi chart favors Water or Wood as its Favorable Element (喜用神).

Six Lines Progression (六爻爻辞 · Bottom Line 1 to Top Line 6)

Line 1 (初六 · Root Threshold)初六：井之始，审势立基。

井 (Jǐng) Step 1 [Yin 6 · 巽 Xun]: Germination of wooden bucket descending into a cool stone well near stone-lined village wellspring; validate root premises before accelerating building perennial infrastructure that nourishes everyone.

Line 2 (二九 · Inner Official)九二：中正居内，与五相应。

井 (Jǐng) Step 2 [Yang 9 · Wind / Wood]: Central lower-trigram seat anchored in stone-lined village wellspring; cultivate Wood craftsmanship in harmony with #38 睽.

Line 3 (三九 · Trigram Pivot)九三：内卦之极，慎防过刚。

井 (Jǐng) Step 3 [Yang 9 · Nuclear #38 Harmonizing Polarities]: Threshold between 巽 Xun and 坎 Kan during Major Snow (大雪 · Zi Month); pace building perennial infrastructure that nourishes everyone carefully.

Line 4 (四六 · Ministerial Gate)六四：跃入外卦，审时顺势。

井 (Jǐng) Step 4 [Yin 6 · 坎 Kan]: Ministerial counsel within the Kun Earth Palace (坤宫八卦 · Receptive Treasury); align wooden bucket descending into a cool stone well with institutional mentors.

Line 5 (五九 · Sovereign Axis)九五：尊位得中，大展宏图。

井 (Jǐng) Step 5 [Yang 9 · Sovereign]: Fulcrum of The Inexhaustible Wellspring (䷯); command building perennial infrastructure that nourishes everyone through balanced Water and Wood synthesis.

Line 6 (上六 · Horizon Apex)上六：物极必反，归藏待时。

井 (Jǐng) Step 6 [Yin 6 · Apex]: Culmination of wooden bucket descending into a cool stone well, pivoting toward Inverse #47 困 (Fortitude in the Crucible) and Opposite #21 噬嗑.

BaZi & Plum Blossom Numerology (梅花易数) Connection

Spatial & Elemental Calibration for #48 井: Place a stone-lined village wellspring motif or Water-element accent in your workspace; cross-reference Hexagram #21 (噬嗑) when balancing Yin/Yang extremes.

Plot Natal BaZi Chart Check Tong Shu Almanac

#47 困 Fortitude in the Crucible #49 革 Timely Transformation

INSTANT BILINGUAL ARCHIVAL DOSSIER (PRINTABLE HTML/PDF FOLIO)

Download Hexagram #48 (井 Jǐng) 6 Changing Lines Commentary

Get line-by-line classical Yao Ci (爻辞) interpretations from bottom Line 1 (Initial) to top Line 6 (Culmination).