The 64 hexagrams · No. 47
Hexagram 47: Oppression
A Lake with its Water drained away. Protect what is essential.
An original modern reflection on the I Ching image. This is not a translation of the classical Judgment or line statements.
Protect what is essential
The lake with little water draws attention to limited reserves. When your capacity is reduced, a plan built for a fuller day can become an unnecessary burden. Name the constraint plainly. Then distinguish essential care and responsibilities from the expectations that can reasonably wait or become smaller.
A question to sit with
With the time and energy available today, what most deserves to be preserved?
One small step
Set a realistic minimum for the day. Remove one nonessential demand, and tell anyone affected what you can offer instead of silently trying to cover everything.
Reading the figure
The upper trigram is Lake; the lower trigram is Water. The first line is at the bottom, and the sixth is at the top. You identify this hexagram from its six-line figure, not from a word match to your question.
Read the image alongside the actual circumstances you know. Notice what fits and what does not. The relating hexagram depends on your changing lines, so there is no single fixed “next hexagram” for this pattern.
What changes when one line moves?
This map changes exactly one line at a time. If your cast has several changing lines, all of them flip together; the resulting pattern may differ from every row below. These are structural changes, not translations of the classical line statements.
| Changing position | Relating hexagram |
|---|---|
| Line 1 · bottom | 58. The Joyous Lake |
| Line 2 | 45. Gathering Together |
| Line 3 | 28. Great Preponderance |
| Line 4 | 29. The Abysmal |
| Line 5 | 40. Deliverance |
| Line 6 · top | 6. Conflict |
Learn how changing lines work →
Keep a reading journal
If this hexagram appeared in a reading, note your question, your six coin totals, and one thing you want to observe. Come back later to record what happened. Your notes can help you see how your understanding changed, even when a reflection did not fit.
Try the free three-coin I Ching tool →
Classical reference: The Book of Changes. English names vary by edition; the number, pinyin and figure make the identification clear. About our method and sources.