← The I Ching
Hexagram 9 · ☴ over ☰
Small Taming
Xiao Chu
The judgment
A gentle restraint — not the power to stop, but the power to slow and shape. Great force is present but cannot fully express itself yet; something small but persistent holds it in check. This is a time of gathering and preparation rather than completion or decisive action.
The image. Wind drives clouds across heaven — gathering without yet releasing.
Guidance
Apply consistent, gentle influence — don't push for the decisive move yet. The clouds are thick but the rain hasn't come; keep preparing and hold your position.
How it’s built
Every hexagram is two trigrams — the lower one beneath the upper. This one is Qián below Xùn.
☴Upper · Windthe Gentle — penetration, influence by slow degrees, the eldest daughter
☰Lower · Heaventhe Creative — strength, the sky, the active force, the father