☶
Mountain
艮 · Gèn · Keeping Still
Line structure
yang
yin
yin
ElementEarth
DirectionNortheast
SeasonLate winter
Family memberYoungest son
Body partHand
AnimalDog
Keywords
stillnessmeditationpauselimitcontemplationrestfoundation
Philosophy
Gèn is the art of stopping at exactly the right moment. A yang line crowns two yin: the light shining at the summit of stillness. The mountain does not struggle to advance; its power lies in its immovability. This trigram teaches that there is an active form of non-doing: conscious stillness that concentrates inner energy and allows clear seeing. The wise person knows when to act and, equally important, when to stop.
The Image
The mountain that remains immovable while everything around it transforms.