18.	 Ku
	      Arresting Decay.

Upper Trigram: Ken; Inaction, a Mountain.
Lower Trigram: Sun; Gentle Penetration,
                                       Mildness, Wind, Wood.

Governing Rulers: Six in the fifth place.
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The Image:
The trigram for a mountain, and below it that for wind; these form Ku.
The superior man, in accordance with this, addresses himself to help the people and nourish his own virtue.
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Miscellaneous Signs:                     (17, 21, 22, 57, 58)
Sui quits the old;Ku makes a new decree.
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The Judgement:
Ku indicates great progress and success to him who deals properly with the condition represented by it. There will be advantage in crossing the great stream. He should weigh well, however, the events of three days before the turning point, and those to be done three days after it.

Commentary:
In Ku we have the strong trigram above, and the weak one below; we have below pliancy and above inaction: these give the idea of Ku, a troubled condition of affairs, verging to ruin.
'Ku indicates great progress and success': through the course shown in it, all under heaven there will eventually be good order.
'There will be advantage in crossing the great stream': he who advances encounters the business to be done.
'He should weigh well, however, the events of three days before the turning point, and those to be done three days after it': the end of confusion is the beginning of order; such is the procedure of Heaven.
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The Lines:

Six in the bottom place:
Showing a son dealing with the troubles caused by his father. If the son be able, the father will escape the blame of having erred. The position is perilous, but there will be good fortune in the end.
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Nine in the second place:
Showing a son dealing with the troubles caused by his mother. He should not carry his firm correctness to the utmost.
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Nine in the third place:
Showing a son dealing with the troubles caused by his father. There may be some small occasion for repentance, but there will not be any great error.
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Six in the fourth place:
A son viewing indulgently the troubles caused by his father. If he go forward, he will find cause to regret it.
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Six in the fifth place:
 O
A son dealing with the troubles caused by his father. He obtains the praise of using the fit instrument for his work.
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Top-most nine:
Showing one who serves neither king nor feudal lord, but in a lofty spirit prefers to attend to his own affairs.
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Commentaries:

Six in the bottom place:
'He deals with the troubles caused by his father', feeling he has entered the work of his father.
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Nine in the second place:
'He deals with the troubles caused by his mother', holding to the course of the due mean.
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Nine in the third place:
'He deals with the troubles caused by his father': in the end there will be no error.
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Six in the fourth place:
'He views indulgently the troubles caused by his father': if he go forward, he will not succeed.
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Six in the fifth place:
'He deals with the troubles caused by his father, and obtains praise': he is responded to by the subject of the second line, with all his virtue.
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Top-most nine:
'He does not serve either king or feudal lord': but his aim may be a model to others.
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