Hexagram 15 — Humbling
King Wen #15 · plain-language meaning, the Image, and the classical text
Modesty prevails. The low is exalted; keep achievement quiet and it endures.
What Hexagram 15 Means 白话解读
Hexagram 15 places mountain (艮) beneath earth (坤) — stillness holding its ground below, receptive ground holding all things above. This is why the tradition reads it as “Humbling”: modesty prevails. The low is exalted; keep achievement quiet and it endures. Whenever you cast this figure, the classical reading points back to that turning of forces.
The Image 象傳
地中有山，謙；君子以裒多益寡，稱物平施。
(The trigram for) the earth and (that of) a mountain in the midst of it form Khien. The superior man, in accordance with this, diminishes what is excessive (in himself), and increases where there is any defect, bringing about an equality, according to the nature of the case, in his treatment (of himself and others).— The I Ching, trans. James Legge, 1899 (public domain)1
A mountain hidden within the earth: modesty. The wise take from the full to add to the scanty, weighing things out fairly.— plain-English rendering by The Hexagrams2
Hexagram 15 in Real Questions 實問實答
With money and work
Humbling describes modesty prevails. The low is exalted; keep achievement quiet and it endures — and that is the posture the tradition recommends for practical matters under this figure: stillness holding its ground, held inside a larger setting of receptive ground holding all things. It names a shape of timing, not a sum.
For a decision
If you cast Humbling about a choice, the figure's counsel is the same movement it pictures: modesty prevails. The low is exalted; keep achievement quiet and it endures. When lines move in your cast, read them against this base — the moving lines show which part of the figure is awake for you, and the changed hexagram shows where it is heading.
Questions About Hexagram 15
What does 謙 (qiān) mean?
Hexagram 15 of the I Ching is named 謙 (qiān), usually rendered "Humbling" in English editions. Its figure is built from mountain (艮) below and earth (坤) above — stillness holding its ground beneath receptive ground holding all things.
Is hexagram 15 a good omen?
The received text of hexagram 15 is warm: it contains 3 occurrences of 吉 (good fortune). The classical verdict is broadly favourable — with the lines' own conditions attached.
What does hexagram 15 mean in love?
In a relationship reading, Humbling points to modesty prevails. The low is exalted; keep achievement quiet and it endures. The figure pairs mountain (艮) beneath earth (坤) — stillness holding its ground meeting receptive ground holding all things — which is the traditional picture of how this energy behaves between two people. For how to phrase a love question before casting, see our guide to asking the I Ching about love.
What does hexagram 15 mean for career and money?
Career and money questions read Humbling through the figure itself: mountain (艮) below, earth (坤) above — stillness holding its ground held inside receptive ground holding all things. The plain reading: Modesty prevails. The low is exalted; keep achievement quiet and it endures. The text carries 3 mentions of 吉 (good fortune), so it is read as workable — provided the conduct the lines describe is kept.
What do the changing lines of hexagram 15 mean?
A cast of hexagram 15 can produce moving lines. Each of the six lines has its own statement (爻辭) in the classical text below, read from the bottom up, and a moving line is read as the part of the figure that is awake for your question. When a line moves it turns into its opposite, and the whole figure becomes a second hexagram: changing every line of 15 gives hexagram 10, 履 (Treading). Every line also has a page of its own on this site — Line 1 through Line 6 under this hexagram — with the classical Chinese and Legge's translation side by side.
How is hexagram 15 related to the other hexagrams?
Changing every line of hexagram 15 gives hexagram 10 — 履 (Treading). Turned upside down it becomes hexagram 16 — 豫 (Providing-For). Its nuclear hexagram — the inner pattern of lines 2 through 5 — is hexagram 40 — 解 (Taking-Apart).
Cast it yourself
Shake the tube, watch your own coins fall.
- The hexagram's classical meaning — judgment and all six lines
- Moving lines marked — but not read for you
- No account, no email, nothing to pay
Get the reading, not just the text
Same cast, read all the way through:
- Every line read for you — what each moving line means inside your question
- The changed hexagram — where your situation is heading, and how to read the turn
- A closing that answers you directly — act, wait, or say it out loud
New to casting? How it works · All 64 hexagrams
Related Hexagrams 錯綜互
The Classical Text 經文
亨，君子有終。
Qian indicates progress and success. The superior man, (being humble as it implies), will have a (good) issue (to his undertakings).— The I Ching, trans. James Legge, 1899 (public domain)1
The Six Lines 爻辞
謙謙君子，用涉大川，吉。
The first SIX, divided, shows us the superior man who adds humility to humility. (Even) the great stream may be crossed with this, and there will be good fortune.
鳴謙，貞吉。
The second SIX, divided, shows us humility that has made itself recognised. With firm correctness there will be good fortune.
勞謙，君子有終，吉。
The third NINE, undivided, shows the superior man of (acknowledged) merit. He will maintain his success to the end, and have good fortune.
無不利，撝謙。
The fourth SIX, divided, shows one, whose action would be in every way advantageous, stirring up (the more) his humility.
不富以其鄰，利用侵伐，無不利。
The fifth SIX, divided, shows one who, without being rich, is able to employ his neighbours. He may advantageously use the force of arms. All his movements will be advantageous.
鳴謙，利用行師，征邑國。
The sixth SIX, divided, shows us humility that has made itself recognised. The subject of it will with advantage put his hosts in motion; but (he will only) punish his own towns and state.
Line by Line 逐爻细读
1 Legge, James. The Yi King, Sacred Books of the East vol. XVI (1899), public domain. Classical Chinese from the received Zhouyi text.2 The Image (象傳) is an ancient text in the public domain; its plain-English gloss here is original to The Hexagrams, not a quotation from any copyrighted edition. · For reflection and entertainment — not financial, medical, or life advice.