Hexagram 18 — Correcting
King Wen #18 · plain-language meaning, the Image, and the classical text
Decay in the works: something spoiled must be repaired thoroughly, from the root.
What Hexagram 18 Means 白话解读
Hexagram 18 places wind (巽) beneath mountain (艮) — gentle influence working inward below, stillness holding its ground above. This is why the tradition reads it as “Correcting”: decay in the works: something spoiled must be repaired thoroughly, from the root. Whenever you cast this figure, the classical reading points back to that turning of forces.
The Image 象傳
山下有風，蠱；君子以振民育德。
(The trigram for) a mountain, and below it that for wind, form Kû. The superior man, in accordance with this, (addresses himself to) help the people and nourish his own virtue.— The I Ching, trans. James Legge, 1899 (public domain)1
Wind beneath the mountain: decay and repair. The wise stir the people and build up character anew.— plain-English rendering by The Hexagrams2
Hexagram 18 in Real Questions 實問實答
With money and work
Correcting describes decay in the works: something spoiled must be repaired thoroughly, from the root — and that is the posture the tradition recommends for practical matters under this figure: gentle influence working inward, held inside a larger setting of stillness holding its ground. It names a shape of timing, not a sum.
For a decision
If you cast Correcting about a choice, the figure's counsel is the same movement it pictures: decay in the works: something spoiled must be repaired thoroughly, from the root. 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 18
What does 蠱 (gǔ) mean?
Hexagram 18 of the I Ching is named 蠱 (gǔ), usually rendered "Correcting" in English editions. Its figure is built from wind (巽) below and mountain (艮) above — gentle influence working inward beneath stillness holding its ground.
Is hexagram 18 a good omen?
The received text of hexagram 18 is warm: it contains one occurrence of 吉 (good fortune), and 2 of 無咎 (no blame). The classical verdict is broadly favourable — with the lines' own conditions attached (the text notes possible regret 悔 where the moment is mishandled).
What does hexagram 18 mean in love?
In a relationship reading, Correcting points to decay in the works: something spoiled must be repaired thoroughly, from the root. The figure pairs wind (巽) beneath mountain (艮) — gentle influence working inward meeting stillness holding its ground — 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 18 mean for career and money?
Career and money questions read Correcting through the figure itself: wind (巽) below, mountain (艮) above — gentle influence working inward held inside stillness holding its ground. The plain reading: Decay in the works: something spoiled must be repaired thoroughly, from the root. The text carries 1 mention 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 18 mean?
A cast of hexagram 18 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 18 gives hexagram 17, 隨 (Following). 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 18 related to the other hexagrams?
Changing every line of hexagram 18 gives hexagram 17 — 隨 (Following). Turned upside down it becomes hexagram 17 — 隨 (Following). Its nuclear hexagram — the inner pattern of lines 2 through 5 — is hexagram 54 — 歸妹 (Converting the Maiden).
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
元亨，利涉大川。先甲三日，後甲三日。
Gu indicates great progress and success (to him who deals properly with the condition represented by it). There will be advantage in (efforts like that of) 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.— The I Ching, trans. James Legge, 1899 (public domain)1
The Six Lines 爻辞
幹父之蠱，有子，考無咎，厲終吉。
The first SIX, divided, shows (a son) dealing with the troubles caused by his father. If he be an (able) son, the father will escape the blame of having erred. The position is perilous, but there will be good fortune in the end.
幹母之蠱，不可貞。
The second NINE, undivided, shows (a son) dealing with the troubles caused by his mother. He should not (carry) his firm correctness (to the utmost).
幹父之蠱，小有悔，無大咎。
The third NINE, undivided, shows (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.
裕父之蠱，往見吝。
The fourth SIX, divided, shows (a son) viewing indulgently the troubles caused by his father. If he go forward, he will find cause to regret it.
幹父之蠱，用譽。
The fifth SIX, divided, shows (a son) dealing with the troubles caused by his father. He obtains the praise of using (the fit instrument for his work).
不事王侯，高尚其事。
The sixth NINE, undivided, shows us one who does not serve either king or feudal lord, but in a lofty spirit prefers (to attend to) his own affairs.
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.