48. The Well

Judgment

井：改邑不改井，无丧无得，往来井井。汔至，亦未繘井，羸其瓶，凶。

The town may be changed, but the well cannot be changed. It neither decreases nor increases. They come and go and draw from the well. If one gets down almost to the water and the rope does not go all the way, or the jug breaks, it brings misfortune. Infrastructure is the common foundation; failing at the last step wastes everything.

Image

木上有水，井；君子以劳民劝相。

Water over wood: the image of the well. The noble person encourages the people at their work, and exhorts them to help one another.

Lines

1. Line 1, yin (six)

   初六：井泥不食，旧井无禽。

   One does not drink the mud of the well. No animals come to an old well. Neglected capabilities and assets attract no one.

2. Line 2, yang (nine)

   九二：井谷射鲋，瓮敝漏。

   At the well-hole one shoots fishes. The jug is broken and leaks. Resources wasted on trivia; the system leaks.

3. Line 3, yang (nine)

   九三：井渫不食，为我心恻，可用汲，王明，并受其福。

   The well is cleaned, but no one drinks from it. This is my heart's sorrow, for one might draw from it. If the king were clear-minded, good fortune might be enjoyed in common. Excellent talent or assets unseen and unused.

4. Line 4, yin (six)

   六四：井甃，无咎。

   The well is being lined. No blame. A time to repair infrastructure, rules and processes.

5. Line 5, yang (nine)

   九五：井冽，寒泉食。

   In the well there is a clear, cold spring from which one can drink. Pure core capability, ready to serve many.

6. Line 6, yin (six)

   上六：井收勿幕，有孚元吉。

   One draws from the well without hindrance. It is dependable. Supreme good fortune. Open sharing; the platform benefits all.

In the enterprise

The hexagram of infrastructure, platforms, knowledge and common resources: IT and data platforms, shared-service centres, knowledge management, talent discovery, open ecosystems. 'The town may change, the well cannot': organisations can be restructured, but the source of value cannot be changed at will. Line 3 is the hexagram of buried talent.

Psychological lens

Resonates with underused human capital and the need for recognition; the uncovered well (line 6) is the trust and reputation that come from openness.

Related hexagrams

Situations in the library that use this hexagram

• From product company to platform Enterprise, Line 6, yin (six)
• Building a shared-services centre Enterprise, Line 4, yin (six)
• Buried talent inside the company Enterprise, Line 3, yang (nine)
• Ageing equipment and assets Enterprise, Line 1, yin (six)
• Data silos Enterprise, Line 2, yang (nine)
• Buy-back, dividend or reinvest? Enterprise, Line 5, yang (nine)
• Human rights and environment in the supply chain Enterprise, Judgment
• Choosing a headquarters site Enterprise, Judgment
• The company's role in society Enterprise, Line 6, yin (six)
• Feeling undervalued Individuals, Line 3, yang (nine)
• Work feels less meaningful Individuals, Line 1, yin (six)
• Home and belonging Individuals, Judgment
• Charitable giving Individuals, Line 6, yin (six)
• The value of returning with new knowledge Individuals, Line 5, yang (nine)
• What I want to leave behind Individuals, Line 6, yin (six)

Situation readings are a reflective framework for discussion—not predictions and not a substitute for professional advice.