Hexagram 3: Sprouting Difficulty
Outer trigram (upper)
Khảm
Water · Water
Inner trigram (lower)
Chấn
Thunder · Wood
Judgment
屯：元，亨，利，貞，勿用有攸往，利建侯.
Truân: Nguyên, hanh, lợi, trinh, vật dụng hữu du vãng, lợi kiến hầu.
Translation
When facing hardship at the outset, great progress is still possible. Stay true to what is right and do not act rashly; instead, seek out a capable, virtuous person to assist you — appoint a worthy helper to a position of authority.
Commentary
The Judgment commentary and the Great Image explain the idea as follows: the image of this hexagram is thunder (Chấn) below and rain (Khảm) above — movement occurring within danger, which is the meaning of Truân, hardship at the beginning. Acting during a time of hardship can still turn out well, but one must patiently hold to what is right; rather than act hastily, one should first find a capable person to help. The capable person who takes on the burden at the very start — the one raised to a position of authority — corresponds to the first line, a yang line. Yang means firm and talented; the first line is also the ruling line of the inner trigram (Chấn), which represents action. If, at the difficult beginning, one gains the help of such a person — as if forming a team with several people of real ability and vision — then everything can be accomplished well. This is the meaning of the hexagram Truân.
Line Readings
Line 1 (yang)
初九：磐桓，利居貞，利建侯
Translation
Line 1, yang: Still hesitant and holding back. It is favorable to stay true to what is right, and favorable to be raised to a position of authority (that is, entrusted with helping others through hardship).
Commentary
This line is yang, representing a capable person, and it is correctly placed — a yang line in a yang position — so holding to what is right brings benefit. Being yang yet positioned beneath two yin lines within the inner trigram, it also carries the image of humility, which wins the people's trust. So the noble person, though hesitant at first, will later be entrusted with the important task of helping others.
Line 2 (yin)
六二：屯如遭如，乘馬班如，匪寇婚媾，女子貞不字，十年乃字
Translation
Line 2, yin: Beset by hardship, like someone on horseback circling back and forth, hesitant to move on. But the one below (line 1) is not a bandit — he only wishes to propose marriage. Hold firm and do not consent; after ten years, marriage will come (with line 5).
Commentary
Line 2 is yin, both centered and correctly positioned, and it corresponds with line 5 above, which is likewise centered and correct — so this is a good sign. The only difficulty is that it sits far from line 5 but directly above the yang line 1, which holds it back, so it remains caught in hardship. But there is no need to worry: line 1 has the character of a noble person, not someone wishing to do harm — he merely wants to marry her. She should not consent, but hold firmly to her resolve; after ten years, she will marry line 5.
Line 3 (yin)
六三：即鹿，無虞，惟入于林中，君子幾，不如舍，往吝
Translation
Line 3, yin: Chasing a deer without a huntsman's help only leads deeper into the forest, with nothing caught. The noble person, understanding this, does better to give up; pressing on further will only bring regret.
Commentary
Line 3 is yin in a yang position — neither correct nor centered. Its nature is already unfavorable, and it falls within the time of hardship; line 6 above is likewise soft yin and offers no help. Yet it insists on taking charge, like someone eager to chase a deer without a huntsman to head it off and drive it out of the woods — he simply runs after the deer and goes deeper and deeper into the forest. Giving up is the better choice.
Line 4 (yin)
六四：乘馬班如，求婚媾，往吉，無不利
Translation
Line 4, yin: On horseback, hesitant to advance. Seeking a lifelong partner (a companion of like mind) below is entirely favorable.
Commentary
This line is soft yin, correctly positioned — a good person, but of only ordinary ability, unable to advance on its own in the time of hardship. Although close to line 5 and wishing to grow closer to it, line 5 already corresponds to line 2, so line 4's wish to rise goes unfulfilled, like a rider on horseback wanting to advance yet hesitating. The Duke of Zhou advises that line 4 do better to seek marriage with line 1 below: since line 1 has both ability and virtue, joining forces with him to help the world would be entirely favorable. The pairing of 5 and 2 suits perfectly; the pairing of 4 and 1 is not bad either — line 4 lacks centeredness and is inferior to line 2, so it should join with line 1 below; though line 1 is lower in position, it is correctly placed, making them a fitting match.
Line 5 (yang)
九五：屯其膏；小貞吉，大貞凶
Translation
Line 5, yang: Favor and grace cannot yet be spread widely (literally: the fat cannot flow smoothly). Setting small matters in order is favorable; attempting great matters is not.
Commentary
This fifth line is both correct and centered, occupying the most honored position, and so should in principle be favorable. But being within the time of hardship, and at the center of the outer trigram Khảm — danger — it is only moderately good. Line 2 corresponds to it, but being soft yin, offers little help; moreover, line 1 below, possessing both ability and virtue and enjoying the people's trust, wields authority that almost rivals line 5's own, so that line 5's grace cannot reach everywhere. Line 5 must therefore set small matters in order gradually and not rush into great undertakings, which would fail. In other words, even with ability, virtue, and rank, one must still wait for the right time.
Line 6 (yin)
上六：乘馬班如，泣血漣如
Translation
Line 6, yin: On horseback, hesitant to advance, weeping until tears of blood stream down.
Commentary
This line stands at the very top, where the hardship of the time reaches its extreme. Were it a yang line, with ability and wisdom, extreme hardship would turn into a breakthrough; but this line is yin — lacking talent and judgment, weak and yielding — so even having mounted the horse, it still hesitates and weeps until its tears turn to blood. Though it corresponds to line 3, that line too is soft yin and offers no real help.