39
Hexagram 39, Jian: “Obstruction,” difficulty in walking. The image is lameness: you can still walk, just not the way you used to.
The image of the hexagram
Below is the Gen trigram (mountain), above is Kan (water). Water over a mountain: a torrent in front of a steep slope — obstacles ahead and behind.
General meaning
The answer: the direct path is closed. Jian speaks of a serious difficulty that cannot be broken through by force; the classic advice is to turn around and look for a way around it, and also to find a helper, because no one takes a slope like this alone. An important theme of the hexagram is turning inward: part of the obstacle is usually within.
In love and at work
In relationships: stagnation, an inability to talk things through, outside circumstances; what helps is a third person both of you trust. At work: a dead end, a rejection, lost access; you need a different road, not more effort. For “carrying on as is,” the answer is no.
What to do
Stop battering at this spot and call in someone who has been through it. Here the detour is shorter than the straight road.