Also known as Work on What Has Been Spoiled, Decay, Remedying.
The character 蠱 shows worms in a bowl: something left too long and gone bad. Hexagram 18 is about decay that was allowed to happen, often inherited from people before you, and the work of setting it right. The rot is real, and so is the chance to clear it.
The figure
Mountain over Wind. Wind is trapped under the mountain, so the air stops moving and things go stale. The gentle lower trigram gives way and the rigid upper one stays put. Nothing changes, and that is how things spoil.
The judgment
It opens, and this is the moment for the big crossing. Three days before you start, three days after.
The classical text says three days before the start and three days after. Think hard about how the rot set in before you act, then watch closely that the fix holds.
The image
Wind caught under the mountain, and things going bad in the still air. Stir people up and grow them.
Fixing a stuck situation starts with people. Wake them up, then give them what they need to keep going.
The six lines
Counted from the bottom, the way the figure is built when you cast it.
- Line 1, at the bottom. Repairing the damage a father left behind. With a capable heir, the old fault fades. There is risk, but it ends well.
- Line 2. Repairing the damage a mother left behind. Don't be harsh about it. Some harm calls for a gentle hand.
- Line 3. Repairing a father's damage. Some regret along the way, but nothing serious goes wrong. Too much zeal is better than none.
- Line 4. Putting up with what the father spoiled. Keep going this way and it ends in shame. Ignoring the rot lets it spread.
- Line 5. Repairing a father's damage, and earning respect for how you do it.
- Line 6, at the top. Not serving kings or princes, but setting higher goals. Some people step back from the repair work to keep their own integrity.
Reading it for a question
Hexagram 18 says something has gone wrong through neglect, and it's fixable. Name the problem plainly, plan before you start, and follow through after. Be firm about the old habits and gentle with the people.