Also known as The Receptive, Field, Earth.
Hexagram 2 is six broken lines, the only figure made entirely of yin. It stands for the strength of receiving, carrying and finishing what others start. That isn't weakness. The ground holds up everything that stands on it.
The figure
Earth over Earth. The earth trigram is three broken lines: the open field, devotion, and room for whatever arrives. Doubled, it means complete openness and capacity.
The judgment
It carries through by following rather than leading. Set out alone and you lose the way; go with someone and you find it. Steady and unhurried is where this goes well.
The classical text compares the right attitude to a mare: strong and tireless, but moving with the herd. Lead and you go astray. Follow a good lead and you find your footing.
The image
Earth takes the shape of whatever rests on it and holds the weight. Be broad enough to carry what you are given.
The earth doesn't choose what it carries. The advice is to widen what you can hold, rather than narrow what you will accept.
The six lines
Counted from the bottom, the way the figure is built when you cast it.
- Line 1, at the bottom. Frost underfoot, and hard ice is on its way. Small signs point to a bigger change. Notice them now, while they're small.
- Line 2. Straight, square and broad. Act from your own nature, without a plan or a push, and everything works.
- Line 3. Keeping your gifts out of sight. You can hold steady. If you work for someone, finish the work and let the credit go elsewhere.
- Line 4. A sack tied shut. Say nothing and risk nothing. No fault and no praise. Caution is the right call here.
- Line 5. A yellow skirt. Yellow is the color of the center, and a skirt is modest dress. Quiet excellence that doesn't announce itself. This goes very well.
- Line 6, at the top. Dragons fight in the open field, and their blood is dark and yellow. Yielding has been pushed so far that it fights back. Both sides get hurt.
All six lines moving: lasting, steady persistence pays. The figure then turns into hexagram 1.
Reading it for a question
Hexagram 2 points to a supporting role. Follow a good lead, be patient, and finish what has been started rather than starting something new. It is not the time to lead from the front.