Also known as Obstruction, Difficulty, Limping.
The character 蹇 means lame or limping. Hexagram 39 is about an obstacle you can't simply push through. Danger lies ahead and a steep mountain behind. The way out is to stop, turn inward, find the right help and go around rather than through.
The figure
Water over Mountain. Water stands on the mountain with nowhere to run. Ahead is the danger of water. Behind is the steep climb of the mountain. Moving straight on is blocked.
The judgment
Southwest works, northeast does not. Find someone who can help. Hold, and it goes well.
In the old map, the southwest is open level ground and the northeast is mountains. Take the easier road, look for someone wiser, and stay steady.
The image
Water standing on the mountain with nowhere to run. Turn back on yourself and work on what you are.
When the outside is blocked, look inside. Ask what in you contributes to the obstacle, and work on that.
The six lines
Counted from the bottom, the way the figure is built when you cast it.
Most of these lines contrast going out, which meets obstacles, with coming back, which goes well.
- Line 1, at the bottom. Pushing on runs into a wall. Turning back earns respect. Wait for the right moment.
- Line 2. The king's servant meets obstacle after obstacle, through no fault of their own. Duty requires facing it head on.
- Line 3. Going on meets obstruction, so you come back to the people who need you.
- Line 4. Going on meets obstruction. Coming back brings you together with allies.
- Line 5. In the middle of the greatest obstacles, friends arrive. Hold to the center and help comes.
- Line 6, at the top. Going on meets obstruction. Coming back goes very well. It helps to see the great person.
Reading it for a question
Hexagram 39 says you've hit a wall. Pause, look at your own part in it, and find the right person to help. Take the easier route, and don't mistake a detour for defeat.