Also known as The Joyous, Lake, Joy, Open.
The character 兌 shows a person with an open mouth, speaking or laughing. Hexagram 58 is about joy: real happiness that's shared, and the friendliness that wins people over. True joy is firm inside and gentle outside. Joy that's only on the surface, or used to flatter, goes wrong.
The figure
Lake over Lake, the trigram doubled. A weak line on top of two strong ones, twice over: firmness inside, warmth outside. It is the reverse of hexagram 57.
The judgment
It goes through, and it pays to hold.
Cheerfulness opens doors. Keep it rooted in something real and it carries everyone along.
The image
Two marshes touching, each one feeding the other. Talk it over with people you trust, and practise together.
Two lakes joined don't dry out. Learning shared with friends stays fresh and alive.
The six lines
Counted from the bottom, the way the figure is built when you cast it.
- Line 1, at the bottom. Content and at peace with yourself. It goes well.
- Line 2. Joy that comes from sincerity. It goes well, and regret fades.
- Line 3. Joy that comes looking for you from outside. It goes badly; don't be pulled by it.
- Line 4. Weighing which pleasure to choose leaves you restless. Turn from the wrong one and real joy follows.
- Line 5. Trusting what is quietly wearing you down is dangerous.
- Line 6, at the top. Being drawn along by pleasure. Watch where it leads.
Reading it for a question
Hexagram 58 says openness and good cheer will help. Share it with people, keep it honest and grounded, and steer clear of pleasures that only distract or flatter.