Hexagram 18 of 64
Work on What Has Been Spoiled 山风蛊
☶☴ Mountain over Wind
Repairing what has decayed.
Hexagram 18 is about what has gone to seed through neglect or inheritance, and the work of repairing it. It is not a punishment but a task with method: examine the origin of the decay before acting, think three days before the change and three days after.
Judgment
元亨，利涉大川。先甲三日，后甲三日。
Sublime success; it is favorable to cross the great waters. Give three days of thought before a change, and three days after it.
Image
山下有风，蛊；君子以振民育德。
Wind under the mountain: decay. The noble person rouses the people and nourishes their virtue.
The six lines
Read from the bottom line (the beginning) to the top line (the outcome). Each line gives the classical text, our English translation, and a plain-language reading.
初六：干父之蛊，有子，考无咎，厉终吉。
Correcting the disorder inherited from the father; with such a son the father is without blame. Danger, but the end is favourable.
You are taking on a problem you did not create. Seeing it as inheritance lets you fix it without guilt.
九二：干母之蛊，不可贞。
Correcting the mother's disorder; it is not fitting to insist rigidly.
Here the repair needs tact rather than rigour. Insisting hard breaks more than it mends.
九三：干父之蛊，小有悔，无大咎。
Correcting the father's disorder brings some small regret, but no great blame.
Friction may come with the correction. A little discomfort is a fair price.
六四：裕父之蛊，往见吝。
Letting the inherited disorder grow; going on this way leads to disgrace.
Indulging what is already wrong only makes it worse. Doing nothing is also a decision.
六五：干父之蛊，用誉。
Correcting the father's disorder earns praise.
Repairing well, without humiliating anyone, gives you moral authority.
上九：不事王侯，高尚其事。
Not serving princes or lords; keeping one's own task high.
There comes a point where the repair no longer depends on rank: it is simply how you do things.
In practice
Love and relationships
If a pattern keeps repeating, work on the cause rather than on today's argument. A change needs agreement and follow-up.
Work and decisions
Pick one process that is genuinely failing and fix it completely, instead of opening five fronts.
Money
Review inherited or dragged-along debts and costs. A repair plan beats an impulse.
How to use this reading
Use it when something is worn down and needs repair before growth. The useful question is: where does the decay start, and which part is mine to fix now?
New to the method? Start with the six-line basics.
For cultural reflection only. This is not a prediction guarantee or professional advice.