Hexagram 41 of 64
Decrease 山泽损
☶☱ Mountain over Lake
Giving something up to gain.
In the I Ching, Hexagram 41 is decrease: giving up what is excess so that what matters can be strengthened. Its central idea is that sincerity, not quantity, makes an offering worthy. The hexagram invites you to reduce what drains you and to give with a clear heart.
Judgment
有孚，元吉，无咎，可贞，利有攸往。曷之用？二簋可用享。
Sincerity brings sublime good fortune and no blame. Perseverance is favorable, and going forward is favorable. What is there to offer? Two simple bowls of grain are enough for the sacrifice.
Image
山下有泽，损；君子以惩忿窒欲。
A lake beneath the mountain: decrease. The noble person restrains anger and blocks excess desire.
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.
初九：已事遄往，无咎，酌损之。
Finish the task at hand and move on quickly. No blame. Reduce it moderately.
Complete what you have started, then make a measured cut to what is excess.
九二：利贞，征凶，弗损益之。
It is favorable to persevere. Going forward alone brings misfortune. Do not reduce; add instead.
Holding steady is better than pushing ahead alone. Support what is essential rather than cutting it.
六三：三人行，则损一人；一人行，则得其友。
When three walk together, one is reduced. When one walks alone, a friend is found.
A group can grow crowded, and a solitary path can meet a companion. Choose the number of partners the task truly needs.
六四：损其疾，使遄有喜，无咎。
Reduce what causes the illness, and joy comes quickly. No blame.
Cutting what harms you brings relief sooner than you might expect.
六五：或益之，十朋之龟弗克违，元吉。
Someone may add to you with a gift so valuable that it cannot be refused. Sublime good fortune.
Support may come from outside in a generous form. Accept it graciously; it can be a great benefit.
上九：弗损益之，无咎，贞吉，利有攸往，得臣无家。
Do not reduce, but add. No blame. Steady perseverance brings good fortune, and it is favorable to go forward. You gain helpers who serve without a household of their own.
When you give to what is essential without keeping score, good fortune follows and loyal help arrives.
In practice
Love and relationships
Generosity without keeping score. Reduce the demands that drain you, and be honest about what you give and whether it is returned.
Work and decisions
A period of cutting excess: simplify commitments, drop low-value tasks, and protect time for what matters most.
Money
Reduce spending on what adds little value, and save on purpose. Avoid overspending to signal status.
How to use this reading
Ask what you can reduce without losing the essence, and what is worth adding to.
New to the method? Start with the six-line basics.
For cultural reflection only. This is not a prediction guarantee or professional advice.