53 · 风山渐

渐卦原文

渐。女归吉，利贞。

象曰：山上有木，渐。君子以居贤德善俗。

白话文解释

渐卦：女大当嫁，这是好事。这是吉利的贞卜。

《象辞》说：本卦下卦为艮，艮为山；上卦为巽，巽为木，木植山上，不断生长，是渐卦的卦象。君子观此卦象，取法于山之育林，从而以贤德自居，担负起改善风俗的社会责任。

《断易天机》解

渐卦巽上艮下，为艮宫归魂卦。渐为渐进，筮遇此卦，女嫁则吉，举事有利。

北宋易学家邵雍解

循序渐进，积少成多；渐进即利，性急即败。

得此卦者，逐步开运，凡事宜循序渐进，则谋事可成，不宜急进，性急则败。

台湾国学大儒傅佩荣解

时运：时来运转，可以得意。

财运：逐渐得利，多行善事。

家宅：君子居之；贤女可妻。

身体：安居调养。

传统解卦

这个卦是异卦（下艮上巽）相叠。艮为山，巽为木。山上有木，逐渐成长，山也随着增高。这是逐渐进步的过程，所以称渐，渐即进，渐渐前进而不急速。

大象：山上种有树木，逐渐生长，比喻循序渐进。

运势：逐渐走向光明前途，凡事宜打根基，可得吉庆，但须防色情之难及文书错失。

事业：在经过一个相对静止的时期后，重新开始了事业的新阶段。这时最怕的是急躁冒进，务必循序上进，脚踏实地。同时注意品德修养，以沉着、谦逊的态度对待事业，可无往而不利。

经商：正处在稳步向前发展的阶段，要把握时机，既不可盲目乐观，也不要停步不前，而应采取逐步前进的策略，量力而行。遵守商业道德，以良好的服务，开拓市场。

求名：效法树木植根山上，逐渐生长的精神。在品德和学业两个方面，扎扎实实地提高自己。同时，肩负起改善社会风俗的责任。求名应以渐进为宜，切不可急进。

婚恋：不可操之过急。幸福、美满，夫妻白头和谐。

决策：时来运转的时刻已经到来，切莫错过良机。务必小心谨慎，渐进有益有利。以谦和的态度处世，可以得到强有力的支持，会获得重大成功。

第五十三卦的哲学含义

渐卦卦象，木山渐卦的象征意义

渐卦，这个卦是异卦相叠，下卦为艮，上卦为巽。艮为山，巽为木。山上有木，逐渐成长，山也随着增高。这是逐渐进步的过程，所以称渐。“渐”即“进”，渐渐前进而不急速。

渐卦位于艮卦之后，《序卦》中这样解释道：“物不可以终止，故受之渐。渐者，进也。”艮卦谈止，止到尽头又须开始活动，这时出现的是渐卦。渐为进，并且是有秩序地渐进。《杂卦》中这样说道：“渐，女归待男行也。”古代女子若要出嫁，必须要等待男方行聘，以便依序进展，这也体现了渐的特点。

《象》中这样解释渐卦：山上有木，渐；君子以居贤德善俗。这里指出：渐卦的卦象是艮（山）下巽（风）上，表明高山上的树木逐渐成长，象征循序渐进；君子观看高山上的树木逐渐成长，于是修养德性，改善社会的风尚、礼节和习惯。

渐卦象征着循序渐进，告诉人们渐进蓄德的道理，属于上上卦。《象》中这样来断此卦：俊鸟幸得出笼中，脱离灾难显威风，一朝得意福力至，东西南北任意行。

53　高岛易断-风山渐(䷴)

《序卦传》曰：“艮者，止也。物不可以终止，故受之以渐。渐者，进也。”为卦《艮》下《巽》上，《巽》为风，为木，《艮》为山，风善入，木易长，有进之象；山则止而不动，欲进而为山所止，是以其进不速也。《正义》曰，“凡物有变移，徐而不速谓之渐”，此卦之所以名《渐》也。

渐：女归吉，利贞。

《渐》反为《归妹》，其象同取于女，《归妹》之少女，以悦而归，不如《渐》之长女，以顺而归也。以顺而归，则媒妁言之，父母命之，及长而字，则渐而来，得其正也，故曰“女归吉”。《艮》男《兑》女，其卦曰《咸》，以男娶女也，故先戒以“利贞”，而后曰“娶女吉”；《渐》以《艮》男《巽》女，以女归男也，故先曰“女归吉”，而后告以“利贞”。

《彖传》曰：渐之进也，女归吉也。进得位，往有功也。进以正，可以正邦也。其位，刚得中也。止而巽，动不穷也。

渐者，循序而进，以渐进也。卦体三阴三阳，皆从《乾》《坤》来。《乾》父《坤》母，《乾》三索成《艮》，为少男，《坤》一索成《巽》，为长女，故象取“女归”。女嫁曰归。女子之嫁也，及时而字，纳礼而往，《渐》之义也。盖女归之吉，谓得其渐之进也；女正位乎内，男正位乎外，女进而得位，必得其正矣。女以夫为家，故谓之归，母之嫁女，则谓之往。“进得位”，故“往有功也”。《渐》与《蛊》上下易体，《蛊》之九二，进而为《渐》之九五，是为“得位”；九居五，位爻皆正，是为“进以正”。夫妇为王化之原，正家正国，皆基于此，故极其功效，“可以正邦也”。“刚得中”，谓九五也。“止而巽，动不穷”，此合二体而言，以止为体，以顺为用，本《艮》之笃实，动而为《巽》之利市，故曰“动不穷也”。

以此卦拟人事，卦名曰《渐》，卦义在进。天下事无不贵进，而进要不贵迅速，而贵舒缓，舒缓之谓渐也。自世好急功，而《渐》之道失矣，惟于“女归”，则犹存其《渐》之旨焉，故爻象独取“女归”。男女为人伦之始，是人事之至要也。按《屯》二曰“女子贞不字，十年乃字”；《归妹》四曰“归有时”，五曰“位在中”；《家人》《彖传》曰“正家而天下定”。凡《易》之言婚嫁，多以得时为正，得位为中，由兹而往，足以成内助之功，即足开治国之基。诸卦分言之，而独以渐则合言之，以《渐》九五之吉，为刚而得中也。为卦《艮》以止，《巽》以动，知止而进，其进有序，其用不穷，所谓正一身以正朝廷，正朝廷以正百官，正百官以正天下，道不外是焉。是皆有渐进而渐广之用也。

以此卦拟国家，卦象专取“女归”，六爻亦皆言男女配合之礼，殊于国家无关，而《彖传》则曰“进以正，可以正邦也”，则知正国之道，基于正家矣。《诗》云“刑于寡妻，以御于家邦”，此之谓也。渐者，为言徐而不速，为政而曰勿欲速，亦取夫《渐》之义也。国家之事，循序而进，教化之行，日进有功。圣天子正位凝命，刚而得中，内而宫闱，外而邦国，罔不本身出治。诗《樛木》、《芣莒》之篇，知王化之行，皆本诸后妃贞静之德，由近及远，渐推渐广，汝濆江汉之间，无不风行俗美，盖其渐积而来者，有由矣。虽《彖》辞首言“女归”，而由齐家以及治国，道本无二致也。“止而巽，动不穷”者，就《艮》《巽》而括言之，则《艮》为社稷，《巽》为诰命，皆可见其动之不穷也，夫岂第为女子于归言哉！惟在读《易》者玩索而得之。

通观此卦，卦本《乾》《坤》三四往来，阴进而止乎四，九居五而得中，上六以阴居阴，各得其所。爻与《家人》同，而其所异者，初爻九六之别耳，故渐在家则内外顺，在国则上下安。《彖》《象》取“女”，爻象取“鸿”，其卦为《艮》男《巽》女，迨吉于归。《诗》云“弋凫与雁”，是婚礼用雁之证也。雁之飞识时，女之归待聘，《渐》之义也。然鸿飞有序，知长幼之礼，其群有偶，厚夫妇之别，其来有候，适寒暑之期，是物之进而能渐者，莫如鸿焉，是以六爻之象，其始栖息甚近，其终飞翔甚远。初言“干”，象其进之始；二言“磐”，象其进之安；三言“陆”，则非所安；四言“木”，则始危而终安；五言“陵”，则升天位之高；上言“陆”，则出于人位之外。而初之不得所安，无应而不能进也；三之不得所安，无德而不能进也；四乘刚有德，可安也；上九过高，其德犹可则也；二五以中正相应，是以独得其吉也。卦画皆以奇先偶，象鸿飞有序；下卦以一奇率二偶，上卦以一偶随二奇，象鸿飞大者先小者随。阳大阴小，长幼之节，倡随之礼，夫妇之道也。六爻皆言渐，自初至上各有次序，实与《彖》辞渐进之义，足以相发明矣。

《大象》曰；山上有木，渐。君子以居贤德善俗。

山上有木，以木在山，为得其所，犹女子以归为得所。君子法此象，观木之由渐而长，非一时所可成，即知俗之由渐而善，非一旦所能化。要必先居德以为表率，使之渐仁摩义，而风俗自善。古称缺妻之贤，孟光之德，足以化俗，况士君子之躬居贤德者乎？其化民成俗，固有日进而日善者也。全卦皆取《巽》女，而《象》独称“君子”，盖《艮》为贤人，故曰“君子居贤德”。要知君子与淑女，足为配偶，其德同，其化亦同也。“善俗”，王肃本作风俗，“居贤德”，《本义》云“贤字衍”。

【占】　问时运：如木在高山，得逢春生发之象。

○　问营商：山藏货财，木能生发，且《巽》为商，利市三倍，得此卦象，自必能逐渐得利也。

○　问功名：足膺贤才之选。

○　问战征：防三军前进，在深山茂林之处，有敌兵埋伏。

○　问婚姻：必是贤德淑女，是以“君子好逑”。

○　问家宅：必是德门仁里，君子居之。

○　问疾病：是木克土之症，宜安居调养。

○　问六甲：望前生者男，望后生者女。

Judgment

Legge: Gradual Progress shows the good fortune attending the marriage of a young lady. Firm correctness brings advantage.

Wilhelm/Baynes: Development. The maiden is given in marriage. Good fortune. Perseverance furthers.

Blofeld: Gradual Progress. The marriage of a maiden brings good fortune. Persistence in a righteous course brings reward.

Liu: Gradual Development. The marriage of a girl -- Good Fortune. It benefits to continue.

Ritsema/Karcher: Infiltrating, womanhood converting significant. Harvesting Trial. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of gradually achieving a goal. It emphasizes that advancing through diffuse but steady penetration is the adequate way to handle it. To be in accord with the time, you are told to: infiltrate!]

Shaughnessy: Advancing: For the maiden to return is auspicious; beneficial to determine.

Cleary (2): Gradual Progress in a woman’s marriage is auspicious. It is beneficial to be chaste.

Wu: Gradualness indicates that it is auspicious for a woman to get married and it is advantageous for her to be persevering.

The Image

Legge: A tree on the mountain -- the image of Gradual Progress. The superior man attains and nourishes his extraordinary virtue to improve the manners of the people.

Wilhelm/Baynes: On the mountain, a tree: the image of Development. Thus the superior man abides in dignity and virtue, in order to improve the mores.

53 -- Gradual Progress-53

Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes a tree upon a mountain. The Superior Man, abiding in holiness and virtue, inclines the people towards goodness.

Liu: A tree on the mountain symbolizes Gradual Development. The superior man, in maintaining his virtue, improves society's customs.

Ritsema/Karcher: Above mountain possessing wood. Infiltrating. A chun tzu uses residing-in eminent actualizing-tao to improve the vulgar. [Actualize-tao: Ability to follow the course traced by the ongoing process of the cosmos ... Linked with acquire, TE: acquiring that which makes a being become what it is meant to be.]

Cleary (1): There are trees on the mountain, growing gradually. Thus do superior people abide in sagacity and improve customs.

Cleary (2): …Developed people improve customs by living wisely and virtuously.

Wu: There are trees on the mountain; this is Gradualness. The jun zi chooses to live in the neighborhood known for its high moral standards and exemplary custom.

COMMENTARY

Confucius/Legge: The ascent of Gradual Progress resembles the fortunate marriage of a young lady. The lines ascend to their proper places, indicating achievement. Because the ascent is made correctly the subject of the hexagram is empowered to rectify his country. He is shown as the dynamic ruler in line five, central and correct. The alternation of Keeping Still and Flexible Penetration ensure that the advance is continuous.

Legge: The written character for Gradual Progress is ordinarily used in the sense of gradually, but there is connected with it also the idea of advance. The whole of it denotes a gradual advance like the soaking in of water. The other two hexagrams that contain the idea of advance are number thirty-five, Advance of Consciousness and

number forty-six, Pushing Upward -- each expresses its own nuance of meaning, and here the nuance is the gradual manner in which the advance takes place.

The theme of the hexagram is the advance of men to offices in the state -- how it should take place gradually and by successive steps. Lines 2, 3, 4 and 5 are all in their proper places as dynamic or magnetic, and we ascend them as by regular steps to the top of the hexagram. The marriage of a young lady illustrates an important event which takes place according to various preliminary steps which must be correctly done in an orderly sequence. So must it be with the advance of a man in the service of the state.

The K'ang-hsi editors say: "A tree springing up on the ground is a tree as it begins to grow. A tree on a hill is high and large. Every tree when it begins to grow shows its branches and twigs gradually becoming long. Every morning and every evening show

53 -- Gradual Progress-53 some difference; and when the tree is high and great, whether it be of an ordinary or extraordinary size, it has taken years to reach its dimensions."

Added Commentary: Blofeld appends the following footnote to each line in this hexagram: it is easier to read it here as his general commentary. [The additional Chinese commentaries explain that the wild goose is a bird which moves toward the sun. Now, a commonly used Chinese term for the sun is YANG, namely the male principle. So the bird obviously (sic) betokens a maiden seeking a husband. Its movement from river bank to rock, dry land, a tree, a hillock and the mainland (which is said in one commentary to mean peninsula) signifies gradual movement in an unchanging direction. From the point of view of divination, this is the best course for us, even if marriage is not our objective.

Regarding marriage: the first line betokens gossip, although the marriage is not unsuitable; the second, a materially successful marriage; the third, an unfortunate marriage; the fourth, marriage to someone exceedingly kind and thoughtful; the fifth, a blissful marriage; the sixth, marriage to a public figure who has some responsibility for good order within the realm and who succeeds in his task.]

NOTES AND PARAPHRASES

Judgment: The proper union of forces within the psyche is a matter of slow maturation. The Superior Man maintains his will and transforms the psyche. "Example is the

school of mankind, and they will learn at no other." -- Burke

This is one of the most hierarchical of the hexagrams -- each line represents a clear advance from the position of the preceding line, thus giving an image of Gradual Progress. The vehicle of this progression is the wild goose, which also appears in every

line. A goose is a bird -- primarily a creature of the air, or realm of thought; but because it also thrives on either water or land, the goose symbolizes thought which permeates the

lower two categories of consciousness -- emotion (water), and sensation (earth). Another traditional interpretation of the goose motif is that of the universal aspect of the soul. The wild goose is able to move about everywhere, on firm land, in water and in the air. It is the bird of Hermes, who is the leader of souls.

E.C. Whitmont -- The Symbolic Quest The progress of the goose is a gradual one, from the shore, or threshold of awareness in line one, to the mountain heights, or realm of the Spirit in line six. The fact that this progress is linked with the idea of marriage in the Judgment is a clear hint that we are dealing here with the idea of the union of opposites within the psyche. (See commentary on hexagram number eleven.) The message is unambiguous: the process of psycho-spiritual growth is one of slow maturation. There are no short-cuts to enlightenment. Evils and falsities must be removed, to the intent that a new life which is the life of heaven may be implanted. This can in nowise be done hastily; for every evil enrooted with its falsities has connection with all evils and their falsities; and

53 -- Gradual Progress-53 such evils and falsities are innumerable, and their connection is so manifold that it cannot be comprehended ... From this it is plain that the life of hell in man cannot be suddenly destroyed, for if it were suddenly done he would straightway expire; and that the life of heaven cannot be suddenly implanted, for if this were done suddenly he would also expire.

Swedenborg -- Arcana Coelestia