Hexagram 48: The Well
By Wendy Zhang, Founder of Solacely · Updated
井 · Jǐng
The Well. The town can be moved, but not the well. It neither loses nor gains. People come and go, drawing from the well. If the rope does not quite reach the water, or the jug breaks, misfortune.
The judgment
改邑不改井，无喪无得，往來井井。汔至亦未繘井。羸其瓶，凶。
The Well. The town can be moved, but not the well. It neither loses nor gains. People come and go, drawing from the well. If the rope does not quite reach the water, or the jug breaks, misfortune.
The image
木上有水，井；君子以勞民勸相。
Water above wood: the image of the Well. The noble person encourages the people at their work and urges them to help one another.
Wood (a bucket or pole) goes down into water and brings it up. The deep, constant source nourishes everyone who draws on it properly.
What The Well means
The Well is a lasting source of nourishment that serves everyone. Towns may change, but the well remains, neither drying up nor overflowing. People come and go, drawing from it. The judgment’s warning is practical: if the rope is too short or the bucket breaks, the water cannot be reached. The source is there, but access fails. Commentators read the Well as human nature, wisdom, and the shared institutions that sustain communities. The Image asks leaders to encourage cooperation and mutual help. In practice, this hexagram points to what truly nourishes you or others: knowledge, relationships, inner depth, or shared resources. It asks: are you maintaining the source, and can people actually reach it? Avoid neglecting fundamentals, letting skills or relationships decay, or failing to share what you know. Deep, steady service creates lasting value. Clean and repair the well, and keep it open for others.
In love and relationships
Love depends on steady nourishment: attention, honesty, and care that do not change with moods. Check whether you and your partner can truly reach each other or if communication tools need repair. Singles may look for depth rather than surface excitement. A reliable relationship becomes a source of strength for both.
At work
Your work may be valuable but underused. Ensure people can access your skills, and maintain systems, knowledge, and relationships. Encourage teamwork and shared learning. Improving infrastructure, documentation, or processes may matter more than new projects. Being a dependable resource builds lasting respect.
The six lines
Read a line when it is a changing line in your cast (a 6 or a 9).
井泥不食，舊井无禽。
The well is muddy; no one drinks. An old well has no birds.
The well is muddy and nobody drinks; even the birds have abandoned the old well. A source has been neglected until it is useless: a skill unpracticed, a relationship ignored, a habit gone stale. Admit this plainly, because clearing out the mud begins with seeing it. Start small and restore what has decayed before expecting anyone to draw from it again.
井谷射鮒，瓮敝漏。
The well’s deep hole shoots water at small fish. The jug is broken and leaks.
There is water, but it trickles out to feed tiny fish, and the jug is cracked and leaking. Your ability is real, yet it is being spent on trivial things or poorly supported. This strong central line lacks a partner above to draw it up. Gather your talents toward what matters, and repair the tools and habits you need to use them well.
井渫不食，為我心惻，可用汲，王明，並受其福。
The well is cleaned, but no one drinks. This grieves my heart. It could be drawn from. If the king were clear-sighted, all would share in the blessing.
The well has been cleaned, but no one drinks from it, and that grieves you. This strong, correctly placed line is ready to serve and waits to be noticed. Make your availability known rather than waiting in silence. The text holds out hope: if those in authority see clearly, everyone will share in the benefit of what you offer.
井甃，无咎。
The well is lined with stone. No blame.
The well is being lined with stone. While the repairs go on, no water can be drawn, but afterward the well will be stronger. This is a season for maintenance and inner work: learning, health, or shoring up relationships. Do not mistake the pause for failure. Strengthening your own foundations now is blameless and makes later service possible.
井冽，寒泉食。
The well is clear, with a cold spring to drink.
In the ruler’s place, the well is clear and the spring is cold and fresh. Your knowledge, skill, or care is pure and ready to nourish others. Zhu Xi notes that the water must actually be drunk to fulfill its purpose. Offer what you have generously now. Clarity and integrity make your contribution genuinely refreshing to anyone who comes.
井收勿幕，有孚元吉。
The well is drawn from and left uncovered. With sincerity, supreme good fortune.
At the top, the water has been hauled up and the well is left uncovered for all to use. Your resources or wisdom are freely available, and this openness brings supreme good fortune. Keep giving reliably and without restriction or favoritism. A well that stays open keeps its value; one that is capped and hoarded loses its point.
Advice
Tend your deep sources and make sure others can draw from them. Maintain and repair before you build anew.
A question to reflect on
What source nourishes me most deeply, and how well am I maintaining it?