Hexagram 41: 損 (sǔn)
Judgment
有孚，元吉。无咎，可貞，利有攸往。曷之用？二簋可用享。
In (what is denoted by) Sun, if there be sincerity (in him who employs it), there will be great good fortune:—freedom from error; firmness and correctness that can be maintained; and advantage in every movement that shall be made. In what shall this (sincerity in the exercise of Sun) be employed? (Even) in sacrifice two baskets of grain, (though there be nothing else), may be presented.
Commentary on the judgment (彖傳)
損，損下益上，其道上行。損而有孚，元吉，无咎，可貞，利有攸往。曷之用？二簋可用享；二簋應有時。損剛益柔有時，損益盈虛，與時偕行。
The image (大象)
山下有澤，損；君子以懲忿窒欲。
The six lines
| Line | Chinese | Legge | Changes to |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 — | 弗損益之，无咎，貞吉，利有攸往，得臣无家。 | The topmost line, undivided, shows its subject giving increase to others without taking from himself. There will be no error. With firm correctness there will be good fortune. There will be advantage in every movement that shall be made. He will find ministers more than can be counted by their clans. | 19 |
| 5 – – | 或益之，十朋之龜弗克違，元吉。 | The fifth line, divided, shows parties adding to (the stores of) its subject ten pairs of tortoise shells, and accepting no refusal. There will be great good fortune. | 61 |
| 4 – – | 損其疾，使遄有喜，无咎。 | The fourth line, divided, shows its subject diminishing the ailment under which he labours by making (the subject of the first line) hasten (to his help), and make him glad. There will be no error. | 38 |
| 3 – – | 三人行，則損一人；一人行，則得其友。 | The third line, divided, shows how of three men walking together, the number is diminished by one; and how one, walking, finds his friend. | 26 |
| 2 — | 利貞，征凶，弗損益之。 | The second line, undivided, shows that it will be advantageous for its subject to maintain a firm correctness, and that action on his part will be evil. He can give increase (to his correlate) without taking from himself. | 27 |
| 1 — | 祀事遄往，无咎，酌損之。 | The first line, undivided, shows its subject suspending his own affairs, and hurrying away (to help the subject of the fourth line). He will commit no error, but let him consider how far he should contribute of what is his (for the other). | 4 |
Lines are numbered from the bottom. Each line page shows the line text with its small image commentary; each “changes to” link opens the reading for that changing line.
Related hexagrams
- Inverse (lines in reverse order): hexagram 42
- Opposite (every line changed): hexagram 31 · reading
- Nuclear (lines 2–4 and 3–5): hexagram 24
English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East vol. 16 (1882) — public domain; OCR text of the 1882 printing, checked against the proofread hexagrams. Chinese: Zhou Yi from Chinese Wikisource.
Character glossary
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 孚fúto brood over eggs; to have confidence
- 元yuánfirst; dollar; origin; head
- 吉jílucky, propitious, good
- 无wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 咎jiùfault, defect; error, mistake
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 貞zhēnvirtuous, chaste, pure; loyal
- 利lìgains, advantage, profit, merit
- 攸yōudistant, far; adverbial prefix
- 往wǎngto go, to depart; past, former
- 曷héwhat, why, where, which, how
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 用yòngto use, to employ, to apply; use
- 二èrtwo; twice
- 簋guǐbamboo basket for grain
- 享xiǎngto share; to enjoy; to benefit from
- 祀sìto sacrifice, to worship
- 事shìaffair, matter, business; to serve; acci
- 遄chuánto hurry; to go to and fro
- 酌zhuóto pour wine, to drink wine; to delibera
- 損sǔnto damage, to harm
- 征zhēngto summon, to recruit; levy, tax; journe
- 凶xiōngculprit; murder; bad, sad
- 弗fúnot, negative
- 益yìto profit, to benefit; advantage
- 三sānthree
- 人rénman, person; people
- 行xíngto go, to walk, to move; professional
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 一yīone; a, an; alone
- 得déto obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable,
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 友yǒufriend, companion; fraternity
- 疾jísickness, illness, disease; to envy, to
- 使shǐcause, mission, orders; envoy, messenger
- 喜xǐto love; to enjoy, to be happy; joyful,
- 或huòor, either, else; maybe, perhaps, possib
- 十shíten, tenth; complete; perfect
- 朋péngfriend, pal, acquaintance
- 龜guīturtle, tortoise; cuckold
- 克kèto subdue, to restrain, to overcome; use
- 違wéito violate, to disobey, to defy; to sepa
- 臣chénminister, statesman, official, vassal
- 家jiāhouse, home, residence; family
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0); Chinese Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.