Modesty — true greatness that does not display itself.
Modesty brings success and is the one virtue welcomed everywhere. Lower yourself and you are raised; the humble carry their work to completion. Balance the high with the low.
modestyhumilitybalancerestraint
Modesty places Earth (receptive, devoted) above Mountain (still, resting). The interplay of these two trigrams gives the hexagram its character.
The Classical Textoriginal Chinese
The Judgment · 卦辞
亨，君子有终。
The Image · 大象
地中有山，谦；君子以裒多益寡，称物平施。
The Six Lines · 爻辞
- 初六谦谦君子，用涉大川，吉。象曰：谦谦君子，卑以自牧也。
- 六二鸣谦，贞吉。象曰：鸣谦贞吉，中心得也。
- 九三劳谦，君子有终，吉。象曰：劳谦君子，万民服也。
- 六四无不利，挥谦。象曰：无不利，挥谦；不违则也。
- 六五不富以其邻，利用侵伐，无不利。象曰：利用侵伐，征不服也。
- 上六鸣谦，利用行师，征邑国。象曰：鸣谦，志未得也。可用行师，征邑国也。
The judgment, image and line texts above are quoted from the original Zhou Yi. A modern Chinese translation of the full classic is available on the original-text page.