Heng - Duration / Constancy

Meaning and Overview

The upper trigram of the Heng hexagram is Zhen (Thunder), representing the eldest son as the legitimate heir, who presides over external affairs. The lower trigram is Xun (Wind), representing the eldest daughter as the legitimate wife, who resides within and manages household matters. In ancient times, men managed external affairs and women managed internal affairs, which conformed to ritual propriety. The Jia Ren (Family) hexagram discusses how to govern a household well, while the Heng hexagram discusses how to maintain the family's prosperity over the long term, especially emphasizing that the husband has the responsibility to fulfill family duties with the constancy of 'persisting in the Way.' The hexagram statement of Heng is favorable, but three of the line statements are ominous: the first yin line says 'Deepening constancy, perseverance brings misfortune, nothing favorable'; the top yin line says 'Agitating constancy, misfortune'; and the fifth yin line says 'The husband meets misfortune.' This is because, in the view of the Zhouyi, the second yin line occupies the central position of the lower trigram, and the fifth yang line occupies the central position of the upper trigram, achieving centrality and correctness, conforming to the ritual norm of men managing external affairs and women managing internal affairs. In the Jia Ren hexagram, the second yin line of the lower trigram and the fifth yang line of the upper trigram exactly match this norm. However, the Heng hexagram is the opposite of Jia Ren, becoming the second yang line and the fifth yin line, meaning men manage internal affairs and women manage external affairs. From the perspective of the upper and lower trigrams, the problem is further compounded: the yang lines occupy the second, third, and fourth positions, while the yin lines occupy the first, fifth, and top positions, so the yin lines envelop the yang lines in the middle, creating a situation of difficulty. Therefore, the faults of the yin lines are especially severe. The first yin line is weak and unable to bear the heavy responsibility of maintaining the family's enduring prosperity, hence misfortune. The top yin line is wavering and lacks constancy, also bringing misfortune. Although the fifth yin line occupies the central position and 'maintains constancy in virtue,' which is auspicious, for the yang line it is 'the husband meets misfortune'—in a family where women manage external affairs, the man is controlled by his wife, and the line statement considers this unfortunate. Thus it can be seen that in the era of the Zhouyi, the division of labor between men and women in family and external affairs was already widespread and had become a social consensus. Although there were still families where women managed external affairs, for the male head of the household, it was not a good thing.