I CHING HEXAGRAM 41
Hexagram 41: Decrease / 山泽损
Meaning & Interpretation
What this pattern asks of you
Reduce what drains the center, make sacrifice proportionate, and ensure giving does not destroy the giver.
The inner condition and the way the situation begins.
The surrounding field and the way the pattern develops.
THE TRADITIONAL IMAGE
Mountain (Gen) above Lake (Dui)
A lake rests below a mountain, its level reduced so something higher can be strengthened. Decrease is useful when it removes excess deliberately and protects what matters most.
Core Meaning
Decrease is intentional reduction: giving up excess, concentrating resources, or accepting a smaller form to protect what matters.
Reduce what drains the center, make sacrifice proportionate, and ensure giving does not destroy the giver. In a Liu Yao reading, this general pattern is only the starting point: moving lines, Self and Other, Six Relatives, and seasonal strength determine how it applies to a specific question.
In Love & Relationships
Simplify expectations and remove habits that consume goodwill. Compromise is healthy only when both people remain present and valued.
In Career & Work
Cut low-value work, narrow scope, and direct resources toward the core. A disciplined reduction can create future strength.
Changing Lines
- 1
Finish immediate duties before giving yourself away.
- 2
Steadiness helps more than self-sacrifice.
- 3
Too many competing ties weaken true partnership.
- 4
Reduce the fault and relief can arrive quickly.
- 5
A valuable contribution may come from outside.
- 6
Increase for others without decreasing your own center.
Questions for Reflection
- 01
Where is the pattern of decrease already visible in the situation you are asking about?
- 02
Which part of this guidance is within your control now: Reduce what drains the center, make sacrifice proportionate, and ensure giving does not destroy the giver.
- 03
What observable change would show that the situation is becoming more workable—or less so?
READ THE CHART, NOT ONLY THE NAME