Thus the well is a place where only fish will stay, and whoever comes to it, comes only to catch fish. The I Ching, or Book of Changes, a common source for both Confucianist and Taoist philosophy, is one of the first efforts of the human mind to place itself within the universe. But if we gain clear insight into the danger of the situation, we shall at least avoid more serious mistakes. Man masters these changes in nature by noting their regularity and marking off the passage of time accordingly. Unlike many editions of the I Ching, it also features the Ten Wings, supplemental writings traditionally ascribed to Confucius that provide indispensable insights into the symbolic structure of the hexagrams and their place in a cosmology where change is the only constant.

The ting, cast of bronze, was the vessel that held the cooked viands in the temple of the ancestors and at banquets. The well from which water is drawn conveys the further idea of an inexhaustible dispensing of nourishment. This hexagram is a picture of an open mouth; above and below are firm lines of the lips, and between them the opening. If one tries to induce calmness by means of artificial rigidity, meditation will lead to very unwholesome results.Thus the hexagram is intended to designate an objective situation to which one must become accustomed, not a subjective attitude. He finds no help among the people whose duty it would be to aid in the work of rescue (ministers wore purple knee bands). There are three kinds of shock—the shock of heaven, which is thunder, the shock of fate, and, finally, the shock of the heart. By neglecting this duty and helping no one, they in turn lose the furthering influence of others and soon find themselves alone.

It is important then to preserve inner composure and not to allow oneself to be swept along by the bustle of life.Instead, understanding the vanity of all things, one may put aside both hope and fear, and sigh and lament: if one is intent on retaining his clarity of mind, good fortune will come from this grief.