Hexagram 37 · Line 1
The Family — 初九
Jia Ren · Chu Jiu
The Line
Firm seclusion within the family. Remorse vanishes.
Interpretation
The family must form a firmly bounded unity, within which every member knows their place. From the beginning, children must be accustomed to firm orders, even before their will is turned to other things. If one begins too late with the enforcement of order, when the will of the children is already spoiled, the grown-up whims and passions resist, and there is occasion for remorse. If one begins with order in good time, occasions for remorse indeed also arise. They are unavoidable in living together in a larger circle. But the remorse vanishes again and again. Everything sets itself right. For there is nothing more easily avoidable and harder to carry through than "breaking the will" of children.