Hexagram 29, Water over Water: The Abyss (Kan), is the 29th of the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching. It is made of Kan (water) above and Kan (water) below, and it speaks about danger stacked on danger and how sincerity can carry a person through.

Hexagram 29 (Kan) at a Glance

Attribute	Detail
Number	29 of 64
Name	Water over Water: The Abyss (Kan), also called the Repeated Abyss
Image	☵ over ☵ (water over water)
Inner (lower) trigram	Kan ☵, water
Outer (upper) trigram	Kan ☵, water
Element	Water (belongs to the Kan house)
Overall tone	Dangerous, but sincerity keeps the heart open
Key phrase	Sincerity, and the heart finds its way through
Yang lines	2 of 6
Opposite hexagram (every line flipped)	Hexagram 30, Fire over Fire: Clinging (Li)
Reversed hexagram (turned upside down)	Itself (turned upside down, it is still Hexagram 29)

The Original Text and Its Meaning

This part gives the classical wording of Hexagram 29 in English, with a plain explanation. If you only care about how the hexagram applies to daily life, feel free to skim it and jump to the later sections.

The Judgment

The Repeated Abyss: if you are sincere, you have success in the heart, and whatever you do meets with esteem.

In plain words: "repeated abyss" means danger piled on danger. Kan is water, a deep pit, and peril. This hexagram has two layers of Kan joined together, like someone who has just waded through one chasm and meets another. The Judgment is short and precious: with a sincere heart, the heart finds its way through, and whatever you undertake earns respect. It is one of the few hexagrams that promises ease only on the inside, not in the outside situation. The danger does not disappear, but if the heart is not crushed by it, a person can still move forward.

The Image

Water flows on and on: the Repeated Abyss. In the same way, the noble person walks in constant virtue and practices the work of teaching.

In plain words: water arriving again and again is the picture of the Repeated Abyss. Following it, the noble person keeps virtue steady in daily conduct and practices the work of teaching. Water has a quality worth learning from: wherever it flows, it keeps its own nature. It goes around a rock, pours down into a ravine, and spreads out across flat ground. The ancients read a lesson in this image: in a time of many changes, keeping steady conduct every day and using self-training as the way to teach others is how to pass through danger. Water can flow because its nature does not change.

The Six Lines

The six lines of Kan describe six degrees and situations of a person surrounded by danger, from the moment of first falling in to being stuck for a long time. Read from the bottom up.

Line	Classical text	Plain meaning
Line 1 (six at the beginning)	Repeated abyss; one falls into a pit within the abyss; misfortune.	Danger on danger, falling to the bottom of the pit, is unfavorable
Line 2 (nine in the second place)	The abyss is dangerous; seek only small gains.	Danger remains inside the pit, so aim for something small
Line 3 (six in the third place)	Coming and going, abyss after abyss; danger, and leaning on it; one falls into a pit within the abyss; do not act.	Danger in every direction, even danger to lean on; do not act now
Line 4 (six in the fourth place)	A jug of wine, a bowl of rice with it, in earthen vessels, passed in through the window; in the end, no fault.	A simple meal in plain bowls, handed in through a window, leads in the end to no fault
Line 5 (nine in the fifth place)	The abyss is not filled to overflowing; it is only leveled; no fault.	The pit has not yet overflowed, but the water now stands level, and there is no fault
Line 6 (six at the top)	Bound with cords and ropes, set among thorns and brambles; for three years one does not find the way; misfortune.	Tied up and stuck in a thicket for three years, which is unfavorable

Reading the Six Lines in Everyday Terms

The six lines of Hexagram 29 are a map of six situations a person may meet while passing through a hard time, from the first slip to being stuck for years. Here is each line in everyday language.

Line 1: Fallen to the bottom of the pit. This is the starting line and the heaviest of the lower half. You have just entered a hard stretch and slid deep right from the first step: a sudden job loss, a relationship that broke abruptly, a large loss, or sudden bad news in the family. The text gives one word: misfortune. The hexagram does not avoid the fact. In daily life this is a time to accept that you are at the bottom and not to thrash around in a hurry. Struggling in the wrong way may only sink you deeper into the mud.

Line 2: Even in danger, small gains are possible. Line 2 is the first ray of light. You are still in the pit, but you have regained a little room to maneuver. A small income arrives, a friend reaches out a hand, or a temporary job holds things together. The text advises seeking small things. In this stretch it may not help to think about a five-year plan, or to set revenge-style goals about love or career. Keeping meals on the table, paying what is due this month, and showing up regularly may be enough. Small and steady is the way out.

Line 3: Danger in every direction. Line 3 is the person standing between the two layers of Kan. Leave the first chasm and the second appears. The text says "do not act," which means this is not a moment for big decisions. In daily life this is when work is already hard, something is going on at home, and your energy is dropping, all at the same time. Someone in this line may feel very tempted to look for a shortcut: a risky loan, an impulsive job change, a fight to clear the air, or running far away. The hexagram advises plainly: do not act. This is a time to hold on, not to decide.

Line 4: A jug of wine and a bowl of rice. This is one of the loveliest images in the whole I Ching. In the hardest moment, a jug of wine and a bowl of rice, in plain earthen vessels, are passed in through a window instead of the front door. It is as simple as it gets. Yet the text says: in the end, no fault. In daily life these are the evenings you share a plain meal with someone close during hard times, with nothing fancy but each other. It is a kind message from an old friend at the right moment. In the middle of danger, simple sincerity can be a lifeline. It helps not to look down on what seems small.

Line 5: The pit is not full, but the water is level. Line 5 belongs to someone close to getting out of the pit. The water has not overflowed, but it has risen to the level of the rim, which means you are near the top. The text says no fault, but it does not say good fortune yet. In daily life this is when you have work again, have paid off much of a debt, or have started over in a relationship, but nothing is firm. It is not a moment for celebrating, and not a moment for spreading out and expanding. Keep a steady rhythm, save bit by bit, and wait for the water to run over. Patience in this stage tends to be rewarded.

Line 6: Tied up in thorns for three years. The last line is the heaviest warning of the hexagram. It describes a person who did not learn from the earlier lines and kept sinking into danger, until they were bound up in brambles for three years. In daily life this may look like someone who borrows from one place to cover another, keeps changing jobs on impulse, makes promises and drops them, until every door has closed. The hexagram does not threaten. It only shows that some pits get deeper because of how a person reacts to danger. The way out lies less in the circumstances than in how you move through them.

If you want to cast a hexagram and see its reading, you can try it on HOROS.

What Hexagram 29 May Say About Everyday Life

Love

Casting Kan on a love question often points to a hard stretch in the relationship: misunderstanding piled on misunderstanding, an old conflict not yet settled when a new one appears, or distance in space or time pulling two people apart. Someone who is single may be in a long lonely stretch or just out of a painful relationship. The hexagram advises keeping an honest heart, as the Judgment says: no covering up, no empty promises, no stream of blame. Line 4 is a great comfort: a simple meal together can be worth more than a big gift. A love that gets through danger tends to be a real one.

Career

On career, Kan often appears for people in the middle of a long hard stretch: a company in crisis, a stalled project, coworkers leaving one by one, pressure that does not ease. This does not look like a time for reckless job changes, starting a business from nothing, or alienating a boss out of frustration. Lines 2 and 4 are the compass: do the small tasks within reach well, and keep good relations with the teammates who stay. Line 6 is the warning: do not let a hard stretch turn into three years of being stuck. Protect your energy, your skills, and your name. When the water recedes, those who are still standing tend to be seen.

Money

On money, Kan leans strongly toward defense. This is not a time that suits risky investments, large loans, or betting everything on a turnaround. The rule of the hexagram is to seek small gains: aim for small things and they may come, aim for big things and they may fall apart. Review expenses you do not need, cut subscriptions you do not use, and pause any lending that has no clear agreement. For someone in debt, the hexagram suggests talking openly with the lender to restructure instead of borrowing new money to cover the old. Keeping today's meals covered and paying this month's bill may already count as a win. Money in Kan tends to be money that makes it through the flood season.

Health

On health, Kan speaks about slow-building strain and tiredness rather than any single concern. People who cast it are often in a long stretch of tension, with restless nights, worry, and low spirits. This is not the time to diagnose yourself online or to settle into a long-term fix on your own; if discomfort lingers, a qualified professional is the right person to ask. Water needs to keep moving and not stand still: light, regular activity, enough rest, a steady schedule, and less coffee after noon are the kind of habits that suit this hexagram. The Image says "constant virtue": health in Kan is the health of small daily habits.

Closing Thought: Sincerity Between Two Layers of Water

Many people remember this hexagram as an unlucky one and feel afraid when they cast it. The loveliest part of Kan lies in the Judgment: "if you are sincere, you have success in the heart." The I Ching does not promise that the danger will vanish. It only says that between two layers of deep water, a person who keeps an honest heart and steady conduct each day may still get through. Keep a meal. Keep a habit. Keep a promise. That is how to cross danger.