Limitation
Number and Measure
Measure makes conduct orderly and scarce means sufficient; galling restriction defeats itself.
Hexagram 60 places Kan, water, above Dui, the lake. A lake holds a fixed quantity of water and no more, so limitation is written into the image itself; the name jie also denotes the joint of a bamboo, the division that gives the stalk its articulation. The Judgement grants success, but adds that galling limitation must not be persevered in, since restriction turned harsh defeats itself. In the Image the superior man creates number and measure and examines the nature of virtue and correct conduct, following heaven and earth, whose own limits give rise to the four seasons.
Light
Signifies thrift, discipline, and clearly drawn boundaries. It stands for the measure that keeps conduct orderly and makes limited resources sufficient for what they must cover.
Shadow
Can represent meanness, rules kept for their own sake, and restriction pressed to the point of cruelty. Austerity of this kind cannot be sustained and provokes the excess it was meant to prevent.
