Kan Hexagram 92: Don’t Treat Minor Risks as Major Disasters — If the Pit Isn’t Too Deep, Don’t Rush to Climb Out

Not all pits are the same depth.

Some are so deep you can’t see the sky; others are shallow enough that you can reach the edge just by standing up.

What Nine in the second line of *The Abysmal Water (Kan Hexagram faces is the latter kind — there is danger, but it is not fatal.

The Line Text (Yao Ci) says: "坎有险，求小得。" (The Abysmal Water holds danger; seek small gains.)

There is peril in the pit, but you can first go after small wins.

What Nine in the Second Place is About

Nine in the Second Place of *The Abysmal Water*Kan Hexagram is a Yang Line holding the central position. Though in the midst of danger, it has inherent capability.

It is not like the situation of Six at the Beginning, which has fallen all the way to the bottom and cannot move at all. It can still move, but the surrounding conditions are not yet such that it can leap out in one go.

What should you do at a time like this?

"Seek small gains."

Don’t think about getting out all at once. Secure a small achievement first — find a foothold, grab a branch, confirm a direction.

A small gain is still a gain. With the first small progress, the path ahead can gradually open up.

Why People Are Always in a Hurry to Succeed

The biggest problem for people in困境 adversity is not the difficulty itself, but impatience.

Impatient to solve all problems in one go.

Impatient to immediately return to their previous state.

Impatient to prove "I’m fine."

Wen Laoshi has met many people whose startups have failed. After getting into debt, the one thing they want most is to "earn it all back quickly."

And the result? The more impatient they are, the more likely they are to go astray, fall for scams, and make high-risk decisions.

Nine in the Second Place of *The Abysmal Water*Kan Hexagram says: Don’t rush. Seek small gains first.

If you owe a million yuan, it doesn’t mean you have to make a million tomorrow. It means first find a stable source of income, survive first, then pay it back little by little.

The Power of Small Gains

Small gains may seem unremarkable, but they do one thing: they let you know you can.

You’re in the pit, and first you find a stone you can stand on steadily. Step on it, and you’re stable. That small bit of stability gives you the confidence to look for the next one.

Everyone who has climbed out of hardship, when looking back, will find: they didn’t leap out in one step — they inched out step by step.

Each step is tiny, but each step makes you a little better off than the last.

This is what "seeking small gains" means.

Advice from Nine in the Second Place for Modern People

First, when you’re in a tough spot, break your goals down to the smallest possible size. Not "I need to turn things around," but "what one small thing can I do today to make the situation a little better?"

Second, don’t compare your speed to others’. Some people are running in favorable circumstances, while you’re walking in adversity. Walking and running can’t be compared, but as long as you’re moving forward, that’s enough.

Third, every small progress is worth writing down. Earned a hundred more yuan today than yesterday, felt a little less anxious today than yesterday, slept an hour more today than yesterday — these are all "small gains." Save enough of them, and they become a big gain.

Final Thoughts

The wisdom of Nine in the Second Place of *The Abysmal Water*Kan Hexagram is very simple:

When the pit isn’t that deep, don’t treat it like a catastrophe.

Take it step by step, take a little bit each time.

By the time you look back, you’ll already have climbed out.