Treading Hexagram Nine in Second Place: Why Some People’s Paths Grow Wider As They Walk

Have you ever noticed this phenomenon?

Some people have incredibly good rapport—wherever they go, others are willing to help them. You might think they’re exceptionally capable, but that’s not always the case; you might assume they’re great at schmoozing, but that’s not quite it either. They’re just regular people, yet everyone wants to collaborate with them and give them opportunities.

What about others? They’re not lacking in ability, and they work hard, but their path just keeps getting narrower. They’ve switched jobs multiple times, joined different circles, and still haven’t made much of a name for themselves.

Why is there such a big difference?

The answer might be simple—some people walk on a broad, smooth road, while others tread a narrow single-plank bridge.

This is exactly what the second line of the I Ching’s Treading Hexagram (天泽履 / Treading) speaks of. It says: "履道坦坦，幽人贞吉 (Lǚ dào tǎn tǎn, yōu rén zhēn jí)".

履道坦坦 — Walk the Main Road, Not the Side Paths

What does "履道坦坦" mean? "履道" refers to the path you walk on. "坦坦" means flat, wide, open and aboveboard.

Put together, it means—walking on a flat, broad main road, acting with integrity and having nothing to hide.

Why does the Nine in the Second Place (九二) talk about this? Because when people reach a certain stage, they start facing a choice: take the main road, or take the side paths?

What’s the main road? It’s the right path, it’s rules, fair competition, and earning your keep with your own skills. The main road is wide, and lots of people walk on it—at first glance it seems super competitive, but it’s stable: once you’re on it, you won’t fall off, and the farther you go, the steadier your steps are.

What are the side paths? They’re shortcuts, crooked ways, schmoozing for connections, and playing dirty tricks. Side paths are narrow, with few people on them—they seem faster at first, but they’re risky: one misstep and you’ll fall off. Plus, they get narrower and narrower, until eventually you might hit a dead end.

Lots of people like taking side paths when they’re young, because they’re fast, save effort, and give a quick sense of achievement. With a little cleverness and a few underhanded tricks, you can get things quickly. But as you go along, you’ll find those side paths just peter out. Meanwhile, people who stuck to the main road from the start, though slower at first, find their path getting wider and wider.

Wen Laoshi often says: If you can take the main road, never take a side path. Because the main road grows broader the more you walk it, while side paths only get narrower. The small gains you grab on a side path today will have to be paid back double on the main road later.

幽人贞吉 — Stay True to Yourself When You’re Underrated

What does "幽人贞吉" mean? "幽人" refers to people who are in seclusion, who go unnoticed, who are underrated. "贞" means staying upright and persevering. "吉" means good fortune.

Put together, it means—even if you’re temporarily unseen and unvalued, as long as you stay true to the right path and keep walking it, good fortune will come to you in the end.

The position of the Nine in the Second Place is interesting—it’s in the middle of the inner trigram, a Yang Line in a Yin position: capable but not in a high rank, with someone above them holding them back. It’s like a very skilled person who hasn’t had their big break yet, who hasn’t been discovered.

Times like this test people the most.

You’ve got skills, but no one sees them; you work hard, but no one appreciates you; you do a great job, but someone else takes the credit. What do you do?

Lots of people start getting anxious at this point—they complain, they start pulling petty tricks, they go for shortcuts. The result? Their path just gets narrower and narrower.

What do truly smart people do? They don’t rush. They keep walking their main road, keep doing what they’re supposed to do. They know that gold will shine eventually—but only if you are gold, and only if you’re patient enough to wait.

I know a friend who works in product management. He stayed at one company for five years. For the first three years, he flew under the radar—people who joined after him got promoted, but he was still a regular product manager. But he didn’t stress about it. Every day he still worked on products carefully, wrote documentation thoroughly, dug into problems when they came up, and learned whatever he didn’t know.

Then the company took on a big project. The first few teams messed it up completely. With no one else left to turn to, his boss let him give it a shot. He stepped in, nailed the project, and did an absolutely stellar job. After that, he moved up the ranks nonstop, and now he’s the director of product.

He once said something that stuck with me: "Don’t be in a rush to prove yourself. First, become someone worth proving."

That’s what "幽人贞吉" means—it’s okay if you’re not seen right now. As long as you keep walking the right path and keep improving, you’ll get noticed sooner or later. The scary thing is when you can’t wait, and you take a crooked path—even if you were gold to begin with, you’ll tarnish yourself.

The Three Levels of "Tǎn Tǎn" (Openhearted Integrity)

The phrase "履道坦坦" sounds simple, but it’s not easy to live by. It has three levels.

First level: Integrity in your work. Be open and aboveboard, no petty tricks. Do things the way they’re supposed to be done—don’t lie to your superiors or hide things from your subordinates, don’t cut corners to get ahead. Everything you do can be brought out into the open. People like this are trustworthy, and others want to work with them.

Second level: Integrity in how you treat people. Mean what you say, don’t play mind games. Say what’s on your mind—don’t act one way to someone’s face and another behind their back. Keep interactions simple, direct, and sincere. The simpler you are, the more comfortable others feel around you; the more complicated you are, the more people will keep their guard up.

Third level: Integrity in your heart. Be able to live with yourself. Before you do something, ask yourself: will I be able to sleep at night after doing this? Am I treating others fairly? Will I regret this when I look back on it later? If the answer is yes, don’t do it; if the answer is no, go ahead with confidence.

People with a clear conscience never have a narrow path. Because they don’t fear offending anyone, don’t fear being found out, don’t fear their secrets coming to light. Every step they take is solid, every night’s sleep is peaceful.

How to Widen Your Path

So, what can you do specifically to make your path wider and wider? Here are three tips.

First, think a little more about others. People who walk the main road don’t only think about themselves—they consider other people’s interests too. When you collaborate with someone, don’t always try to take all the benefits for yourself; make sure the other person gains something too. The more people you help, the more people will be willing to help you; the more you make way for others, the more others will make way for you.

Second, don’t rank people into different classes. The person you look down on today might be your boss tomorrow; the "nobody" you dismiss today might be the one who helps you out tomorrow. Treat everyone with the same respect, the same sincerity. Every bit of kindness you build up today will come back to you in some way in the future.

Third, take your reputation seriously. What’s a personal brand? It’s what people say about you after you’ve left. Every thing you do, every word you say, is your calling card. If you do things well, your reputation will naturally improve; if your reputation is good, opportunities will naturally come your way. That’s why some people’s paths get wider as they go—because their reputation is constantly paving the way for them.

What the Nine in the Second Place of the Treading Hexagram calls "履道坦坦，幽人贞吉" still holds true today—people who walk the main road seem slow at first, but they get faster and faster; people who take side paths seem fast, but they slow down more and more. People with a clear conscience, even if they’re temporarily unseen, will definitely get their chance to shine eventually.

So if you’re in an underrated phase right now, don’t rush, don’t complain, don’t take crooked paths. Just keep walking your main road steadily, and do your work diligently. When your path is wide, you’ll walk steadily; when your heart is true, you’ll go far.