When Troubles Keep Hitting Home: Hexagram Decrease’s Nine in the Second Place Says Guard Your Foundation

This matter is perfectly explained by the second line of the Decrease Hexagram in the I Ching (Book of Changes).

Have you ever seen families like this—

the moment things go a little wrong at home,

they start messing around with all sorts of stuff.

First, they decide the feng shui is bad,

so they hire someone to check feng shui, move the bed, swap out the sofa, and put up all kinds of decorative ornaments.

They spend a ton of money, but things still don’t go smoothly.

Then they decide the problem is the house itself,

so they take out a loan for a bigger place.

They spend more than half a month slogging through the move,

only to find things are still off in the new house—

plus they’re stuck with mortgage pressure, making life even harder.

Why do things get worse the more you mess around?

Because you’ve got it backwards—

when things go wrong at home, the root is in the people, the heart, and the relationships,

not in the decor, not in feng shui, not in the house.

The more you tinker with external things,

the more scattered people’s hearts get, and the messier relationships become.

The second line of the Decrease Hexagram in the I Ching

is exactly about this truth.

The Line Text (Yao Ci) says: 利贞，征凶，弗损，益之。

What does that mean?

利贞 (lì zhēn) — staying upright and doing your part brings favorable results;

征凶 (zhēng xiōng) — charging outward, messing around pointlessly, or trying to pull some new trick leads to misfortune;

弗损益之 (fú sǔn yì zhī) — you don’t need to cut back, mess around, or make changes; instead, things will improve and grow on their own.

Putting it all together:

When it comes to family matters, don’t mess around for no reason.

Stick to your role and hold to the foundation, and things will go well;

act recklessly and tinker pointlessly, and problems will pop up;

stay still and steady, and your family will actually get better and better.

Why Many Families Get Messier the More They Tinker

The Decrease Hexagram talks about reduction,

but it doesn’t mean you should cut everything or change everything.

Cut what needs to be cut, and don’t touch what shouldn’t be reduced;

act when you should act, and don’t move when you shouldn’t.

Why do so many families get messier the more they tinker?

Three reasons.

First, external tinkering doesn’t work.

When things go wrong at home, swapping furniture, rearranging layouts, and placing ornaments

are all just messing with external stuff.

No matter how many external things you change,

if people’s hearts are at odds, communication is broken, and relationships are bad,

the family still won’t run smoothly.

Treating the symptom instead of the root cause does no good.

Second, the tinkering itself is the chaos.

You change this today, swap that tomorrow,

and the whole family has to go along with your折腾.

With everyone on edge, how can the home be peaceful?

If you don’t tinker, everyone can just live their lives properly;

the moment you start messing around, you end up with more conflicts and more problems.

Third, the fundamental things aren’t being upheld.

What’s the foundation of a home? Harmony among people.

You’re busy tinkering with external stuff every day,

but you’re ignoring the people in your home, the feelings in your home, the peace in your home.

If the root is rotten, it doesn’t matter how much you trim the branches and leaves.

What Is the Foundation of a Home

"Nine in the Second Place: Perseverance Brings Good Fortune — for it holds the mean as its aim."

The Nine in the Second Place brings good fortune through uprightness

because it takes the middle path as its aspiration

and upholding the foundation as its principle.

What is the foundation of a home?

It’s not how you arrange the furniture, not how big the house is, not how fancy the renovation is—

it’s harmony among people: family members getting along peacefully, being in good health, and living safe and sound.

Hold onto this foundation, and the family will run smoothly;

lose this foundation, and no amount of tinkering will help.

Specifically, there are three foundations.

First, harmony among people is the root.

A family that talks things through kindly,

discusses matters together, and stays on good terms

is better off than anything else.

Harmony in the home brings prosperity in all things;

if people aren’t getting along, nothing will go right.

Many families seem to have average circumstances,

but the whole family is happy and content, living very comfortably;

some families have plenty of money,

but they fight every day and live completely unhappily.

The difference comes down to those two words: harmony among people.

Second, health is the root.

Having everyone in the family healthy

is more important than anything.

Only with good health can you live well;

if your body breaks down, no amount of money matters.

Many people push their bodies to the limit to make money,

and in the end, they make the money but their health collapses—

the money isn’t even enough to cover medical bills. What’s the point?

Third, peace and safety are the root.

Living safe, sound, and steady—

you don’t seek great wealth or nobility, just peace and safety.

Peace is a blessing; ordinary days are the real deal.

Many people chase thrills and chase big ups and downs,

only to realize in the end—

plain, simple, safe days are the hardest to come by.

Hold onto these three foundations,

and how could your family not run smoothly?

Uphold the foundation, and you don’t need to tinker—

your family will naturally get better and better.

What to Do When Things Go Wrong at Home

Step one: stop first.

Stop messing around pointlessly.

Stop swapping this and that, stop randomly placing things,

stop always blaming the house for your problems.

Pause, calm down,

and think about where the problem really lies.

Step two: uphold the foundation.

Go back to the roots of home: harmony, health, peace.

Are family relationships good?

Are you talking to each other properly?

How is everyone’s health?

Is life safe and stable?

If the problem is at the root, solve it at the root.

Don’t neglect the root to chase the branches.

Step three: adjust after that.

Once the foundation is secure,

make small adjustments as needed.

Fix what’s not working, where it’s not working;

solve whatever problem comes up.

Small tweaks and steady adjustments

are way better than tearing everything down and rebuilding.

A Final Word

The way to a peaceful home

boils down to one word: steadiness.

利贞 — do your part well, and it will be favorable;

征凶 — mess around and act recklessly, and problems will arise;

弗损益之 — no need to cut back, no need to tinker, no need to make changes—

your family will actually get better and better.

When things go wrong at home,

don’t immediately blame feng shui, don’t immediately blame the house, don’t immediately blame external things.

First look at the foundation of your home—

whether people are getting along, whether everyone is healthy, whether life is safe.

If the problem is at the root,

no amount of external tinkering will help.

Uphold the foundation,

and you don’t need to mess around.

Remember the reminder from the second line of the Decrease Hexagram: when it comes to family matters, steadiness matters more than speed; pointless tinkering only drains your vitality.

Put plainly, the wisdom of this second line of the Decrease Hexagram is this: when times are hard, choosing the right direction matters more than pushing through blindly.

Your family will naturally run smoother and smoother.