節以制度，不傷財不害民
先看圖像，再讀文字。Read the image before the words.
澤上有水，節
(The trigram representing) a lake, and above it that for water, form Jie.
君子以制數度，議德行。
The superior man, in accordance with this, constructs his (methods of) numbering and measurement, and discusses (points of) virtue and conduct.
澤上有水——節之象。澤所容有限，過則溢。君子由此體會：要制定度量制度、評議道德行為。一切有度才能持久。
(The trigram representing) a lake, and above it that for water, form Jie. The superior man, in accordance with this, constructs his (methods of) numbering and measurement, and discusses (points of) virtue and conduct.
先讀經文，再讀《彖傳》如何解釋卦辭。The received text, then the Tuan commentary on it.
節，亨。苦節不可貞。
節卦——亨通。但苦節（過度的節制）不可長久守持。節以適中為要——過度則反害。
Jie intimates that (under its conditions) there will be progress and attainment. (But) if the regulations (which it prescribes) be severe and difficult, they cannot be permanent.
節亨，剛柔分而剛得中。苦節不可貞，其道窮也。說以行險，當位以節，中正以通。天地節而四時成。節以制度，不傷財，不害民。
節亨——剛柔分明而剛得中（九五）。苦節不可長守是其道走到極致。悅（兌）以行險（坎），當位以節制——中正則通。天地有節，所以四時成。節以制度，不傷財不害民。
Jie intimates progress and attainment — the strong and weak (lines) are equally divided, and the strong lines occupy the central places. 'If its regulations be severe and difficult, they cannot be permanent' — its course (of action) will (in that case) come to an end.
六條線各有一句判斷。閱讀次序初→上；卦象由下而上，看左側的卦。One statement per line, read from the first line to the top. The figure is drawn bottom-up — watch the rail.
不出戶庭，無咎。
不出於戶庭——無咎。陽剛之始，知時當止——不輕舉妄動，故無咎。
The first NINE shows its subject not quitting the courtyard outside his door. There will be no error.
不出戶庭，知通塞也。
不出戶庭，是知道通塞之機。
不出門庭，凶。
不出於門庭——凶。陽剛得中而當行不行——時已可動而不動，反為凶。「不出戶庭」與「不出門庭」之別在時機。
The second NINE shows its subject not quitting the courtyard inside his gate. There will be evil.
不出門庭凶，失時極也。
不出門庭凶，是錯失時機之極。
不節若，則嗟若，無咎。
不能節制就會嗟嘆——無咎。陰柔失正而能自悔（嗟若），故無咎。失節後能悔即是節。
The third SIX shows its subject with no appearance of observing the (proper) regulations, in which case we shall see him lamenting. But there will be no one to blame (but himself).
不節之嗟，又誰咎也。
不節制的嗟嘆，又能怪誰呢。
安節，亨。
安然行節——亨通。陰柔得正而能自然安於節——是節的中道。
The fourth SIX shows its subject quietly and naturally (attentive to all) regulations. There will be progress and success.
安節之亨，承上道也。
安節之亨，是承上之道（九五君位）。
甘節，吉，往有尚。
甘美的節制——吉，前往有所崇尚。陽剛中正——以中道之節為甘，能讓人樂於遵從。
The fifth NINE shows its subject sweetly and acceptably enacting his regulations. There will be good fortune. The onward progress with them will afford ground for admiration.
甘節之吉，居位中也。
甘節之吉，是居於中位。
苦節，貞凶，悔亡。
苦的節制——守正則凶，悔亡。節之極為苦——不可長守，但若能反省則悔可亡。
The topmost SIX shows its subject enacting regulations severe and difficult. Even with firmness and correctness there will be evil. But though there will be cause for repentance, it will (by-and-by) disappear.
苦節貞凶，其道窮也。
苦節貞凶，是其道走到極致。
把象套到你的情境，取一個可行的下一步。Apply the image to your situation; take one practical step.
中道·持久·甘
Middle way · sustainable · sweetly held
節卦最大的應用：「中道之節」+「甘節為高」。節制不是越多越好——「苦節不可貞」是直接警告。最高境是九五「甘節」——讓自己和他人樂於遵從的節制，是可持續的節制。最該避免上六「苦節」——苦行式的紀律不可長守。「不傷財不害民」是節制的真正目的。
Jie's deepest applications: 'middle way of restraint' + 'sweet restraint is highest'. Restraint isn't 'more is better' — 'bitter restraint cannot persist' is the direct warning. Peak: line 5 'sweet restraint' — restraint sustainable because both self and others willingly embrace it. Avoid line 6 'bitter restraint' — ascetic discipline cannot last. 'Not damaging wealth, not harming people' is restraint's true purpose.
現代許多效率偏方、極端節食、加班文化、苦行修行皆是「苦節」之誤——勉強的紀律不可長守，反害身心。能將紀律內化為享受方為真節——「甘節」。
Modern productivity hacking, extreme diets, overtime culture, ascetic practices — all are 'bitter restraint' mistakes. Forced discipline cannot persist and harms body and mind. Only when discipline is internalized as enjoyment ('sweet restraint') is it real.
王弼以為節卦的核心在「節以中道」——卦辭直言「苦節不可貞」即為此意。節不是越多越好，而是恰到好處。讀此卦最該記住「甘節」與「苦節」的對比——甘節是吉、苦節是凶。又當深記「天地節而四時成」——節是天地的根本之道。
Wang Bi takes the core of Jie to be 'restraint by the middle way' — this is exactly what the judgment means by 'bitter restraint cannot be held to.' Restraint is not better the more of it there is; it must be exactly right. The contrast most worth remembering is 'sweet restraint' (gan jie 甘節) against 'bitter restraint' (ku jie 苦節) — the sweet is auspicious, the bitter ominous. And hold fast to 'heaven and earth restrain themselves, and the four seasons are formed' — restraint is a fundamental way of heaven and earth.
程子強調節卦的爻辭層次：初九「不出戶庭」是當止而止之吉、九二「不出門庭」是當行不行之凶——一字之差判吉凶在「時」。最高境是九五「甘節」——能讓人樂於遵從的節制是真節。最該避免上六「苦節貞凶」——節到痛苦反而失節之本。
Cheng Yi stresses the graded order of the lines: line 1, 'not leaving the outer courtyard,' is the good fortune of stopping when one should stop; line 2, 'not leaving the inner courtyard,' is the misfortune of staying put when one should move. One character's difference, and the verdict turns on timing. The highest point is line 5's 'sweet restraint' — restraint that people gladly follow is true restraint. Most to be avoided is line 6, 'bitter restraint — persisting brings misfortune': restraint pushed into suffering loses the very root of restraint.
朱子直言：節，制度之意。澤上有水，水多則溢，故須節。學者讀此卦最該注意彖傳「節以制度，不傷財，不害民」——節的目的不是約束而是保全。又當深記「不傷財不害民」六字——是中國治國之本。
Zhu Xi says plainly: Jie means measure, regulation. Water above a lake — too much and it overflows, hence the need for restraint. What the student should note above all is the Tuan's 'restraint through regulation neither damages wealth nor harms the people' — the purpose of restraint is not to constrain but to preserve. Keep those six characters, 'not damaging wealth, not harming the people,' firmly in mind: they are the root of Chinese governance.
節是節制，卦辭卻先給節制設限：「苦節不可貞」，節到自己都苦，守不長。彖傳把節擺到天地的高度，「天地節而四時成」，四季成序全靠天地有節；落到人事是「節以制度，不傷財，不害民」，節的目的在保全，管到傷財害民，已失了節的本意。爻上有一組對照：初九「不出戶庭，無咎」，九二「不出門庭，凶」，同樣閉門不出，該止而止無咎，該行不行反凶，一字之差，判在時機。最好的位置是九五「甘節，吉」：節得甘之如飴，自己受用，別人也樂意跟著守，這樣的節制纔立得成規矩。飲食、作息，凡自我約束，先問一句甘不甘。
Jie is restraint — and the judgment starts by putting a limit on restraint itself: 'bitter restraint cannot be held to.' Discipline that makes you miserable will not last. The Tuan lifts restraint to the scale of heaven and earth — 'heaven and earth restrain themselves, and the four seasons are formed'; the ordered seasons all rest on that. Brought down to human affairs it reads 'restraint through regulation neither damages wealth nor harms the people': the point of restraint is preservation, and rules that damage wealth or hurt people have already lost the point. The lines carry one sharp contrast: line 1, 'not leaving the outer courtyard — no blame'; line 2, 'not leaving the inner courtyard — ominous.' Both stay behind closed doors; stopping when you should stop is blameless, and staying put when you should move brings misfortune. One character apart, decided by timing. The best position is line 5, 'sweet restraint — auspicious': discipline that tastes sweet, that you benefit from and others gladly keep alongside you — only that kind of restraint hardens into a standard. Diet, sleep, any self-imposed rule: first ask whether it is sweet.
Restraint, measure, regulation. Originally a bamboo joint — the natural segment that gives the stalk its strength. Rhythm, not suppression.
Bitter restraint — discipline pushed into suffering; restraint in excess, which cannot be held to.
The courtyard outside one's door. Line 1: staying within it when stopping is right — no blame.
The courtyard inside the gate. Line 2: staying there when it is time to move — ominous. One step's difference from 戶庭, decided by timing.
To sigh, lament — the regret that follows a lapse of restraint, and (in line 3) redeems it.
Sweet, agreeable. Restraint that tastes sweet — kept willingly, by oneself and others.
To establish standards of number and measure — the Great Image's institutional side of restraint.
第 60 節與第 59 渙為一對綜卦——節是收、渙是散。能散能收方能成事。讀此卦理應與渙卦並讀。任何系統的健康在於散收之間的平衡。
Jie (60) and Huan (59) are an inverse pair — one turned upside down gives the other. Jie is gathering-in; Huan is dispersal. Only what can both disperse and restrain can accomplish anything, so this hexagram should be read alongside Huan. The health of any system lies in the balance between scattering and gathering.
彖傳「天地節而四時成」是節的宇宙論基礎——四季、晝夜、生死之輪，皆是「節」之所成。後世「天時」「節氣」「節令」皆與此相應。節不是抑制而是節律。
The Tuan's 'heaven and earth restrain themselves, and the four seasons are formed' is Jie's cosmological ground — the seasons, day and night, the wheel of life and death are all products of measure. Later terms like tianshi (heaven's timing), jieqi (solar terms), and jieling (seasonal observances) all answer to this. Jie is not suppression but rhythm.
彖傳「節以制度，不傷財，不害民」是中國治國的根本目的——任何制度的設立都是為了保護財與民，不是為了控制。後世「省刑罰、薄稅斂」「藏富於民」皆與此相應。
The Tuan's 'restraint through regulation neither damages wealth nor harms the people' states the root aim of Chinese governance: institutions exist to protect wealth and the people, not to control them. Later maxims — 'lighten punishments, thin the taxes,' 'store the wealth among the people' — all answer to this.
九五「甘節」與上六「苦節」是節的兩極——甘節是內化的、自然的、樂於遵從的；苦節是外加的、勉強的、痛苦的。後世「行有不得反求諸己」「樂在其中」皆與「甘節」相應。
Line 5's 'sweet restraint' and line 6's 'bitter restraint' are the two poles of discipline. Sweet restraint is internalized, natural, gladly kept; bitter restraint is imposed, forced, painful. Later phrases — 'when things go wrong, look for the fault in yourself,' 'finding joy in the practice itself' — belong to the family of sweet restraint.
「苦節不可貞」之意？為何過度的節制反不可長守？
What does 'bitter restraint cannot be upheld' mean? Why can't extreme discipline persist?
為何「天地節而四時成」是節的宇宙論基礎？
Why is 'heaven and earth in restraint, four seasons formed' the cosmic basis of Jie?
用九五「甘節」評論你看見過某個你樂於遵從的紀律或制度。
Use line 5 'sweet restraint' to comment on a discipline or system you've willingly followed.