Q0157
The Book of Changes
A verified English rendering from the curated archive.
English
Earth's condition is receptive devotion; the gentleman accordingly thickens his virtue to bear things.
Source context
This English passage is associated with Yijing, Kun, Commentary on the Images, within the tradition of Pre-Qin Classics. The wording below is a verified rendering prepared for careful reading rather than a claim of unique translation authority.
A short reading
Read in the register of virtue, the sentence asks the reader to test an assumption rather than to collect a slogan. In The Book of Changes's wider work, similar claims are usually offered as prompts for judgment: what would have to be true for the sentence to hold, and what would follow if it did?
How to cite this quotation
APA: The Book of Changes. (n.d.). Earth's condition is receptive devotion; the gentleman accordingly thickens his virtue to bear things. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0157
MLA: The Book of Changes. “Earth's condition is receptive devotion; the gentleman accordingly….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0157.
Chicago: The Book of Changes. “Earth's condition is receptive devotion; the gentleman accordingly….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0157.