乾 → 遯
Hexagram 1: The Creative → Hexagram 33: Retreat
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 1, 2).
Line 1
初九 潛龍勿用。
Nine at the beginning means: Hidden dragon. Do not act.
Line 2
九二 見龍在田。利見大人。
Nine in the second place means: Dragon appearing in the field. It furthers one to see the great man.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
弱雞無距，與鵲交鬭，翅折目盲，為鳩所傷。
A weak rooster without spurs tangles with a magpie in battle. Wings broken, eye blinded; wounded by the dove.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
A weak rooster without spurs fights a magpie, its wings broken and eyes blinded — wounded by a turtledove. From Creative to Retreat, heaven stands above the mountain, and the wise withdraw from what they cannot overcome. The verse is a fable of mismatched combat: a spurless cock challenges a bird of another kind entirely and is destroyed. The lesson aligns precisely with Dun's counsel: retreat is not cowardice but recognition. The gentleman distances himself from petty adversaries not through hatred but through dignified withdrawal. This rooster, refusing to retreat, loses everything. Heaven above the mountain knows when to remain beyond reach; the rooster did not.
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