乾 → 明夷
Hexagram 1: The Creative → Hexagram 36: Darkening of the Light
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 2, 4, 5, 6).
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.
Line 4
九四 或躍在淵。无咎。
Nine in the fourth place means: Wavering flight over the depths. No blame.
Line 5
九五 飛龍在天。利見大人。
Nine in the fifth place means: Flying dragon in the heavens. It furthers one to see the great man.
Line 6
上九 亢龍有悔。
Nine at the top means: Arrogant dragon will have cause to repent.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
弓矢俱張，把彈折絃，丸發不至，道遇害患。
Bow and arrow both drawn, but the pellet snaps the string. The shot does not reach its mark; on the road one meets harm and danger.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Bow and crossbow both drawn taut, yet the slingshot snaps its string and the pellet never reaches its target. On the road one encounters harm. From Creative to Darkening of the Light, fire sinks beneath the earth — brilliance deliberately concealed. The verse enacts the failure that Ming Yi warns against: weapons prepared but malfunctioning at the critical moment, leaving the traveler defenseless in hostile territory. The broken string is the snapping of capacity under pressure. In a time of darkened light, even prepared force misfires. The counsel is to veil one's brightness and use obscurity as protection, but here the traveler carries conspicuous weaponry that fails, drawing danger while providing none.
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