小過

Hexagram 1: The Creative → Hexagram 62: Small Exceeding

The Creative
Heaven / Heaven
小過
Small Exceeding
Thunder / Mountain
Changing LinesStable Lines

Changing Lines

This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 5, 6).

Line 1

初九 潛龍勿用。

qiánconcealed
lóngdragon
not at all
yònguseful

Nine at the beginning means: Hidden dragon. Do not act.

Line 2

九二 見龍在田。利見大人。

jiànsee
lóngdragon
zàiin
tiánfield
worthwhile
jiànto see
mature
rénhuman being

Nine in the second place means: Dragon appearing in the field. It furthers one to see the great man.

Line 5

九五 飛龍在天。利見大人。

fēiin flight
lóngdragon
zàiacross
tiānheaven
worthwhile
jiànto see
mature
rénhuman being

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。

kàngarrogant
lóngdragon
yǒuhas
huǐregret

Nine at the top means: Arrogant dragon will have cause to repent.

Trigram Changes

Upper TrigramHeaven ThunderThe Creative → The Arousing
Lower TrigramHeaven MountainThe Creative → Keeping Still

Yilin Verse

從風放火,荻芝俱死。三害集房,叔子中傷。

Setting fire with the wind; rushes and angelica all die. Three harms gather in the house; the young uncle is wounded.

— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE

Commentary

Fire is set downwind and spreads rapidly — reeds and lingzhi mushrooms alike perish in the blaze. Three calamities converge upon the household; the youngest son is struck and wounded. From Creative to Small Exceeding, thunder rumbles atop the mountain — the small bird that should not climb too high nor descend too low. The verse shows what happens when a small fire exceeds its proper scope: driven by wind, it consumes indiscriminately, destroying the precious lingzhi along with common reeds. Xiao Guo warns against overstepping in small matters; here, a modest flame, carelessly directed, escalates into compound disaster. The youngest son's injury suggests that it is the most vulnerable who suffer most when small transgressions are left unchecked.

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