履 → 遯
Hexagram 10: Treading → Hexagram 33: Retreat
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3).
Line 1
初九 素履往。无咎。
Nine at the beginning means: Simple conduct. Progress without blame.
Line 2
九二 履道坦坦。幽人貞吉。
Nine in the second place means: Treading a smooth, level course. The perseverance of a dark man Brings good fortune.
Line 3
六三 眇能視。跛能履。履虎尾。咥人凶。武人為于大君。
Six in the third place means: A one-eyed man is able to see, A lame man is able to tread. He treads on the tail of the tiger. The tiger bites the man. Misfortune. Thus does a warrior act on behalf of his great prince.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
路多枳棘，步刺我足；不利旅客，為心作毒。
The overgrown path rises to the knees; mugwort seals the doorway. Snakes and scorpions lurk hidden — one dares not go forward.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Heaven above the lake, but the path ahead is choked with thorns. The original verse reads: 'The road is thick with thorny jujube, each step piercing my feet. Unfavorable for the traveler, breeding poison in the heart.' Every footfall draws blood; the way forward is hostile, and the journey breeds only resentment. From Treading to Retreat, heaven rises above the mountain — the superior person distances himself from the petty without malice. The verse embodies Retreat's logic perfectly: when the path itself is venomous, wisdom lies not in pressing through but in withdrawing. The gentleman retreats with dignity, not because he fears the thorns, but because the path no longer leads anywhere worth going.
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