履 → 損
Hexagram 10: Treading → Hexagram 41: Decrease
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 4, 5).
Line 4
九四 履虎尾。愬愬終吉。
Nine in the fourth place means: He treads on the tail of the tiger. Caution and circumspection Lead ultimately to good fortune.
Line 5
九五 夬履。貞厲。
Nine in the fifth place means: Resolute conduct. Perseverance with awareness of danger.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
履機蹈顛，墜入寒淵；行不能前，足矮不便。
Treading on the trigger, stepping on the edge; plunging into a cold abyss. Unable to advance on foot; the legs are short and unsteady.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Heaven above the lake, but one step triggers a catastrophic fall. Treading on a mechanism, stumbling at the precipice, plunging into a cold abyss. Unable to advance, feet crippled and useless. The verse enacts Treading's worst nightmare: the very act of stepping forward activates a trap that sends the walker into the depths. This is not mere misfortune but a structural collapse — the ground itself betrays the foot. From Treading to Decrease, the mountain rises above a draining lake. What was liquid and navigable has been drawn away, leaving only the hard reality of diminished means. The fall demands acceptance of loss before any recovery can begin.
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