履 → 升
Hexagram 10: Treading → Hexagram 46: Pushing Upward
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 5 changing lines (lines 1, 3, 4, 5, 6).
Line 1
初九 素履往。无咎。
Nine at the beginning means: Simple conduct. Progress without blame.
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.
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.
Line 6
上九 視履考祥。其旋元吉。
Nine at the top means: Look to your conduct and weigh the favorable signs. When everything is fulfilled, supreme good fortune comes.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
牧為代守，饗食甘賜；得吏士意，戰大破胡，長安國家。
The shepherd becomes the governor; feasting and granting sweet rewards. Winning the hearts of soldiers and clerks; in battle, he shatters the Hu completely -- bringing lasting peace to the state.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Heaven above the lake, and a frontier general secures the realm. The verse likely alludes to Li Mu of Zhao, who served as guardian of Dai and the northern border. He feasted and rewarded his soldiers generously, winning the hearts of officers and troops alike. When the Xiongnu finally attacked in force, he crushed them in a decisive battle, securing the state for generations. From Treading to Pushing Upward, wood grows within the earth — a gradual, methodical rise. Li Mu's patient cultivation of military loyalty, followed by his explosive victory, embodies this transformation: careful conduct over years produces a force that rises irresistibly when the moment arrives.
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