泰 → 坎
Hexagram 11: Peace → Hexagram 29: The Abysmal Water
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 3, 5).
Line 1
初九 拔茅茹。以其彙。征吉。
Nine at the beginning means: When ribbon grass is pulled up, the sod comes with it. Each according to his kind. Undertakings bring good fortune.
Line 3
九三 无平不陂。无往不復。艱貞无咎。勿恤其孚。于食有福。
Nine in the third place means: No plain not followed by a slope. No going not followed by a return. He who remains persevering in danger Is without blame. Do not complain about this truth; Enjoy the good fortune you still possess.
Line 5
六五 帝乙歸妹。以祉元吉。
Six in the fifth place means: The sovereign I Gives his daughter in marriage. This brings blessing And supreme good fortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
金精耀怒,帶劍過午;兩虎相距,雖驚无咎。
Metal's brilliance flares in wrath, sword belted past the noon hour. Two tigers face off; though alarming, no blame.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Earth above heaven, Peace's equilibrium flashes into metallic confrontation. The essence of metal blazes with fury; a sword is worn past the noon hour, violating the ritual norm that weapons should be sheathed by midday. Two tigers face each other in standoff — terrifying, yet the judgment is 'though alarming, no blame.' The metallic fury and noonday sword echo military omen language: martial energy at its zenith. The two tigers, perfectly matched, neutralize each other. From Peace to The Abysmal, doubled water plunges through danger after danger. The transformation reveals that the confrontation's alarming surface conceals a deeper passage through peril — one that, navigated with constancy, brings no lasting harm.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store