否 → 損
Hexagram 12: Standstill → Hexagram 41: Decrease
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 4, 5).
Line 1
初六 拔茅茹。以其彙。貞吉。亨。
Six at the beginning means: When ribbon grass is pulled up, the sod comes with it. Each according to his kind. Perseverance brings good fortune and success.
Line 2
六二 包承。小人吉。大人否。亨。
Six in the second place means: They bear and endure; This means good fortune for inferior people. The standstill serves to help the great man to attain success.
Line 4
九四 有命无咎。疇離祉。
Nine in the fourth place means: He who acts at the command of the highest Remains without blame. Those of like mind partake of the blessing.
Line 5
九五 休否。大人吉。其亡其亡。繫于苞桑。
Nine in the fifth place means: Standstill is giving way. Good fortune for the great man. "What if it should fail, what if it should fail?" In this way he ties it to a cluster of mulberry shoots.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
北風牽手，相從笑語；伯歌季舞，讌樂以喜。
In the north wind, hands clasped, following along with laughter and talk. The eldest sings, the youngest dances; they feast and make merry.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Heaven and earth refuse to communicate, yet the north wind brings people hand in hand, following one another in laughter and conversation. The elder sings, the younger dances, and all feast together in joy. The north wind evokes the Shijing ode 'Bei Feng,' where friends urge each other to flee hardship together: 'The north wind blows, the snow falls thick — if you love me, take my hand and let us go.' From Standstill to Decrease, Pi's sealed world meets the mountain above the lake — what is above is diminished to enrich what is below. Sun counsels restraining anger and curbing desire, but the verse shows Decrease's hidden gift: when excess is stripped away, what remains is the simple warmth of human fellowship — singing, dancing, feasting in the cold wind together.
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