小過

Hexagram 12: Standstill → Hexagram 62: Small Exceeding

Standstill
Heaven / Earth
小過
Small Exceeding
Mountain / Thunder
Changing LinesStable Lines

Changing Lines

This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 4, 5).

Line 1

初六 拔茅茹。以其彙。貞吉。亨。

pulling
máothatch
by the roots
thereby
uprooting its
huìwhole cluster
zhēnpersistence
promising
hēngfulfilling

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 4

九四 有命无咎。疇離祉。

yǒuhaving
mìnghigher purpose
no
jiùwrong
chóuthis category
distinct
zhǐhappiness

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。

xiūretiring from
the separation
mature
rénhuman being
promise
this
wángpasses
that
wángpasses
secured
with
bāothe seedlings
sāngof mulberry

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

Upper TrigramHeaven MountainThe Creative → Keeping Still
Lower TrigramEarth ThunderThe Receptive → The Arousing

Yilin Verse

乘龍吐光,使陰復明,燎獵載聖,六師以昌。

Riding the dragon, it emits radiance, making the dark bright once more. A blazing hunt carries the sage; the six armies thereby prosper.

— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE

Commentary

Heaven and earth stand sealed, yet one rides a dragon that breathes radiance, causing darkness to turn bright once more. A great hunt blazes forth bearing a sage, and the six armies flourish. From Standstill to Small Exceeding, Pi's total blockage is overwhelmed by an eruption of luminous power — a dragon-rider who restores light to the world. The dragon breathing light evokes the omens of dynastic founding: the dragon-horse, the sage-king, the legitimating hunt that demonstrates heaven's favor. Xiao Guo is thunder above the mountain — small things exceeding their usual bounds. Here the 'small exceeding' is inverted: the sage's radiance exceeds all expectations, and what should be modest bursts into cosmic restoration. Excess in service of the Way is no transgression.

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