同人

Hexagram 13: Fellowship → Hexagram 47: Oppression

同人
Fellowship
Heaven / Fire
Oppression
Lake / Water
Changing LinesStable Lines

Changing Lines

This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3, 6).

Line 1

初九 同人于門。无咎。

tóngfellowship with
rénothers
at
méngate
no
jiùblame

Nine at the beginning means: Fellowship with men at the gate. No blame.

Line 2

六二 同人于宗。吝。

tóngfellowship with
rénothers
only in
zōngclan
lìnembarrassment

Six in the second place means: Fellowship with men in the clan. Humiliation.

Line 3

九三 伏戎于莽。升其高陵。三歲不興。

cache
róngweapons
in
mǎngunderbrush
shēngclimbing up
one's
gāohighest
línghills
sānthree
suìyears
of
xīngexuberance

Nine in the third place means: He hides weapons in the thicket; He climbs the high hill in front of it. For three years he does not rise up.

Line 6

上九 同人于郊。无悔。

tóngfellowship with
rénothers
in
jiāoouter districts
no
huǐto regret

Nine at the top means: Fellowship with men in the meadow. No remorse.

Trigram Changes

Upper TrigramHeaven LakeThe Creative → The Joyous
Lower TrigramFire WaterThe Clinging → The Deep

Yilin Verse

跛踦俱行,日暮車傷,失旅乏糧。

The lame limp along together; at dusk the cart breaks down. They lose the caravan, and provisions run out.

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

Commentary

Heaven and fire form Fellowship, but the company limps along in shared misfortune. The lame walk together, hobbling forward; by dusk the cart is broken, the traveling party scattered, provisions exhausted. Every element of the journey fails simultaneously: body, vehicle, companions, sustenance. From Fellowship to Oppression, the transformation distills this collapse. The lake with no water in Oppression — the noble man stakes his life to fulfill his purpose. The fellowship that holds only when conditions are favorable dissolves the moment hardship arrives. Yet Oppression's deeper teaching is that those who persist through depleted circumstances discover a will that fair-weather fellowship never required.

The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store

Related Pages