大有 → 履
Hexagram 14: Great Possession → Hexagram 10: Treading
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 3, 5).
Line 3
九三 公用亨于天子。小人弗克 。
Nine in the third place means: A prince offers it to the Son of Heaven. A petty man cannot do this.
Line 5
六五 厥孚交如。威如。吉。
Six in the fifth place means: He whose truth is accessible, yet dignified, Has good fortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
商人行旅，資所無有；貪貝利珠，留連王市；還旋內顧，公子何咎？
The merchant goes traveling, trading in what he does not have. Coveting cowries, desiring pearls, he lingers at the royal market. Turning homeward in reflection; what blame attaches to the young lord?
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Merchants set out on their journey, trading in what others lack. Greedy for cowries and pearls, they linger in the royal marketplace, reluctant to leave its dazzle. But when they finally turn homeward and look within, the young lord faces no blame. From Great Possession to Treading, fire in heaven gives way to heaven above the lake — the image of walking carefully, distinguishing high from low. The merchant parable captures Treading's essence: desire pulls one into dangerous territory (the royal market, the tiger's tail), but knowing when to turn back and reflecting inward restores propriety. The 'young lord' escapes harm precisely because he recognizes the moment to retreat from temptation and tread carefully home.
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