謙 → 履
Hexagram 15: Modesty → Hexagram 10: Treading
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 6 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).
Line 1
初六 謙謙君子。用涉大川。吉。
Six at the beginning means: A superior man modest about his modesty May cross the great water. Good fortune.
Line 2
六二 鳴謙。貞吉。
Six in the second place means: Modesty that comes to expression. Perseverance brings good fortune.
Line 3
九三 勞謙君子。有終吉。
Nine in the third place means: A superior man of modesty and merit Carries things to conclusion. Good fortune.
Line 4
六四 无不利撝謙。
Six in the fourth place means: Nothing that would not further modesty In movement.
Line 5
六五 不富以其鄰。利用侵伐。无不利。
Six in the fifth place means: No boasting of wealth before one's neighbor. It is favorable to attack with force. Nothing that would not further.
Line 6
上六 鳴謙。利用行師。征邑國。
Six at the top means: Modesty that comes to expression. It is favorable to set armies marching To chastise one's own city and one's country.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
同本異葉，樂仁上德；東鄰慕義，來興吾國。
Same root, different leaves; delighting in benevolence and highest virtue. The eastern neighbor admires righteousness and comes to prosper our realm.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Earth embraces the mountain modestly. Trees from the same root spread different leaves, yet all delight in benevolence and esteem virtue. The eastern neighbor, admiring this righteousness, comes to invigorate the state. The image of shared roots with diverse foliage captures unity in difference — a single moral foundation supporting varied expressions. From Modesty to Treading, heaven stands above the lake, establishing proper hierarchy without suppressing joy. Treading teaches how to walk among powerful forces with grace. The verse shows that genuine virtue radiates outward: when a state embodies righteousness, even foreign neighbors are drawn to participate. Modesty does not remain buried but attracts alliance through the quiet power of moral example.
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