謙 → 井
Hexagram 15: Modesty → Hexagram 48: The Well
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 2, 5).
Line 2
六二 鳴謙。貞吉。
Six in the second place means: Modesty that comes to expression. Perseverance brings good fortune.
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.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
華首山頭，仙道所遊；利以居止，長無咎憂。
Atop Huashou Mountain; where the immortal way wanders. Favorable for settling and staying; forever without blame or worry.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Earth holds the mountain in quiet stillness. Huashou Mountain, a sacred peak where the immortal way is practiced — the verse evokes a Daoist refuge, a mountain summit where adepts wander in spiritual cultivation. To dwell there is beneficial; one remains forever without blame or worry. The imagery is pastoral and transcendent: the mountaintop as a place beyond human trouble. From Modesty to The Well, water rises above wood — the inexhaustible source that nourishes the community without being depleted. The verse connects Modesty's hidden mountain to The Well's unfailing spring: both offer sustenance from below the surface. The immortal's dwelling on the peak mirrors the well's quiet service — both are stable, enduring sources of nourishment that ask nothing in return.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store