中孚

Hexagram 15: Modesty → Hexagram 61: Inner Truth

Modesty
Earth / Mountain
中孚
Inner Truth
Wind / Lake
Changing LinesStable Lines

Changing Lines

This transformation involves 5 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3, 5, 6).

Line 1

初六 謙謙君子。用涉大川。吉。

qiānauthentically
qiānand
jūnin
young one
yòngit
shèto
the great
chuānstream
promising

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。

míngproclaim
qiānauthenticity
zhēnpersistence
is promising

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。

láodiligence
qiānand
jūnin
young one
yǒuhave
zhōngresults
promising

Nine in the third place means: A superior man of modesty and merit Carries things to conclusion. Good fortune.

Line 5

六五 不富以其鄰。利用侵伐。无不利。

there is no
enrichment
making use of
one's
línneighbors
it is worthwhile
yòngand useful
qīnto occupy
and subjugate
without
doubt
worthwhile

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。

míngproclaiming
qiānauthenticity
it is worthwhile
yòngand useful
xíngto move
shīthe militia
zhēngto advance on
home town
guóand province

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

Upper TrigramEarth WindThe Receptive → The Gentle
Lower TrigramMountain LakeKeeping Still → The Joyous

Yilin Verse

虎豹熊羆,遊戲山谷。君子仁賢,皆得所欲。

Tigers, leopards, bears, and grizzlies roam and play in the mountain valleys. The virtuous and benevolent noble man; all obtain what they desire.

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

Commentary

Earth holds the mountain in peaceful containment. Tigers, leopards, bears, and grizzlies roam and play in the mountain valleys — fierce beasts at leisure, their power evident but unthreatened. The noble and benevolent man attains everything he desires. The verse presents a paradox of coexistence: the most dangerous creatures relaxed in their element, aggression suspended in a landscape of natural abundance. From Modesty to Inner Truth, wind blows over the lake, and the noble one deliberates on legal cases with clemency. Inner Truth's hollow center — two yin lines between solid yang — creates space for sincerity. The wild beasts at play embody this: when the environment provides genuine nourishment, even the fiercest creatures need not hunt. Trust in natural provision replaces the compulsion to seize.

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