豫 → 復
Hexagram 16: Enthusiasm → Hexagram 24: Return
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 1, 4).
Line 1
初六 鳴豫。凶。
Six at the beginning means: Enthusiasm that expresses itself Brings misfortune.
Line 4
九四 由豫。大有得。勿疑。朋盍簪。
Nine in the fourth place means: The source of enthusiasm. He achieves great things. Doubt not. You gather friends around you As a hair clasp gathers the hair.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
羊驚馬走,上下揮擾;鼓音不絕,頃公奔敗。
Sheep startled, horses bolting, turmoil above and below; drums sound without ceasing -- Duke Qing flees in defeat.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder bursts from the earth as sheep bolt and horses stampede. Chaos reigns above and below; war drums pound without ceasing. Duke Qing of Qi flees in defeat. This alludes to the Battle of An in 589 BC, where Jin forces routed the Qi army. Duke Qing had invaded Lu, provoking a Jin-led coalition response. During the rout, the Duke switched places with his spearman to evade capture, and Jin's chariots pursued the Qi army around the hills in circles. From Enthusiasm to Return, the transformation is fitting: thunder rests within the earth, the first yang line reappearing after total yin. The duke's humiliating defeat strips away all pretense, and what returns is the bare starting point — chastened, reduced, but alive.
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