豫 → 困
Hexagram 16: Enthusiasm → Hexagram 47: Oppression
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 2, 5).
Line 2
六二 介于石。不終日。貞吉。
Six in the second place means: Firm as a rock. Not a whole day. Perseverance brings good fortune.
Line 5
六五 貞疾。恆不死。
Six in the fifth place means: Persistently ill, and still does not die.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
青蠅集蕃，君子信讒；害賢傷忠，患生婦人。
Green flies swarm on the fence; the lord trusts slander. The worthy are harmed, the loyal wounded -- disaster is born from a woman.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder stirs the earth, but green flies swarm on a hedge — the Shijing ode 'Qing Ying' warns of slanderers who buzz around the powerful, turning white to black. The lord believes their calumnies, and worthy ministers are harmed while loyal servants are wounded. Calamity originates from a woman's influence. The 'blue flies' ode from the Xiao Ya section directly addresses the damage done by rumor-mongers at court. From Enthusiasm to Oppression, the transformation is devastating. The lake's water drains away, leaving emptiness — the gentleman stakes his life to fulfill his purpose. Slander oppresses the virtuous by cutting off their access to power, leaving them stranded like a lake without water: the structure remains but the life-giving element has been poisoned away.
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