蠱 → 謙
Hexagram 18: Work on the Decayed → Hexagram 15: Modesty
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 2, 6).
Line 2
九二 幹母之蠱。不可貞。
Nine in the second place means: Setting right what has been spoiled by the mother. One must not be too persevering.
Line 6
上九 不事王侯。高尚其事。
Nine at the top means: He does not serve kings and princes, Sets himself higher goals.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
采唐沫鄉，期于桑中；失期不會，憂思約帶。
Gathering dodder at Mo village, we made a tryst among the mulberry trees; the appointment was missed and we did not meet -- longing and worry tighten my sash.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Wind beneath the mountain stirs longing, and the transformation descends into earth concealing the mountain — the humility of Modesty. Gathering dodder in Mei, a tryst is arranged at the Mulberry Grove — but the appointed time passes without a meeting, and worry tightens the belt. This directly echoes the Shijing ode 'Sang Zhong' from the Yong winds, where lovers plan secret meetings among the mulberry trees. The missed rendezvous transforms desire into wasting grief. From Work on the Decayed to Modesty, unfulfilled longing teaches self-restraint. The mountain hidden within the earth does not advertise its presence; likewise, the lover who waits and is not met must swallow pride and accept what cannot be forced.
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