蠱 → 剝
Hexagram 18: Work on the Decayed → Hexagram 23: Splitting Apart
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
羊腸九縈，相推稍前；止須王孫，乃能上天。
The sheep-gut path winds through nine turns, each pushing slowly ahead; wait for the prince to arrive, and then one may ascend to heaven.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Wind beneath the mountain winds upward through narrow passes, and the transformation arrives at the mountain crumbling upon the earth — Splitting Apart. The road coils like a sheep's intestine through nine turns; travelers push one another forward step by step. Only by waiting for the royal scion can one ascend to heaven. The sheep-gut path is a classical image of treacherous mountain travel — narrow, winding, and exhausting. Progress requires collective effort and patience, yet ultimately depends on the right patron or moment. From Work on the Decayed to Splitting Apart, the arduous climb through corruption leads to a precipice: the mountain peels away from the earth. Those who persevere on the winding path must accept that some structures must collapse before renewal becomes possible.
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