蠱 → 屯
Hexagram 18: Work on the Decayed → Hexagram 3: Difficulty at the Beginning
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 5 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3, 5, 6).
Line 1
初六 幹父之蠱。有子。考无咎。厲終吉。
Six in the beginning means: Setting right what has been spoiled by the father. If there is a son, No blame rests upon the departed father. Danger. In the end good fortune.
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 3
九三 幹父之蠱。小有悔。无大咎。
Nine in the third place means: Setting right what has been spoiled by the father. There will be a little remorse. No great blame.
Line 5
六五 幹父之蠱。用譽。
Six in the fifth place means: Setting right what has been spoiled by the father. One meets with praise.
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
折若蔽日，蘭屏王目。司馬無良，平子沒傷。
Thick foliage blocks the sun; orchid screens obstruct the king eyes. The Marshal is unworthy -- Pingzi falls to ruin.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Wind beneath the mountain breeds corruption, and the transformation enters the gathering storm of clouds and thunder. Broken branches block the sun, orchid screens veil the king's sight — sycophants and flatterers obstruct the ruler's vision. The verse names 'Sima without goodness' and 'Pingzi who came to harm,' likely alluding to the political turmoil in Lu when Ji Pingzi, the powerful minister, usurped ritual prerogatives and drove Duke Zhao into exile. The Sima, the military commander, proved faithless. From Work on the Decayed to Difficulty at the Beginning, decay's unchecked corruption produces the dangerous birth-struggle of a new order. Like thunder trapped beneath floodwaters, the situation demands perseverance through chaos before clarity can emerge.
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