蠱 → 井
Hexagram 18: Work on the Decayed → Hexagram 48: The Well
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 5, 6).
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
昊天白日，照臨我國；萬民康寧，咸賴嘉福。
The rising sun illuminates the great river; fishing sails dot the golden waves. Riverside farmers smile and chat — this year's grain stalks are taller than a person.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Wind beneath the mountain parts for the rising sun, and the transformation rises as water above the wood — the communal Well that nourishes all. The original verse reads: 'Bright heaven and white sun illuminate our land. The ten thousand people are healthy and at peace; all rely upon these fine blessings.' Solar benevolence shining upon a content populace — the simplest and most hopeful image in the political imagination. From Work on the Decayed to the Well, the source of renewal runs deeper than any corruption. The well's water rises through the wood of the windlass, drawn up by those who serve the community. Decay cannot poison the aquifer; light returns because the source was never truly extinguished.
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