臨 → 履
Hexagram 19: Approach → Hexagram 10: Treading
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 4, 5, 6).
Line 4
六四 至臨。无咎。
Six in the fourth place means: Complete approach. No blame.
Line 5
六五 知臨。大君之宜。吉。
Six in the fifth place means: Wise approach. This is right for a great prince. Good fortune.
Line 6
上六 敦臨。吉。无咎。
Six at the top means: Greathearted approach. Good fortune. No blame.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
駕龍騎虎，周遍天下；為人所使，西見王母。不憂不殆。
Riding a dragon, astride a tiger, traveling the whole world over; serving another will, one goes west to see the Queen Mother. Neither worry nor peril.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Earth above the lake ascends to heaven above the lake — the careful steps of Treading. Riding dragons and mounted on tigers, one traverses the entire realm, dispatched on a divine mission to visit the Queen Mother of the West in the far reaches. Yet there is neither worry nor peril. The imagery evokes the legendary journey of King Mu of Zhou, who rode westward to Kunlun to meet the Queen Mother. From Approach to Treading, the transformation redefines what it means to walk upon danger: treading the tiger's tail need not end in catastrophe if one moves with cosmic authorization. The rider who harnesses dragon and tiger alike — bridling the most dangerous forces — passes through safely because the mission itself confers protection.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store