无妄

Hexagram 19: Approach → Hexagram 25: Innocence

Approach
Earth / Lake
无妄
Innocence
Heaven / Thunder
Changing LinesStable Lines

Changing Lines

This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 2, 4, 5, 6).

Line 2

九二 咸臨吉。无不利。

xiánunited
líntaking charge
promising
without
doubt
worthwhile

Nine in the second place means: Joint approach. Good fortune. Everything furthers.

Line 4

六四 至臨。无咎。

zhìcomplete
líntaking charge
no
jiùblame

Six in the fourth place means: Complete approach. No blame.

Line 5

六五 知臨。大君之宜。吉。

zhīinformed
líntaking charge
great
jūnnoble
zhī...'s
necessity
promising

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。

dūnauthentic
líntaking charge
promising
no
jiùis wrong

Six at the top means: Greathearted approach. Good fortune. No blame.

Trigram Changes

Upper TrigramEarth HeavenThe Receptive → The Creative
Lower TrigramLake ThunderThe Joyous → The Arousing

Yilin Verse

受讖六符,招搖空虛;雖跌無憂,保我全財。

Receiving talismans of the six signs, Zhaoyao points to emptiness; though one stumbles, there is no worry -- my wealth is fully preserved.

— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE

Commentary

Earth above the lake encounters thunder beneath heaven — Innocence's unexpected motion. One receives six talismanic tokens, yet the Dipper star Zhaoyang points to emptiness. Though one stumbles, there is no cause for worry; one's wealth remains intact. The six tokens suggest bureaucratic credentials or spiritual talismans, yet the celestial pointer finds only void — form without substance, credentials without genuine backing. The stumble occurs but proves harmless: the fall is cushioned by what truly matters. From Approach to Innocence, calculated positioning gives way to uncontrolled natural movement. Thunder under heaven acts without premeditation. The verse counsels: when credentials prove hollow, survival depends not on official standing but on the genuine reserves one has quietly accumulated.

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