坤 → 否
Hexagram 2: The Receptive → Hexagram 12: Standstill
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 4, 5, 6).
Line 4
六四 括囊。无咎无譽。
Six in the fourth place means: A tied-up sack. No blame, no praise.
Line 5
六五 黃裳。元吉。
Six in the fifth place means: A yellow lower garment brings supreme good fortune.
Line 6
上六 龍戰于野。其血玄黃。
Six at the top means: Dragons fight in the meadow. Their blood is black and yellow.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
六龍爭極，服在下飾。謹慎管鑰，結禁毋出。
Six dragons contend for the summit; yielding, they serve below. Guard carefully the locks and keys; bind fast, do not venture out.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Earth upon earth yields to heaven above earth — Standstill, where heaven and earth refuse to communicate. Six dragons contend at the limit, forced to serve in subordinate finery. Guard the locks and keys with care; bind fast and do not emerge. When Kun becomes Pi, the earth that once supported everything now seals itself shut. The six dragons recall the Qian hexagram's six yang lines driven to extremity — competing forces that exhaust themselves. The verse counsels withdrawal and vigilance: lock the doors, secure the household, venture nothing. From the Receptive to Standstill, the earth's generosity inverts into defensive closure. Pi's image is heaven and earth not interacting — the time when the noble person withdraws, conserves virtue, and refuses to be drawn out by the promise of emolument.
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