坤 → 屯
Hexagram 2: The Receptive → Hexagram 3: Difficulty at the Beginning
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 1, 5).
Line 1
初六 履霜堅冰至。
Six at the beginning means: When there is hoarfrost underfoot, Solid ice is not far off.
Line 5
六五 黃裳。元吉。
Six in the fifth place means: A yellow lower garment brings supreme good fortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
蒼龍單獨，與石相觸。摧折兩角，室家不足。
The blue dragon stands alone, striking against stone. Its two horns snap and break; house and home are left wanting.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Earth upon earth gives way to water above thunder — Difficulty at the Beginning. The Azure Dragon stands alone and collides with stone, breaking both horns; household and family fall short. The Azure Dragon (Canglong) is the celestial guardian of the east, associated with spring and renewal, one of the Four Symbols. Isolated and without support, even this mighty creature shatters itself against unyielding rock. Hexagram 3 depicts the storm of initial emergence — cloud and thunder churning in primal chaos. From the Receptive to Difficulty at the Beginning, the earth's passive support vanishes just as new life struggles to break through. The dragon's solitude is the key: without allies, even cosmic power is insufficient to navigate the birth pangs of a new order.
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