觀 → 賁
Hexagram 20: Contemplation → Hexagram 22: Grace
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 3, 5).
Line 1
初六 童觀。小人无咎。君子吝。
Six at the beginning means: Boy like contemplation. For an inferior man, no blame. For a superior man, humiliation.
Line 3
六三 觀我生進退。
Six in the third place means: Contemplation of my life Decides the choice Between advance and retreat.
Line 5
九五 觀我生。君子无咎。
Nine in the fifth place means: Contemplation of my life. The superior man is without blame.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
東行無門，西出華山；道塞畏難，遊子為患。
Eastward there is no gate, westward one exits toward Hua Mountain; the road is blocked and the pass forbidding -- the traveler is beset by peril.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Wind over earth observes a traveler trapped between impassable routes. Eastward there is no gate; westward Mount Hua blocks the way. Roads are choked with hazards, and the wanderer becomes a source of trouble. Mount Hua, the Western Sacred Mountain, is notoriously sheer — its single narrow path was proverbial for danger. The verse captures a figure hemmed in on every side, unable to advance in any direction. Mountain over fire forms Grace, which adorns and clarifies but cautions against rash judgment. From Contemplation to Grace, the irony emerges: beauty and form depend on finding the right path, but when all paths are closed, adornment becomes irrelevant. The traveler's predicament strips away ornament and leaves only obstruction.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store