觀 → 震
Hexagram 20: Contemplation → Hexagram 51: The Arousing Thunder
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 4, 5, 6).
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 4
六四 觀國之光。利用賓于王。
Six in the fourth place means: Contemplation of the light of the kingdom. It furthers one to exert influence as the guest of a king.
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.
Line 6
上九 觀其生。君子无咎。
Nine at the top means: Contemplation of his life. The superior man is without blame.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
盤紆九迴，行道留難；止須子丘，乃睹所歡。
Winding and coiling through nine turns, the road is beset with hardship; halt and wait for the noble heir -- then you shall see the one you love.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Wind over earth traces a tortuous road. The path coils and twists through nine turns, every stretch fraught with hindrance. Yet at the mound of Zi — a resting place or meeting point — one finally sees the longed-for joy. The verse is a journey narrative reduced to its essence: obstacle after obstacle, then sudden arrival. Doubled thunder forms the Arousing, the shock that jolts one into motion after prolonged resistance. From Contemplation to the Arousing, the winding path resolves in a thunderclap of arrival: all the turns and delays were not purposeless but preparatory. The nine coils tested endurance; the thunder-moment rewards it. What was sought through patience stands revealed at the road's end.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store