噬嗑 → 恆
Hexagram 21: Biting Through → Hexagram 32: Duration
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3, 6).
Line 1
初九 履校滅趾。无咎。
Nine at the beginning means: His feet are fastened in the stocks, So that his toes disappear. No blame.
Line 2
六二 噬膚滅鼻。无咎。
Six in the second place means: Bites through tender meat, So that his nose disappears. No blame.
Line 3
六三 噬腊肉。遇毒。小吝。无咎。
Six in the third place means: Bites on old dried meat And strikes on something poisonous. Slight humiliation. No blame.
Line 6
上九 何校滅耳。凶。
Nine at the top means: His neck is fastened in the wooden cangue, So that his ears disappear. Misfortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
白鶴𠾑珠，夜食為明；膏潤優渥，國歲年豐。
A white crane holds a pearl in its beak, feeding on light through the night; rich ointment, generous moisture -- the kingdom's harvest is abundant.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Fire and thunder illuminate the law, and here a luminous image emerges: a white crane holds a pearl in its beak, feeding at night by its own light. Rich moisture and abundant nourishment flow forth; the nation's harvests are full year after year. The crane-with-pearl is a potent symbol: the bird carries its own illumination, needing no external source. This self-generating light sustains not just the crane but the entire realm. From Biting Through to Duration, thunder and wind reinforce each other in perpetual constancy. The verse embodies Duration's promise: when inner radiance is genuine and self-sustaining, prosperity renews itself endlessly without force or intervention.
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