噬嗑 → 旅
Hexagram 21: Biting Through → Hexagram 56: The Wanderer
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 3, 4).
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 4
九四 噬乾胏。得金矢。利艱貞。吉。
Nine in the fourth place means: Bites on dried gristly meat. Receives metal arrows. It furthers one to be mindful of difficulties And to be persevering. Good fortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
羿張烏號，彀射天狼；趙國雄勇，敗於滎陽。
Yi draws the Dark Cry bow, aiming to shoot the Celestial Wolf; Zhao's kingdom was fierce and bold, yet was defeated at Xingyang.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Fire and thunder enforce the law, and here legendary might collides with historical defeat. Archer Yi draws the famed Wuhao bow and takes aim at the Celestial Wolf — Sirius, the star of invasion and border threats. The image blazes with mythic power: the greatest archer targeting the most ominous star. Then the verse pivots to historical catastrophe: the brave warriors of Zhao are defeated at Xingyang. Despite Zhao's renowned military valor, they fell in the power struggles of the late Warring States or early Qin era. From Biting Through to The Wanderer, fire flickers above the mountain — the traveler's precarious flame. Even Yi's supernatural aim cannot prevent the wanderer's fate: displacement, defeat, and the road's indifference to former glory.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store