剝 → 臨
Hexagram 23: Splitting Apart → Hexagram 19: Approach
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3).
Line 1
初六 剝牀以足。蔑貞凶。
Six at the beginning means: The leg of the bed is split. Those who persevere are destroyed. Misfortune.
Line 2
六二 剝牀以辨。蔑貞凶。
Six in the second place means: The bed is split at the edge. Those who persevere are destroyed. Misfortune.
Line 3
六三 剝之无咎。
Six in the third place means: He splits with them. No blame.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
雄聖伏名，人匿麟遠。走鳳飛北，亂禍未息。
The heroic sage conceals his name; men hide, the qilin flees afar. The phoenix flies north; upheaval and disaster have not yet ceased.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Mountain upon earth strips away, and earth opens above the lake — Approach draws near. The sage hero conceals his name; the qilin hides far from the world of men. The phoenix flies northward in distress, and the chaos of rebellion has not yet ceased. This verse echoes the theme of the 'captured qilin' — auspicious creatures fleeing or hiding when the age is corrupt. The sage suppresses his brilliance; the unicorn retreats to the wilderness. Even the phoenix, herald of virtuous rule, flies in the wrong direction. From Splitting Apart to Approach, the verse suggests that drawing near to power in a debased age is perilous. The sage approaches by concealment, preserving virtue in hiding. Approach's promise of teaching and protecting the people cannot be fulfilled while wolves still rule.
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