剝 → 復
Hexagram 23: Splitting Apart → Hexagram 24: Return
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 1, 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 3
六三 剝之无咎。
Six in the third place means: He splits with them. No blame.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
被服文德，升入大麓。四門雍肅，登受大福。
Incense smoke curls around the high altar; jade scepter held in both hands, entering court. Three golden bells ring — all gates open; ten thousand ministers prostrate, hymns echoing afar.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Mountain upon earth strips away completely, and thunder stirs again beneath the earth — Return, the pivotal hexagram of renewal. The original verse speaks of Emperor Shun's investiture: 'Clothed in the patterns of virtue, he ascended into the Great Forest. The four gates stood solemn and harmonious, and he received the greatest blessing.' Shun, the sage-king chosen by Yao for his extraordinary filial piety, was tested in the Great Forest before receiving the mandate. His 'clothing in virtue' rather than armor signals that moral cultivation, not force, earns the throne. From Splitting Apart to Return, the transformation is the Yi's most fundamental cycle: when the last yang line has been stripped away, a new yang is born at the bottom. Shun's humble ascent embodies this perfectly — virtue returns where corruption had reigned.
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