剝 → 大壯
Hexagram 23: Splitting Apart → Hexagram 34: Great Power
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 4).
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 4
六四 剝牀以膚。凶。
Six in the fourth place means: The bed is split up to the skin. Misfortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
夷羿所射，發輒有獲。雙鳧俱得，利以伐國。
What Yi the archer shoots, each arrow finds its quarry. A pair of wild ducks taken together; profitable for conquest of a state.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Mountain upon earth strips away, and thunder roars above heaven — Great Power, irresistible force unleashed. Archer Yi of the Eastern Barbarians takes aim, and every arrow finds its mark. A pair of wild ducks is brought down with a single volley, the skill proving apt for conquering a state. Yi the archer is the mythological supreme marksman who shot down nine suns; in historical tradition he also refers to the lord of the Youqiong who usurped Xia power. The 'pair of ducks taken together' suggests efficiency that borders on the ruthless — one shot, two kills. From Splitting Apart to Great Power, the mountain's decay releases pent-up yang in a thunderous explosion. Yi's marksmanship embodies Great Power's dynamic: force applied with precision, not merely brute strength. Yet the hexagram warns against overstepping propriety, and Yi's own story ends in betrayal.
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