剝 → 兌
Hexagram 23: Splitting Apart → Hexagram 58: The Joyous Lake
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 5 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5).
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.
Line 4
六四 剝牀以膚。凶。
Six in the fourth place means: The bed is split up to the skin. Misfortune.
Line 5
六五 貫魚。以宮人寵。无不利。
Six in the fifth place means: A shoal of fishes. Favor comes through the court ladies. Everything acts to further.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
播天舞，光地乳。神所守，樂無咎。言不信誤。
Spreading heaven in dance; light nourishes the earth. Guarded by the spirits; joy without blame. Yet words not trusted lead to error.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Mountain upon earth erodes into doubled lake — the Joyous, where mutual delight flows between companions. Spreading across heaven in dance, light nourishes the earth. What the spirits guard brings joy without fault. Yet the final phrase pivots: 'Words not trusted lead to error.' The verse opens with cosmic celebration — a ritual dance that connects heaven and earth, blessed by guardian spirits. But the coda warns that even in joy, dishonest speech corrupts. From Splitting Apart to the Joyous, the mountain's decay gives way to the lake's open surface, where reflection and exchange become possible. The Joyous at its best is 'friends discussing and practicing together'; at its worst it is flattery and false promises. The spirits guard the joy, but only truthful words can sustain it.
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