復 → 需
Hexagram 24: Return → Hexagram 5: Waiting
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 2, 3, 5).
Line 2
六二 休復。吉。
Six in the second place means: Quiet return. Good fortune.
Line 3
六三 頻復。厲。无咎。
Six in the third place means: Repeated return. Danger. No blame.
Line 5
六五 敦復。无悔。
Six in the fifth place means: Noblehearted return. No remorse.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
東風解凍，河川流通。西門子產，升擢有功。
The east wind thaws the ice; rivers flow freely again. Zi Chan at the Western Gate; promoted and achieving merit.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder returns beneath the earth as the east wind dissolves winter's frost, and frozen rivers flow freely once more. The verse names Zi Chan at the western gate — the celebrated chief minister of Zheng (c. 543-522 BC) who reformed agriculture, codified law, and governed with pragmatic wisdom. His 'promotion with merit' signals a state revitalized by capable leadership. From Return to Waiting, clouds gather above heaven: patience is rewarded, and the season of nourishment arrives. As the east wind unlocks the frozen landscape, Zi Chan's governance unlocks a state's potential. The transformation from dormant thunder to clouds promising rain mirrors the shift from stagnation to well-timed abundance.
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