復 → 艮
Hexagram 24: Return → Hexagram 52: Keeping Still Mountain
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 3, 6).
Line 1
初九 不遠復。无祗悔。元吉。
Nine at the beginning means: Return from a short distance. No need for remorse. Great good fortune.
Line 3
六三 頻復。厲。无咎。
Six in the third place means: Repeated return. Danger. No blame.
Line 6
上六 迷復。凶。有災眚。用行師。終有大敗。以其國君凶。至于十年不克征。
Six at the top means: Missing the return. Misfortune. Misfortune from within and without. If armies are set marching in this way, One will in the end suffer a great defeat, Disastrous for the ruler of the country. For ten years It will not be possible to attack again.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
三驪負衡，南取芝香。秋蘭芬馥，盛滿匣匱。利我少姜。
Three black horses bear the crossbar; southward they gather fragrant lingzhi. Autumn orchids, rich and sweet; filling boxes and chests to the brim. A blessing for my young maiden.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder returns beneath the earth as three black horses draw a carriage south to gather fragrant herbs. Autumn orchids bloom in sweet profusion, filling chests and caskets to overflowing. The verse closes with a blessing: 'May it profit my Shao Jiang' — likely an allusion to a beloved woman, perhaps echoing the historical Shao Jiang of Qi who married into the Jin court. The imagery is sensuous and abundant: dark horses, southern fragrance, orchids in autumn, containers brimming with precious botanicals. From Return to Keeping Still, twin mountains in quiet repose. The transformation suggests that the restless search for beauty resolves in stillness — the treasures gathered on the journey are finally stored and savored at rest.
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