復 → 未濟
Hexagram 24: Return → Hexagram 64: Before Completion
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 4, 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 2
六二 休復。吉。
Six in the second place means: Quiet return. Good fortune.
Line 4
六四 中行獨復。
Six in the fourth place means: Walking in the midst of others, One returns alone.
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
東鄰西國，福喜同樂。出得隋珠，留獲和玉。俱利有喜。
Eastern neighbor, western land; blessing and joy shared together. Gaining the Sui pearl abroad; keeping the He jade at home. All share profit and delight.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder returns beneath the earth, and east and west neighbors share in festive joy. The traveler sets forth and discovers a Sui pearl; staying home, one finds a He jade. Both yield delight and profit. The Sui pearl and He jade are the two supreme treasures of Chinese legend: the Marquis of Sui's luminous pearl, given in gratitude by a serpent, and Bian He's jade disc, rejected twice before its true worth was recognized. Obtaining both at once is the ultimate emblem of comprehensive good fortune. From Return to Before Completion, fire above water, not yet crossed over. The transformation adds a surprising depth: even with all treasures in hand, the crossing is not yet complete. Fortune has arrived, but the journey continues — fulfillment remains ahead, and these jewels are provisions for the road, not the destination itself.
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