无妄 → 明夷
Hexagram 25: Innocence → Hexagram 36: Darkening of the Light
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 3, 4, 5, 6).
Line 3
六三 无妄之災。或繫之牛。行人之得。邑人之災。
Six in the third place means: Undeserved misfortune. The cow that was tethered by someone Is the wanderer's gain, the citizen's loss.
Line 4
九四 可貞。无咎。
Nine in the fourth place means: He who can be persevering Remains without blame.
Line 5
九五 无妄之疾。勿藥有喜。
Nine in the fifth place means: Use no medicine in an illness Incurred through no fault of your own. It will pass of itself.
Line 6
上九 无妄。行有眚。无攸利。
Nine at the top means: Innocent action brings misfortune. Nothing furthers.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
千雀萬鳩，與鷂為仇。威挈不敵，雖眾無益。為鷹所擊。
A thousand sparrows, ten thousand doves; they feud with the sparrowhawk. Power and might cannot match it; though numerous, it is no use. Struck down by the hawk.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
A thousand sparrows and ten thousand doves hold a grudge against the sparrowhawk, but their combined strength cannot match it. Though numerous, they are useless — the eagle strikes them all the same. From Innocence to Darkening of the Light, the transformation captures the overwhelming of the many by the few. Mingyi's image of fire sinking beneath the earth describes brilliance deliberately concealed or forcibly suppressed. The small birds' numerical advantage counts for nothing against the raptor's concentrated power. The verse teaches that in a darkening world, collective weakness cannot overcome predatory strength through sheer numbers. Survival requires the wisdom to dim one's light and endure, not the futility of massed but impotent resistance.
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