大畜 → 蹇
Hexagram 26: Great Taming → Hexagram 39: Obstruction
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 5, 6).
Line 1
初九 有厲。利已。
Nine at the beginning means: Danger is at hand. It furthers one to desist.
Line 2
九二 輿說輹。
Nine in the second place means: The axletrees are taken from the wagon.
Line 5
六五 豶豕之牙。吉。
Six in the fifth place means: The tusk of a gelded boar. Good fortune.
Line 6
上九 何天之衢。亨。
Nine at the top means: One attains the way of heaven. Success.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
寧夬鴟鴞，治成御災。綏德安家，周公勤勞。
Pacifying the owl, subduing calamity; governance is perfected, disaster averted. Bestowing virtue and settling the household; the Duke of Zhou toiled without rest.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Heaven stored within the mountain yields to water upon the mountain — Obstruction. The verse evokes the Duke of Zhou's 'Owl' ode from the Book of Songs: defeating the owl, governing the realm, and warding off disaster. Through gentleness and virtue, the household is made secure. The Duke of Zhou labors tirelessly. The Shijing poem 'Chixiao' uses the metaphor of an owl threatening a bird's nest to represent enemies menacing the young Zhou state. The Duke of Zhou fought to protect his nephew King Cheng's fragile regime against rebellion. From Great Taming to Obstruction, the mountain's stored heaven meets water blocking the mountain path. The Duke's response to obstruction was not force alone but persistent virtue — taming the crisis through accumulated wisdom and tireless devotion.
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