大過 → 小過
Hexagram 28: Great Exceeding → Hexagram 62: Small Exceeding
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 6 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).
Line 1
初六 藉用白茅。无咎。
Six at the beginning means: To spread white rushes underneath. No blame.
Line 2
九二 枯楊生稊。老夫得其女妻。无不利。
Nine in the second place means: A dry poplar sprouts at the root. An older man takes a young wife. Everything furthers.
Line 3
九三 棟橈。凶。
Nine in the third place means: The ridgepole sags to the breaking point. Misfortune.
Line 4
九四 棟隆。吉。有它吝。
Nine in the fourth place means: The ridgepole is braced. Good fortune. If there are ulterior motives, it is humiliating.
Line 5
九五 枯楊生華。老婦得其士夫。无咎无譽。
Nine in the fifth place means: A withered poplar puts forth flowers. An older woman takes a husband. No blame. No praise.
Line 6
上六 過涉滅頂。凶。无咎。
Six at the top means: One must go through the water. It goes over one's head. Misfortune. No blame.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
兩心相悅，共其柔筋。夙夜在公，不離房中。得君子意。
Two hearts delighting in each other; sharing their gentle tenderness. Morning and night in devoted service; they do not leave the chamber. Gaining the noble one’s favor.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Lake over wind settles into thunder above mountain — Small Exceeding, where small things succeed but great things do not. Two hearts delight in each other, sharing tender intimacy. Day and night devoted to duty, one does not leave the chamber, and wins the gentleman's favor. The verse is a love poem of quiet contentment: mutual attraction, physical closeness, and the reward of constant devotion. 'Day and night in service, never leaving the room' suggests both romantic intimacy and faithful attendance. Small Exceeding's image — a bird in flight — counsels staying low rather than soaring high. From Great Exceeding to Small Exceeding, overwhelming force is miniaturized into intimate, careful attention. The verse celebrates the small excess of devotion: not grand gestures but the steady presence that earns lasting affection.
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