坎 → 復
Hexagram 29: The Abysmal Water → Hexagram 24: Return
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 5).
Line 1
初六 習坎。入于坎窞。凶。
Six at the beginning means: Repetition of the Abysmal. In the abyss one falls into a pit. Misfortune.
Line 2
九二 坎有險。求小得。
Nine in the second place means: The abyss is dangerous. One should strive to attain small things only.
Line 5
九五 坎不盈。祗既平。无咎。
Nine in the fifth place means: The abyss is not filled to overflowing, It is filled only to the rim. No blame.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
出門逢患，與禍為怨。更相擊刺，傷我手端。
Stepping out the door, one meets calamity; making enemies with disaster. They strike and stab each other; wounding the tips of my fingers.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water upon water, stepping outside only compounds the danger. Going through the door brings calamity; misfortune itself becomes the enemy. Mutual striking and stabbing ensue, wounding the hand — the instrument of action damaged in pointless combat. The verse is claustrophobic: inside is peril, outside is worse, and the violence rebounds upon the fighter. From The Abysmal to Return, thunder stirs beneath the earth at the winter solstice — the single yang line re-emerging from total darkness. The wound to the hand suggests that premature action in the depths of danger only injures one's capacity for future deeds. Return counsels stillness at the solstice: close the pass and wait.
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