无妄

Hexagram 29: The Abysmal Water → Hexagram 25: Innocence

The Abysmal Water
Water / Water
无妄
Innocence
Heaven / Thunder
Changing LinesStable Lines

Changing Lines

This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 4, 6).

Line 1

初六 習坎。入于坎窞。凶。

twice
kǎnexposed
entering
into
kǎnthe pit's
dànhidden
xiōngominous

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。

kǎnthe pit
yǒuhas
xiǎnrisk
qiúseek
xiǎosmall
gains

Nine in the second place means: The abyss is dangerous. One should strive to attain small things only.

Line 4

六四 樽酒簋貳。用缶。納約自牖。終无咎。

zūna jug
jiǔof wine
guǐa simple bamboo basket
èror two
yòngand utensils
fǒuof clay
handed
yuēsimply
through
yǒuthe window
zhōngin the end
no
jiùblame

Six in the fourth place means: A jug of wine, a bowl of rice with it; Earthen vessels Simply handed in through the Window. There is certainly no blame in this.

Line 6

上六 係用徽纆。寘于叢棘。三歲不得。凶。

bound
yòngwith
huībraided
and stranded
zhìand put aside
in
cónga thicket
thorny brambles
sānfor three
suìyears
of no
gain
xiōngis unfortunate

Six at the top means: Bound with cords and ropes, Shut in between thorn-hedged prison walls: For three years one does not find the way. Misfortune.

Trigram Changes

Upper TrigramWater HeavenThe Deep → The Creative
Lower TrigramWater ThunderThe Deep → The Arousing

Yilin Verse

獐鹿同走,自燕嘉喜。公子好遊,他人多有。

Roe deer and stag run together; from Yan comes celebration and joy. The young lord delights in roaming; others have much to share.

— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE

Commentary

Water upon water, yet the deer run free. Roe deer and fallow deer gallop together from the direction of Yan, bringing joy and felicity. The young lord loves to roam, and others share in his abundance. The imagery is pastoral and buoyant: wild animals moving in unison signal natural harmony, and the mention of Yan (the northern state) suggests blessings arriving from an unexpected quarter. From The Abysmal to Innocence, heaven's thunder rolls beneath — action aligned with cosmic timing rather than human scheming. The deer do not calculate their path; they simply run as nature dictates. This spontaneous rightness is Innocence's essence: prosperity that comes without contrivance.

The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store

Related Pages