坎 → 大畜
Hexagram 29: The Abysmal Water → Hexagram 26: Great Taming
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 3, 5, 6).
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 3
六三 來之坎坎。險且枕。入于坎窞。勿用。
Six in the third place means: Forward and backward, abyss on abyss. In danger like this, pause at first and wait, Otherwise you will fall into a pit in the abyss. Do not act this way.
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.
Line 6
上六 係用徽纆。寘于叢棘。三歲不得。凶。
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
Yilin Verse
恭寬相信，履福不殆。從其邦域，與喜相得。
Reverent, generous, trusting one another; treading in blessings without peril. Following the ways of their domain, they find joy together.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water upon water, yet the traveler walks in trust. Reverence and generosity breed mutual confidence; treading in blessing brings no peril. Following the customs of one's domain, joy naturally accompanies the journey. The verse reads as a small blessing oracle: sincerity attracts good fortune, and staying within proper bounds keeps danger at bay. From The Abysmal to Great Taming, perilous water yields to heaven stored within the mountain — the vast energy of creative power held and cultivated through study of ancient words and deeds. The confident traveler of this verse embodies that stored virtue: danger cannot reach the one whose conduct is grounded in accumulated wisdom.
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