坎 → 睽
Hexagram 29: The Abysmal Water → Hexagram 38: Opposition
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 4, 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 4
六四 樽酒簋貳。用缶。納約自牖。終无咎。
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 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
退惡防患，見在心苗。日中之恩，解釋倒懸。
Retreat from evil, guard against trouble; perceive it in the heart's first shoots. The grace of the midday sun releases those hung upside down.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water upon water, yet vigilance dispels the threat. Retiring from evil and guarding against calamity — one perceives the danger while it is still a seedling in the heart. The grace of the midday sun releases those hung upside down, cutting them free from their inverted torment. The verse moves from defensive alertness to active liberation: seeing danger early, then applying timely intervention to relieve suffering. From The Abysmal to Opposition, fire and lake diverge in opposite directions, yet the verse shows how Opposition's divided vision can serve as diagnostic strength. Seeing the difference between good and evil — 'same yet different' — allows one to detect the sprout of disaster before it grows and to intervene at precisely the right moment.
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