坎 → 蒙
Hexagram 29: The Abysmal Water → Hexagram 4: Youthful Folly
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 5, 6).
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
倚鋒據戟，傷我胸臆。拜折不息。
Leaning on blades, bracing against halberds; they wound my breast. Bowing without end.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water upon water, the doubled abyss threatens bodily harm. Leaning against blades and gripping halberds, the sharp edges wound the chest — yet still the figure bows ceaselessly in supplication. The image is of someone forced into dangerous proximity with weapons, suffering injury while maintaining the posture of deference. The bowing never stops, suggesting either desperate petition or ritual submission under duress. From The Abysmal to Youthful Folly, peril meets naivety: the mountain spring issues forth beneath the mountain, fresh but unaware of the dangers around it. The one who bows before blades is like the untutored student who does not yet know where the real danger lies.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store