坎 → 夬
Hexagram 29: The Abysmal Water → Hexagram 43: Breakthrough
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 3, 4).
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 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.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
路與縣休，侯伯恣驕。上失其盛，周室衰微。
Roads and counties fall to ruin; the marquises and earls grow wanton. The heights lose their glory; the house of Zhou declines.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water upon water, the central authority crumbles. Roads fall into disrepair and border posts are abandoned; marquises and earls grow arrogant without restraint. The sovereign loses his grandeur, and the house of Zhou declines into insignificance. The verse describes the slow collapse of the Western Zhou order: when the king's roads no longer connect the realm, local lords fill the vacuum with unchecked ambition. From The Abysmal to Breakthrough, the lake rises above heaven — the single yin line must be expelled by five yangs. The verse shows why Breakthrough is necessary: when feudal arrogance has corroded royal authority, only a decisive, collective upward surge can restore the proper order.
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