坎 → 萃
Hexagram 29: The Abysmal Water → Hexagram 45: Gathering Together
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 2, 4).
Line 2
九二 坎有險。求小得。
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。
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
履祿綏厚，載福受祉，衰微復起，繼世長久，疾病獻麥，晉人赴告。
Treading in blessings, receiving thick favor; bearing fortune, accepting benediction. From decline, rising again; continuing through generations, enduring long. In illness, an offering of wheat; the men of Jin send word.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water upon water, yet blessings accumulate steadily. Treading upon fortune, blessed with thick bounty, receiving the mandate's favor — what had declined now rises again, and the succession endures for generations. Then the verse shifts: illness prompts an offering of wheat, and the people of Jin send urgent word. The juxtaposition of dynastic continuity with emergency dispatch suggests that even in prosperity, vigilance is required. From The Abysmal to Gathering, the lake collects upon the earth as people naturally congregate. The verse embodies Gathering's dual nature: abundance pools and communities form, but the wise ruler keeps weapons ready and guards against the unexpected — even as blessings flow.
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