Hexagram 29: The Abysmal Water → Hexagram 55: Abundance

The Abysmal Water
Water / Water
Abundance
Thunder / Fire
Changing LinesStable Lines

Changing Lines

This transformation involves 5 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

Line 1

初六 習坎。入于坎窞。凶。

twice
kǎnexposed
entering
into
kǎnthe pit's
dànhidden
xiōngominous

Six at the beginning means: Repetition of the Abysmal. In the abyss one falls into a pit. Misfortune.

Line 2

九二 坎有險。求小得。

kǎnthe pit
yǒuhas
xiǎnrisk
qiúseek
xiǎosmall
gains

Nine in the second place means: The abyss is dangerous. One should strive to attain small things only.

Line 3

六三 來之坎坎。險且枕。入于坎窞。勿用。

láicoming
zhīand going
kǎnpit
kǎnafter pit
xiǎnthe narrow ledge
qiěis
zhěna resting place to rest
to enter
into
kǎnthe canyon's
dànhidden
is
yònguseful

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。

zūna jug
jiǔof wine
guǐa simple bamboo basket
èror two
yòngand utensils
fǒuof clay
handed
yuēsimply
through
yǒuthe window
zhōngin the end
no
jiùblame

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。

kǎnthe pit
is not
yíngoverly full
zhīto respect
attained
píngits level
no
jiùblame

Nine in the fifth place means: The abyss is not filled to overflowing, It is filled only to the rim. No blame.

Trigram Changes

Upper TrigramWater ThunderThe Deep → The Arousing
Lower TrigramWater FireThe Deep → The Clinging

Yilin Verse

火中仲夏,鴻雁來舍,體重難移,未能高舞,君子顯名,不失其譽。

Fire in midsummer; the wild geese come to rest. Bodies heavy, hard to move; they cannot yet dance on high. The noble man makes his name known; he does not lose his repute.

— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE

Commentary

Water upon water, midsummer's fire brings the wild geese to roost. In the blaze of high summer, the migrating geese arrive and settle, but their bodies are heavy and they cannot dance aloft — grounded by their own weight, they rest rather than soar. Yet the gentleman's reputation shines bright and his honor remains intact. The verse balances physical limitation with moral achievement: the body is earthbound but the name ascends. From The Abysmal to Abundance, thunder and lightning arrive together in full force. The heavy goose that cannot fly high mirrors Abundance's paradox: when everything is at its fullest, mobility is most constrained. Fame endures precisely because it does not try to exceed the natural limit of the moment.

The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store

Related Pages