坎 → 兌
Hexagram 29: The Abysmal Water → Hexagram 58: The Joyous Lake
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 1, 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 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
酒為歡伯，除憂來樂，福喜入門，與君相索，使我有德。
Wine is the lord of joy; it banishes worry and brings delight. Fortune and happiness enter the gate; they seek the lord. They grant me virtue.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water upon water, yet wine dissolves all sorrow. Wine is the 'Earl of Joy' — the personification of conviviality that banishes worry and invites pleasure. Blessings and happiness enter through the door, seeking out the host and bestowing virtue upon him. The verse is pure celebration: wine as social lubricant, joy as an active visitor who comes knocking. From The Abysmal to The Joyous, doubled water transforms into doubled lake — paired pools of delight, friends gathering to study and share. The Joyous thrives on mutual exchange, and wine here serves as its ritual medium: the Earl of Joy presides over the gathering where danger is forgotten and human connection flows freely.
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