同人

Hexagram 3: Difficulty at the Beginning → Hexagram 13: Fellowship

Difficulty at the Beginning
Water / Thunder
同人
Fellowship
Heaven / Fire
Changing LinesStable Lines

Changing Lines

This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 3, 4, 6).

Line 3

六三 即鹿無虞。惟入于林中。君子幾不如舍。往吝。

pursue
鹿deer
without
preparation
wéiall alone
entering
into
línforest's
zhōnginterior
jūnnoble
young one
discerning
this
the same thing as
shěgiving up
wǎngto go
lìnembarrassing

Six in the third place means: Whoever hunts deer without the forester Only loses his way in the forest. The superior man understands the signs of the time And prefers to desist. To go on brings humiliation.

Line 4

六四 乘馬班如。求婚媾。往吉。无不利。

chénga team of four
horses
bānarrayed
alike
qiúquest
hūnmarital
gòusuitor
wǎngto go forward
promising
without
doubt
worthwhile

Six in the fourth place means: Horse and wagon part. Strive for union. To go brings good fortune. Everything acts to further.

Line 6

上六 乘馬班如。泣血漣如。

chénga team of four
horses
bānarrayed
alike
tears
xuèof blood
liánflowing
as if

Six at the top means: Horse and wagon part. Bloody tears flow.

Trigram Changes

Upper TrigramWater HeavenThe Deep → The Creative
Lower TrigramThunder FireThe Arousing → The Clinging

Yilin Verse

三孫荷弩,無益於輔。城弱不守,邦君受討。

Three grandsons bear crossbows; they are of no help in defense. The walls are weak and cannot hold; the lord of the domain is called to account.

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

Commentary

Clouds and thunder transform into heaven and fire together: initial chaos seeks fellowship but finds hollow alliance. Three grandsons shoulder crossbows, yet they bring no real help. The city walls are weak and cannot hold, and the state's lord suffers conquest. Armed retainers without discipline cannot compensate for structural weakness. From Difficulty at the Beginning to Fellowship, the transformation exposes the gap between the appearance of solidarity and its substance. Heaven with fire illuminates broadly, calling for genuine unity of purpose, but here the fellowship is merely nominal. The crossbow-bearers lack coordination, the walls lack strength, and the lord lacks the support that would make alliance meaningful rather than decorative.

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