屯 → 遯
Hexagram 3: Difficulty at the Beginning → Hexagram 33: Retreat
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 3, 4, 6).
Line 1
初九 磐桓。利居貞。利建侯。
Nine at the beginning means: Hesitation and hindrance. It furthers one to remain persevering. It furthers one to appoint helpers.
Line 3
六三 即鹿無虞。惟入于林中。君子幾不如舍。往吝。
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。
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。
Six at the top means: Horse and wagon part. Bloody tears flow.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
江河海澤，眾利安宅。可以富有，飲御嘉客。
Rivers, seas, and marshes; where all profits find safe dwelling. One may grow rich; feasting and entertaining honored guests.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Clouds and thunder transform into heaven above mountain: initial difficulty opens into strategic withdrawal. Rivers, lakes, and seas gather their resources, and dwelling becomes secure. Wealth accumulates, and one can drink wine and entertain honored guests. The verse paints a portrait of abundance attained through wise positioning rather than aggressive expansion. From Difficulty at the Beginning to Retreat, the transformation is counterintuitive: withdrawal produces prosperity. Heaven above the mountain creates distance from the world below, but that very distance provides security and concentration of resources. The rivers and seas are wealthy precisely because they occupy low ground where all waters converge. The gentleman retreats not in defeat but in the confidence that comes from a well-chosen position.
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