離 → 損
Hexagram 30: The Clinging Fire → Hexagram 41: Decrease
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 2, 3, 4).
Line 2
六二 黃離。元吉。
Six in the second place means: Yellow light. Supreme good fortune.
Line 3
九三 日昃之離。不鼓缶而歌。則大耋之嗟。凶。
Nine in the third place means: In the light of the setting sun, Men either beat the pot and sing Or loudly bewail the approach of old age. Misfortune.
Line 4
九四 突如其來如。焚如。死如。棄如。
Nine in the fourth place means: Its coming is sudden; It flames up, dies down, is thrown away.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
南山大木，文身其目，制命出令，東里田畝，尊主安居，鄭國無患。
Great tree of the southern mountain; patterned bark, watchful eyes. Issuing commands and edicts; eastern village, field and furrow. The honored lord dwells in peace; the state of Zheng is free from trouble.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Doubled fire meets the mountain above the lake: brilliance accepts strategic reduction. A great tree on the southern mountain has patterns carved upon its eye-knots. From this position of authority, commands and edicts issue forth. In the eastern quarter, fields are measured and cultivated; the honored lord resides in peace, and the state of Zheng knows no trouble. The verse evokes Zi Chan's governance of Zheng: reforming agriculture in the eastern fields, issuing clear laws, and maintaining order through disciplined administration. From The Clinging to Decrease, fire's restless brilliance accepts the mountain's counsel to restrain desire. Zi Chan's genius lay in knowing what to reduce — excess, waste, confusion — so that what remained was strong enough to keep Zheng safe between the great powers.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store