恆 → 比
Hexagram 32: Duration → Hexagram 8: Holding Together
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 2, 3, 4, 5).
Line 2
九二 悔亡。
Nine in the second place means: Remorse disappears.
Line 3
九三 不恆其德。或承之羞。貞吝。
Nine in the third place means: He who does not give duration to his character Meets with disgrace. Persistent humiliation.
Line 4
九四 田无禽。
Nine in the fourth place means: No game in the field.
Line 5
六五 恒其德貞。婦人吉。夫子凶。
Six in the fifth place means: Giving duration to one's character through perseverance. This is good fortune for a woman, misfortune for a man.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
龍生于淵，因風身天，章虎炳文，為凶敗軒。
The dragon is born in the deep; riding the wind, it ascends to heaven. The patterned tiger, brilliant in markings, becomes a harbinger of ruin.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder above wind, Duration's enduring rhythm, gives way to water upon earth — Holding Together's mutual dependence. A dragon is born in the deep and rides the wind up to heaven; yet the tiger's patterned brilliance becomes a source of destruction, overturning the carriage. The dragon's rise evokes natural ascension — talent emerging from obscurity through sustained effort. But the tiger's splendid markings attract the hunter: visible excellence invites attack. From Duration to Holding Together, the verse traces the arc from patient cultivation to alliance and exposure. What endures in secret (the dragon in the abyss) thrives; what displays its power openly (the tiger's stripes) draws hostile coalitions. Lasting bonds require that brilliance be tempered with discretion.
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