遯 → 家人
Hexagram 33: Retreat → Hexagram 37: The Family
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 1, 4).
Line 1
初六 遯尾厲。勿用有攸往。
Six at the beginning means: At the tail in retreat. This is dangerous. One must not wish to undertake anything.
Line 4
九四 好遯。君子吉。小人否。
Nine in the fourth place means: Voluntary retreat brings good fortune to the superior man And downfall to the inferior man.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
狗畏猛虎，依人為輔，三夫執戟，伏不敢趨，身安无咎。
The dog fears the fierce tiger; it relies on men for protection. Three warriors hold their halberds; crouching low, none dares advance. The body is safe, without blame.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Heaven above the mountain warms into wind emerging from fire — the Family, where inner warmth radiates outward as ordered influence. A dog fears the fierce tiger and relies on humans for protection. Three warriors hold their halberds, crouching low, not daring to advance. The body remains safe and without blame. The verse depicts survival through calculated submission: the dog allies with humans against the tiger; the warriors recognize superior force and hold their ground rather than charging. From Retreat to the Family, the mountain's withdrawal becomes the household's protective structure. Wind from fire — warmth that organizes. The verse reframes retreat as domestication: the wild dog becomes the household guardian, and the warriors who refuse to charge recklessly preserve the family they serve. Safety lies not in fighting or fleeing but in knowing one's place within a protective order.
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