遯 → 既濟
Hexagram 33: Retreat → Hexagram 63: After Completion
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 4, 6).
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.
Line 6
上九 肥遯无不利。
Nine at the top means: Cheerful retreat. Everything serves to further.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
出門東行，日利時良，步騎與駟，經歷宗邦，暮宿北燕，與樂相逢。
Setting out through the gate, heading east; the day is favorable, the hour auspicious. On foot and horseback, with a team of four; passing through the ancestral domain. At evening, lodging in northern Yan; meeting joy along the way.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Heaven above the mountain settles into water over fire — After Completion, where everything has found its proper place. Setting out through the eastern gate on an auspicious day, traveling by foot, horseback, and chariot, one passes through the ancestral homeland. By evening one lodges in northern Yan, and there encounters joy and celebration. The verse traces a journey from departure to arrival, every stage proceeding smoothly — good timing, proper conveyance, familiar territory, and a warm welcome at the end. From Retreat to After Completion, the mountain's withdrawal reaches its fulfillment. Water rests above fire in perfect equilibrium. The retreating figure has passed through every phase of the journey and arrives at completion — not where he started but somewhere new, where celebration awaits. Retreat here is not an ending but the first step of a journey that culminates in harmony.
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