大過

Hexagram 35: Progress → Hexagram 28: Great Exceeding

Progress
Fire / Earth
大過
Great Exceeding
Lake / Wind
Changing LinesStable Lines

Changing Lines

This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 2, 3, 5, 6).

Line 2

六二 晉如愁如。貞吉。受茲介福。于其王母。

jìn^ expansion
it may seem that v
chóu^ anxious
is to be
zhēnbut persistence
is promising
shòuaccept
these present
jièboundary
as (if
from
one's (own)
wánggrand-
mother [i.e. graciously and gratefully]

Six in the second place means: Progressing, but in sorrow. Perseverance brings good fortune. Then one obtains great happiness from one's ancestress.

Line 3

六三 眾允悔亡。

zhòngmany
yǔnpermission
huǐregret(s)
wángpass

Six in the third place means: All are in accord. Remorse disappears.

Line 5

六五 悔亡。失得勿恤。往吉无不利。

huǐregret(s)
wángpass
shīabout
and gain
are not to be
taken to heart
wǎngsimply to go
is promising
without
doubt
worthwhile

Six in the fifth place means: Remorse disappears. Take not gain and loss to heart. Undertakings bring good fortune. Everything serves to further.

Line 6

上九 晉其角。維用伐邑。厲吉无咎。貞吝。

jìnadvancing
one's
jiǎohorns
wéilimit
yòngthis practice
to subjugate
of the home town
that harsh
is promising
is not
jiùto be blamed
zhēnbut persistence
lìnis embarrassment

Nine at the top means: Making progress with the horns is permissible Only for the purpose of punishing one's own city. To be conscious of danger brings good fortune. No blame. Perseverance brings humiliation.

Trigram Changes

Upper TrigramFire LakeThe Clinging → The Joyous
Lower TrigramEarth WindThe Receptive → The Gentle

Yilin Verse

信敏恭謙,敬鬼尊神,五岳四瀆,克厭帝心,受福宜年。

Trustworthy, diligent, reverent, and humble; honoring ghosts, venerating spirits. The Five Peaks and Four Rivers; they fully satisfy the Emperor’s heart. Blessings received, a bountiful year.

— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE

Commentary

Fire rises above the earth, and the figure embodies trustworthiness, sensitivity, reverence, and humility — honoring ghosts and respecting spirits. Sacrifices are offered at the Five Sacred Mountains and the Four Great Rivers, fully satisfying the heart of the emperor above. Blessings descend and a prosperous year follows. The verse describes a ruler or minister who performs the grand rites of heaven and earth with impeccable sincerity: the feng and shan sacrifices at the sacred peaks, libations poured into the great rivers. From Progress to Great Exceeding, the transformation tests whether this piety can sustain extraordinary weight. The lake overwhelms the trees — structures buckle under excess. Even perfect devotion, if it accumulates obligations beyond what the frame can bear, risks toppling the ridgepole.

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