晉 → 大過
Hexagram 35: Progress → Hexagram 28: Great Exceeding
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。
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。
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。
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。
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
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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