晉 → 損
Hexagram 35: Progress → Hexagram 41: Decrease
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 4).
Line 1
初六 晉如摧如。貞吉。罔孚。裕无咎。
Six at the beginning means: Progressing, but turned back. Perseverance brings good fortune. If one meets with no confidence, one should remain calm. No mistake.
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 4
九四 晉如鼫鼠。貞厲。
Nine in the fourth place means: Progress like a hamster. Perseverance brings danger.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
仁愛篤厚，不以所忿，害其所子，從我舊都，日益富有。
Benevolence and love, deep and generous; not letting one’s anger harm one’s children. Following me to the old capital; daily growing richer.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Fire rises above the earth, and a generous heart prevails. Benevolence and devotion run deep — one does not allow personal anger to harm one's own children. Returning to the old capital, wealth increases daily. The verse celebrates magnanimity: the parent who refuses to let resentment spill onto the next generation, choosing instead the steady path of returning to familiar ground and rebuilding. From Progress to Decrease, the transformation seems paradoxical but resolves beautifully. The mountain rises above the lake — the upper diminishes to benefit the lower. True decrease is not loss but redistribution: the father who restrains his anger enriches his household. By giving up vengeance, he gains prosperity. The old capital flourishes precisely because its ruler chose decrease of wrath over increase of conflict.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store