明夷 → 噬嗑
Hexagram 36: Darkening of the Light → Hexagram 21: Biting Through
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 3, 4, 6).
Line 3
九三 明夷于南狩。得其大首。不可疾貞。
Nine in the third place means: Darkening of the light during the hunt in the south. Their great leader is captured. One must not expect perseverance too soon.
Line 4
六四 入于左腹。獲明夷之心。于出門庭。
Six in the fourth place means: He penetrates the left side of the belly. One gets at the very heart of the darkening of the light, And leaves gate and courtyard.
Line 6
上六 不明晦。初登于天。後入于地。
Six at the top means: Not light but darkness. First he climbed up to heaven, Then plunged into the depths of the earth.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
江水沱汜，思附君子。伯仲爰歸，不我肯顧，姪娣恨悔。
The river's waters branch and fork; she yearns to follow her lord. Elder and younger brothers return home, but none will look back at me. Niece and younger sister grieve and repent.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Fire submerged beneath the earth re-emerges as lightning and thunder — Biting Through, where obstacles are decisively removed. The verse quotes the Shijing ode 'Jiang You Si' from the Shao Nan section: 'The river has its branches; this lady returns but does not take me along.' The senior and junior wives depart together, leaving the speaker behind — 'My nieces and sisters-in-law are filled with regret.' This is the pain of being left behind when others find their place, the frustration of the one who remains in darkness while the group moves on. From Darkening of the Light to Biting Through, the transformation suggests that the sting of exclusion demands a forceful resolution — lightning illuminates what thunder clears away, and what was hidden must be confronted directly.
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