明夷 → 无妄
Hexagram 36: Darkening of the Light → Hexagram 25: Innocence
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 3, 4, 5, 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 5
六五 箕子之明夷。利貞。
Six in the fifth place means: Darkening of the light as with Prince Chi. Perseverance furthers.
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
履悖自敵，凶憂來到，痛不能笑。
Treading in rebellion, making enemies of oneself; misfortune and worry arrive. The pain is such that one cannot even laugh.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Fire beneath the earth confronts thunder rolling beneath heaven — Innocence, where the unexpected intrudes without warning. 'Treading perversely, one creates enemies; misfortune and worry arrive; pain that cannot even laugh.' The verse describes self-inflicted disaster: walking crooked paths provokes hostility, and the resulting anguish admits no relief. Under heaven's thunder, all beings move according to their true nature — this is Innocence's mandate. But the speaker has violated that natural order, acting contrary to principle and inviting ruin. From Darkening of the Light to Innocence, the transformation reveals a bitter irony: in a world already darkened, the one who compounds the darkness by acting falsely suffers doubly, because the universe's demand for authenticity is non-negotiable.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store