明夷 → 夬
Hexagram 36: Darkening of the Light → Hexagram 43: Breakthrough
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 2, 4, 5).
Line 2
六二 明夷。夷于左股。用拯馬壯吉。
Six in the second place means: Darkening of the light injures him in the left thigh. He gives aid with the strength of a horse. Good fortune.
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.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
環堵倚鉏，升升屬口。貧賤所處，心寒昨苦。
Within four crumbling walls, leaning on a hoe; scraping mouthful by mouthful to survive. A dwelling of poverty and lowliness; the heart grows cold, the yesterdays bitter.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Fire beneath the earth meets the lake rising to heaven — Breakthrough, where accumulated pressure finally bursts through. Yet the verse describes not triumph but destitution: 'Surrounded by bare walls, leaning on a hoe, barely enough for each mouthful. This is where the poor and lowly dwell; the heart is cold, the past bitter.' The 'ring-walled' (環堵) dwelling of a single room echoes the poverty of Confucius's disciple Yuan Xian, who chose virtue over wealth. From Darkening of the Light to Breakthrough, the transformation presents an ironic challenge: the mechanism of breakthrough exists — the lake presses up to heaven — but when one begins from such abject poverty, what is there to break through to? The verse suggests that the first obstacle to overcome is destitution itself.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store