蹇 → 臨
Hexagram 39: Obstruction → Hexagram 19: Approach
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3, 5).
Line 1
初六 往蹇來譽。
Six at the beginning means: Going leads to obstructions, Coming meets with praise.
Line 2
六二 王臣蹇蹇。匪躬之故。
Six in the second place means: The King's servant is beset by obstruction upon obstruction, But it is not his own fault.
Line 3
九三 往蹇來反。
Nine in the third place means: Going leads to obstructions; Hence he comes back.
Line 5
九五 大蹇朋來。
Nine in the fifth place means: In the midst of the greatest obstructions, Friends come.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
雷君出裝，隱隱西行。霖雨不止，流為巨江，南國以傷。
The thunder lord sets forth in procession, rumbling westward. Ceaseless rains pour down, flowing into a great river; the southern lands are laid to ruin.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water on the mountain intensifies as the thunder lord rides forth in full regalia, rumbling westward with hidden menace. Unceasing downpour swells into a mighty river, and the southern lands are ravaged by flood. The 'Thunder Lord' evokes the storm deity marshaling his forces — not benevolent rain but overwhelming inundation. The southern region's suffering suggests the floods that historically devastated the Yangtze basin. From Obstruction to Approach, earth rests above the lake as authority descends to meet the people. But the verse inverts Approach's benevolent intent: what descends here is not teaching or governance but destructive water. When the approaching force is uncontrolled, what should nourish becomes catastrophe. Authority without restraint is indistinguishable from natural disaster.
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