蹇 → 大畜
Hexagram 39: Obstruction → Hexagram 26: Great Taming
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 5, 6).
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 5
九五 大蹇朋來。
Nine in the fifth place means: In the midst of the greatest obstructions, Friends come.
Line 6
上六 往蹇來碩。吉。利見大人。
Six at the top means: Going leads to obstructions, Coming leads to great good fortune. It furthers one to see the great man.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
蓄利積福，日新其德。高氏飲食，憂不為患。
Storing profit and gathering blessings, renewing virtue day by day. The house of Gao eats and drinks well; worry does not become calamity.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water on the mountain stores what others overlook. The verse counsels accumulation of advantage and virtue, renewing one's character day by day — a near-direct echo of the Great Learning's 'renew the people, daily make new.' The Gao clan's household enjoys abundant food and drink, and worry does not become calamity. The Gao clan of Qi was one of the great ministerial families; their security here signals the rewards of steady moral investment. From Obstruction to Great Taming, heaven is stored within the mountain. Great Taming excels at containing immense power through accumulated wisdom. The verse enacts this: what begins as blocked passage becomes a reservoir. Obstruction, properly understood, is the mountain's method of taming heaven — holding vast energy until the time for its release arrives.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store