Hexagram 39: Obstruction → Hexagram 45: Gathering Together

Obstruction
Water / Mountain
Gathering Together
Lake / Earth
Changing LinesStable Lines

Changing Lines

This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 3, 4).

Line 3

九三 往蹇來反。

wǎng(if
jiǎn(is) impassable
lái(then) coming (back)
fǎnturning around

Nine in the third place means: Going leads to obstructions; Hence he comes back.

Line 4

六四 往蹇來連。

wǎng(if
jiǎn(is) impassable
lái(then) coming (back)
liánalliance(s)

Six in the fourth place means: Going leads to obstructions, Coming leads to union.

Trigram Changes

Upper TrigramWater LakeThe Deep → The Joyous
Lower TrigramMountain EarthKeeping Still → The Receptive

Yilin Verse

司命下游,喜解我憂。皇母緩帶,嬰子笑喜。

The God of Destiny descends to visit, joyfully dissolving my worries. The imperial mother loosens her sash; the infant laughs with delight.

— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE

Commentary

Water on the mountain recedes as divine intervention brings relief. The Director of Fate descends from his celestial tour and joyfully resolves the speaker's worries. The Sovereign Mother loosens her sash — a gesture of ease and intimacy — and the infant laughs with delight. Si Ming, the celestial official who governs lifespan and fortune, appears here as a benevolent arbiter who personally undoes the knot of affliction. The loosened sash and the baby's laughter signal that the crisis has passed at its most fundamental level — the maternal bond is restored. From Obstruction to Gathering, the lake rests upon the earth as people naturally congregate. The divine visit gathers what was scattered: worry dissolves, the mother relaxes, the child rejoices, and the household reconstitutes around joy.

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