蹇 → 歸妹
Hexagram 39: Obstruction → Hexagram 54: The Marrying Maiden
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 5 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 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 4
六四 往蹇來連。
Six in the fourth place means: Going leads to obstructions, Coming leads to union.
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
路險道難，水遏我前。進往不利，回車復還。
The road is perilous and the way hard; water blocks my path ahead. Advancing brings no profit; he turns the cart and returns.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water on the mountain blocks the road with elemental finality. The path is steep and the way treacherous; water stands directly before the traveler, cutting off advance. Going forward brings no advantage — the only option is to turn the carriage around and head back. The verse is pure, distilled Obstruction: no historical allusion, no rescue, no clever escape. Just the mountain, the water, and the decision to turn around. From Obstruction to the Marrying Maiden, thunder above the lake represents a union entered rashly or under compulsion. The retreat from the flooded road mirrors the Marrying Maiden's warning: some advances are simply not meant to be pursued. The wisdom lies in recognizing this before disaster strikes, and the carriage that turns back is wiser than the one that plunges into the flood.
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