蹇 → 節
Hexagram 39: Obstruction → Hexagram 60: Limitation
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3).
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.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
西國疆梁，為虎作狼。東吞楚齊，并有其王。
The western kingdom, strong as a bridge, becomes tigers and wolves. Eastward it devours Chu and Qi, annexing their kings.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water on the mountain frames the rise of a predatory western power. The western state builds up its borders and defenses, acting as tiger and wolf to its neighbors. Eastward it swallows Chu and Qi, annexing their rulers along with their territories. The imagery unmistakably evokes the state of Qin's relentless expansion during the Warring States period — the 'tiger-wolf state' (虎狼之國) that devoured the six eastern kingdoms. From Obstruction to Limitation, water sits above the lake as boundaries are drawn and measured. Limitation governs through imposed structure: quotas, borders, rules. The verse reveals Limitation's martial shadow — when one state imposes its limits on all others, 'limitation' becomes conquest. The western state does not simply defend its borders; it redraws them to include the entire world.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store