蹇 → 小過
Hexagram 39: Obstruction → Hexagram 62: Small Exceeding
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 3, 5, 6).
Line 1
初六 往蹇來譽。
Six at the beginning means: Going leads to obstructions, Coming meets with praise.
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.
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
六月睽睽，各欲有望。後來未壯，俟時旦明。
In the sixth month, eyes gaze wide; each has their own hopes. What comes later is not yet strong; they must wait for the moment of dawn.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water on the mountain holds everyone in anxious suspense. In the sixth month, all eyes strain watchfully — each person harbors hopes and expectations. Yet the time is not ripe: what comes next is still unformed, and one must wait for the dawn to brighten before acting. The verse counsels restraint during a period of collective anticipation: desires are present but premature, and forcing the issue will fail. From Obstruction to Small Exceeding, thunder rumbles above the mountain. Small Exceeding permits small matters to succeed while great ambitions must be deferred — 'the flying bird leaves its call: it is not fitting to ascend, only to descend.' The verse matches this exactly: the watchful sixth-month crowd must not overreach but content themselves with small, timely actions until the light fully arrives.
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