蹇 → 小畜
Hexagram 39: Obstruction → Hexagram 9: Small Taming
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 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 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
三孫六子，安无所苦。中歲發殆，亡我所使。
Three grandsons and six sons, peaceful and free from suffering. In middle age, peril arises; we lose our servants and means.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water on the mountain promises a family of abundance — three grandsons, six sons — living in comfort with nothing to trouble them. Yet at middle age catastrophe strikes: the household loses its laborers and servants, and the prosperity that seemed assured crumbles. The verse traces the full arc of domestic fortune, from effortless plenty to sudden deprivation. From Obstruction to Small Taming, wind rides above heaven, gently restraining the creative force. Small Taming succeeds through subtle accumulation, not grand reserves. The family that relied on large numbers and easy comfort had no practice in restraint; when the wind of circumstance shifted, their untamed abundance scattered. True security lies not in headcount but in the discipline of small, steady cultivation.
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