大畜

Hexagram 4: Youthful Folly → Hexagram 26: Great Taming

Youthful Folly
Mountain / Water
大畜
Great Taming
Mountain / Heaven
Changing LinesStable Lines

Changing Lines

This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 1, 3).

Line 1

初六 發蒙。利用刑人。用說桎梏。以往吝。

educating
méngthe inexperienced
worthwhile
yòngand useful
xíngto sanction
rénanother
yòngif used
shuōto remove
zhìshackles
handcuffs
but for this
wǎngto continue
lìndisgrace

Six at the beginning means: To make a fool develop It furthers one to apply discipline. The fetters should be removed. To go on in this way bring humiliation.

Line 3

六三 勿用取女。見金夫。不有躬。无攸利。

it is not at all
yònguseful
to pair
maiden
jiànwho sees
jīnof
gentleman
and does not
yǒuown
gōngher
this is no
yōudirection
with merit

Six in the third place means: Take not a maiden who, when she sees a man of bronze, Loses possession of herself. Nothing furthers.

Trigram Changes

Upper TrigramMountain Mountain
Lower TrigramWater HeavenThe Deep → The Creative

Yilin Verse

天厭周德,命與仁國。以禮靖民,兵革休息。

Heaven wearies of Zhou’s virtue and bestows the mandate upon a benevolent state. With ritual they pacify the people; weapons and armor are laid to rest.

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

Commentary

A spring beneath the mountain carries the weight of heaven's judgment on dynasties. Heaven grew weary of Zhou's virtue and transferred the mandate to a benevolent state. Through rites the people are pacified, and weapons of war fall silent. The verse evokes the ancient theory of the Mandate of Heaven: when one dynasty's moral capital is spent, heaven simply withdraws its favor and bestows it elsewhere. From Youthful Folly to Great Taming, the transformation is profound. Heaven stored within the mountain — the image of Great Taming — means accumulated wisdom preserved across generations. The new recipient of heaven's mandate does not conquer by arms but tames through ritual, storing strength in culture rather than spending it in battle.

The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store

Related Pages