解 → 小過
Hexagram 40: Deliverance → Hexagram 62: Small Exceeding
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 2, 3).
Line 2
九二 田獲三狐。得黃矢。貞吉。
Nine in the second place means: One kills three foxes in the field And receives a yellow arrow. Perseverance brings good fortune.
Line 3
六三 負且乘。致寇至。貞吝。
Six in the third place means: If a man carries a burden on his back And nonetheless rides in a carriage, He thereby encourages robbers to draw near. Perseverance leads to humiliation.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
丹書之信，言不負語。易我驎驥，君子有德。
The cinnabar letter pledges faith; its words do not betray the promise. Exchanged for my fine qilin steed, the noble man possesses virtue.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder over water exceeds slightly into thunder above the mountain — the careful modesty of Small Exceeding. The trust of a vermilion letter: words never betray their promise. In exchange for my fine steeds, the gentleman demonstrates his virtue. The 'cinnabar letter' (danshu) refers to a pledge written in red, the most solemn form of covenant in ancient China — later formalized as the 'iron credential' guaranteeing protection. The exchange of noble horses for trustworthy alliance embodies honorable dealing. From Deliverance to Small Exceeding, the freed person acts with slightly more than expected — exceeding in courtesy, exceeding in faithfulness. The mountain below absorbs the thunder above: great power expressed in small, precise gestures of integrity.
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