益 → 履
Hexagram 42: Increase → Hexagram 10: Treading
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 2, 4).
Line 2
六二 或益之十朋之龜。弗克違。永貞吉。王用享于帝吉。
Six in the second place means: Someone does indeed increase him; Ten pairs of tortoises cannot oppose it. Constant perseverance brings good fortune. The king presents him before God. Good fortune.
Line 4
六四 中行。告公從。利用為依遷國。
Six in the fourth place means: If you walk in the middle And report the prince, He will follow. It furthers one to be used In the removal of the capital.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
平國不君，夏氏作亂。烏號竊發，靈公隕命。
The state of Ping lacks a true lord; the Xia clan stirs rebellion. The dark bow fires in secret; Duke Ling meets his end.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Wind and thunder bestow increase, but the transformation leads to heaven above the lake — the perilous propriety of Treading. The state lacks a true ruler; the Xia clan rises in rebellion. The Wuhao bow is secretly fired, and Duke Ling loses his life. This alludes to the assassination of Duke Ling of Chen in 599 BC. According to the Zuo Zhuan, Duke Ling conducted a scandalous affair with Lady Xia alongside ministers Kong Ning and Yi Xingfu. The duke's humiliation of Xia Zhengshu, Lady Xia's son, provoked the young man to ambush and shoot him. The Wuhao was a legendary bow of great power. From Increase to Treading, the verse warns that when one treads upon the tail of the tiger without propriety, even sovereign power cannot prevent destruction. The ruler who violates decorum invites the very violence he should govern.
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