夬 → 復
Hexagram 43: Breakthrough → Hexagram 24: Return
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 2, 3, 4, 5).
Line 2
九二 惕號。莫夜有戎。勿恤。
Nine in the second place means: A cry of alarm. Arms at evening and at night. Fear nothing.
Line 3
九三 壯于頄。有凶。君子夬夬。獨行遇雨。若濡有慍。无咎。
Nine in the third place means: To be powerful in the cheekbones Brings misfortune. The superior man is firmly resolved. He walks alone and is caught in the rain. He is bespattered, And people murmur against him. No blame.
Line 4
九四 臀无膚。其行次且。牽羊悔亡。聞言不信。
Nine in the fourth place means: There is no skin on his thighs, And walking comes hard. If a man were to let himself be led like a sheep, Remorse would disappear. But if these words are heard They will not be believed.
Line 5
九五 莧陸夬夬。中行无咎。
Nine in the fifth place means: In dealing with weeds, Firm resolution is necessary. Walking in the middle Remains free of blame.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
姬姜既歡，二姓為婚。霜降合好，西施在前。
The Ji and Jiang clans are pleased; the two surnames join in marriage. When frost falls they unite in harmony; Xi Shi stands before them.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Lake risen above heaven descends into the first thunder stirring underground. The Ji and Jiang clans celebrate, two surnames joined in marriage. As frost descends the union is sealed, and Xi Shi herself stands before them. The Ji were the Zhou royal house; the Jiang, the ruling clan of Qi — their intermarriage was the great diplomatic bond of the Western Zhou. Xi Shi, the legendary beauty of Yue, here serves as the archetype of feminine perfection gracing the occasion. Frost Descent marks the autumn season when marriages were traditionally arranged. From Breakthrough to Return, the decisive act completes its cycle and the first yang line re-enters from below. The wedding is itself a return — two ancient houses renewing their bond as the creative force returns at the darkest hour.
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