夬 → 晉
Hexagram 43: Breakthrough → Hexagram 35: Progress
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 5 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3, 5, 6).
Line 1
初九 壯于前趾。往不勝為咎。
Nine at the beginning means: Mighty in the forward-striding toes. When one goes and is not equal to the task, One makes a mistake.
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 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.
Line 6
上六 无號。終有凶。
Six at the top means: No cry. In the end misfortune comes.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
執轡西朝，回還故處。麥秀傷心，叔父无憂。
Gripping the reins, facing west toward court; returning to the old place. The ripening wheat stirs heartache; yet the uncle has no worry.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Lake risen above heaven emerges as fire breaking above the earth. Holding the reins, one makes a western pilgrimage to court, then turns back to the old homeland. 'The millet grows luxuriantly' — this is the Maixiu song of Viscount Ji, who passed through the ruins of the Shang capital and wept to see its palaces overgrown with grain. His lament for a lost dynasty's grandeur is one of the most famous elegies in Chinese tradition. Yet the verse adds: 'Uncle has no worries.' Someone — perhaps the Viscount of Wei, who accepted Zhou's patronage — finds peace rather than grief. From Breakthrough to Progress, the fire rises above the earth at dawn. The verse suggests that true advancement requires releasing attachment to what has fallen, letting the morning light illuminate the path forward rather than the ruins behind.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store