夬 → 損
Hexagram 43: Breakthrough → Hexagram 41: Decrease
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 3, 4, 5, 6).
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.
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
畏昏不行，候待旦明。燎獵受福，老賴其慶。
Fearing the dark, one does not travel; waiting instead for the brightness of dawn. The torchlit hunt bestows its blessings; the elder receives that fortune.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Lake risen above heaven yields to the mountain standing above the lake. Fearing the darkness, one does not travel but waits for the light of dawn. When the bonfire hunt succeeds, blessings are received, and the elder enjoys his fortune in old age. Prudence before action: the traveler refuses to move in darkness, accepting temporary constraint. When morning comes, the hunt succeeds, and patience is vindicated. From Breakthrough to Decrease, the decisive overflow of yang is tempered by voluntary reduction. The mountain above the lake restrains anger and curbs desire. The verse models this discipline: by sacrificing the impulse to act immediately and waiting for proper conditions, one ultimately gains more than haste would have delivered. Restraint is not passivity but strategic sacrifice.
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