夬 → 萃
Hexagram 43: Breakthrough → Hexagram 45: Gathering Together
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3).
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.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
文母聖子，無疆壽考。為天下主，人受其福。
The wise mother, the sagely son; boundless longevity and long life. Ruling as sovereign of all under heaven; the people receive their blessings.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Lake risen above heaven gathers into the lake pooling upon the earth. A 'Cultured Mother' and a sagely son — boundless longevity and blessings. They become sovereign of all under heaven, and the people receive their bounty. The 'Cultured Mother' (wen mu) is traditionally identified as Tai Si, wife of King Wen and mother of King Wu, honored in the Shijing for her virtue in raising sons who would found the Zhou dynasty. From Breakthrough to Gathering, the decisive stroke evolves into the natural congregation of people around legitimate authority. The lake upon the earth draws everything to it — water seeks its level, and the people gather where virtue concentrates. A sagely mother's cultivation produces the sovereign whom all willingly follow.
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