夬 → 鼎
Hexagram 43: Breakthrough → Hexagram 50: The Cauldron
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 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 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
心无所據，射鹿不得。多言少實，語成无事。
The heart has nothing to grasp; shooting at the deer, one misses. Many words, little substance; the talk amounts to nothing.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Lake risen above heaven settles into the fire burning above the wind. The heart has nothing to anchor it; shooting at a deer, one misses. Many words but little substance — speech accomplishes nothing. The archer fails because his mind has no fixed point of reference; the talker fails because his words have no weight. Both represent action without foundation. From Breakthrough to the Cauldron, the decisive cut should lead to the transformation of raw materials into civilized nourishment — the cauldron's proper function. But the verse shows the cauldron empty: no substance goes in, so nothing nourishing comes out. The Cauldron requires genuine ingredients — fire applied to real material. Words without deeds and aim without composure produce only the hollow sound of the bolt hitting nothing.
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