困 → 噬嗑
Hexagram 47: Oppression → Hexagram 21: Biting Through
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 5, 6).
Line 1
初六 臀困于株木。入于幽谷。三歲不覿。
Six at the beginning means: One sits oppressed under a bare tree And strays into a gloomy valley. For three years one sees nothing.
Line 2
九二 困于酒食。朱紱方來。利用享祀。征凶无咎。
Nine in the second place means: One is oppressed while at meat and drink. The man with the scarlet knee bands is just coming. It furthers one to offer sacrifice. To set forth brings misfortune. No blame.
Line 5
九五 劓刖。困于赤紱。乃徐有說。利用祭祀。
Nine in the fifth place means: His nose and feet are cut off. Oppression at the hands of the man with the purple knee bands. Joy comes softly. It furthers one to make offerings and libations.
Line 6
上六 困于葛藟。于臲卼。曰動悔有悔。征吉。
Six at the top means: He is oppressed by creeping vines. He moves uncertainly and says, "Movement brings remorse. " If one feels remorse over this and makes a start, Good fortune comes.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
東行失旅，不知所處。西歸无妃，莫與笑語。
Traveling east, one loses one's companions and knows not where to stay. Returning west, there is no mate; none to share laughter or speech.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
A lake without water, and a traveler heading east loses his companions, not knowing where he is. Turning west to return, he finds no wife, no one to share laughter or conversation. The verse captures double isolation: lost abroad, abandoned at home. The journey yields nothing, the return is equally empty. From Oppression to Biting Through, fire and thunder combine in the image of decisive judgment. The ancient kings used this to clarify punishments and correct the law. The wanderer's lostness calls for a sharp, clarifying bite, something to cut through the confusion and restore direction. Without that decisive act, the cycle of departure and empty return repeats endlessly, oppression feeding on its own inertia.
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