困 → 賁
Hexagram 47: Oppression → Hexagram 22: Grace
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 6 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 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 3
六三 困于石。據于蒺蔾。入于其宮。不見其妻。凶。
Six in the third place means: A man permits himself to be oppressed by stone, And leans on thorns and thistles. He enters the house and does not see his wife. Misfortune.
Line 4
九四 來徐徐。困于金車。吝。有終。
Nine in the fourth place means: He comes very quietly, oppressed in a golden carriage. Humiliation, but the end is reached.
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
玩好亂目,巧聲迷耳。賊敗貞良,君受其咎。
Dazzling playthings confuse the eyes; cunning sounds beguile the ears. They corrupt and ruin the loyal and true; the lord bears the blame.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
A lake without water, and playthings dazzle the eyes while clever sounds bewitch the ears. These seductions ruin the upright and loyal, bringing blame upon the ruler. The verse diagnoses a specific pathology: a sovereign mesmerized by ornamental pleasures while his honest ministers are destroyed by slanderers who exploit the distraction. The pattern recurs throughout Chinese political history, from Shang Zhou's Wine Pool to the singing girls of Qi. From Oppression to Grace, fire glows beneath the mountain, illuminating surface beauty. Grace adorns but must not dominate substance. The gentleman uses this light to clarify governance, never daring to decide legal cases by surface appearance alone. When decoration usurps judgment, grace becomes a trap.
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