井 → 明夷
Hexagram 48: The Well → Hexagram 36: Darkening of the Light
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 5).
Line 1
初六 井泥不食。舊井无禽。
Six at the beginning means: One does not drink the mud of the well. No animals come to an old well.
Line 2
九二 井谷射鮒。甕敝漏。
Nine in the second place means: At the wellhole one shoots fishes. The jug is broken and leaks.
Line 5
九五 井冽。寒泉食。
Nine in the fifth place means: In the well there is a clear, cold spring From which one can drink.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
藏戟之室，封豕受福。充澤肥腯，子孫蕃息。
In the chamber where halberds are stored, the great boar receives its blessing. Plump and fattened, richly fed; children and grandchildren multiply and flourish.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water drawn up through wood, the well nourishes in secret — and here weapons are stored in a chamber while a great boar receives blessing. Plump and fattened, its descendants multiply abundantly. The 'room where halberds are stored' (藏戟之室) suggests a household that has put away its weapons in favor of peaceful prosperity. The 'sealed boar' (封豕) fattened to overflowing represents the wealth that accumulates when warfare ceases. From The Well to Darkening of the Light, fire enters the earth, concealing its brilliance. The well's hidden nourishment aligns with Mingyi's strategy: storing weapons away, letting strength remain unseen, and allowing prosperity to grow quietly in the dark.
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