井 → 損
Hexagram 48: The Well → Hexagram 41: Decrease
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 3, 5, 6).
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 3
九三 井渫不食。為我心惻。可用汲。王明。並受其福。
Nine in the third place means: The well is cleaned, but no one drinks from it. This is my heart's sorrow, For one might draw from it. If the king were clear-minded, Good fortune might be enjoyed in common.
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.
Line 6
上六 井收勿幕。有孚元吉。
Six at the top means: One draws from the well Without hindrance. It is dependable. Supreme good fortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
鄭會細柳，國亂失頃。弘明早見，止樂不聽。
The assembly at Zheng by the slender willows; the state falls to ruin, losing its domains. Hongming perceived it early; he ceased the revels and would not listen.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water drawn up through wood, the well requires disciplined stewardship. Zheng gathered at Xiliu, the state fell into disorder and lost its balance. But the wise Hongming perceived the danger early and stopped the music, refusing to listen further. The 'meeting at Xiliu' and the ensuing disorder may allude to a political gathering where entertainment masked decadence, and a perceptive minister recognized the rot beneath the revelry. From The Well to Decrease, the mountain rises above the lake, restraining desire. The well's resources, squandered in festivities, demand the discipline of Sun: cutting back excess before it becomes ruinous. The wise man who stops the music embodies Decrease's principle of voluntary reduction.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store