井 → 既濟
Hexagram 48: The Well → Hexagram 63: After Completion
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 1, 2).
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.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
望風入門，來到我鄰，餔吾養均。
Catching the wind, he enters the gate; arriving among my neighbors. He feeds at our table and shares our nourishment equally.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water drawn up through wood, the well welcomes those who arrive. Drawn by reputation, they enter the gate, come to our neighborhood, and share in our nourishment equally. The verse describes the magnetic pull of a well-maintained community: people come of their own accord because the well's sustenance is known. No coercion, no invitation — just the quiet drawing power of reliable provision. From The Well to After Completion, water rests above fire in perfect balance. The well's open hospitality achieves Jiji's ideal: every element in its proper place, guest and host nourished alike, the fire warming the water that sustains them both. Completion is not the end but the moment when all parts align.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store