需 → 損
Hexagram 5: Waiting → Hexagram 41: Decrease
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 3, 5, 6).
Line 3
九三 需于泥。致寇至。
Nine in the third place means: Waiting in the mud Brings about the arrival of the enemy.
Line 5
九五 需于酒食。貞吉。
Nine in the fifth place means: Waiting at meat and drink. Perseverance brings good fortune.
Line 6
上六 入于穴。有不速之客三人來。敬之終吉。
Six at the top means: One falls into the pit. Three uninvited guests arrive. Honor them, and in the end there will be good fortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
曳綸江海，釣挂魴鯉。王孫得利，以享仲友。
Casting the line into rivers and seas; hooking bream and carp. The prince gains profit, and shares the feast with his friends.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Clouds above heaven descend to the mountain above the lake — Decrease's image of the high enriching the low. Trailing fishing lines across rivers and seas, one hooks bream and carp. A noble scion profits from the catch and shares the feast with friends. The verse celebrates generous abundance flowing downward: the fisher's skill yields plenty, and the 'king's grandson' (王孫) redistributes it among companions. 'Zhongyou' (仲友) may refer to a close friend or the 'middle friend' in a fellowship. From Waiting to Decrease, nourishment is deliberately given away: what the mountain loses, the lake gains. The catch is not hoarded but shared — decrease for one becomes increase for all, the authentic logic of generosity.
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