需 → 姤
Hexagram 5: Waiting → Hexagram 44: Coming to Meet
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 4, 6).
Line 1
初九 需于郊。利用恆。无咎。
Nine at the beginning means: Waiting in the meadow. It furthers one to abide in what endures. No blame.
Line 4
六四 需于血。出自穴。
Six in the fourth place means: Waiting in blood. Get out of the pit.
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
輕戰尚勇，不知兵權。為敵所制，從師北奔。
Recklessly fighting, esteeming bravery; not understanding the art of war. Outmaneuvered by the enemy; the army flees northward.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Clouds above heaven shift to wind beneath heaven in Coming to Meet — the unexpected encounter. One rushes into battle prizing only courage, ignorant of military strategy. Controlled by the enemy, the army flees northward with its commander. 'Not knowing the weights of warfare' (不知兵權) condemns the leader who mistakes bravery for generalship. The verse is a compact lesson in military failure: charging forward without understanding terrain, supply, or tactics guarantees defeat. From Waiting to Coming to Meet, the gentle wind beneath heaven encounters what it did not prepare for. Coming to Meet warns that what approaches may be dangerous — the bold commander meets the enemy's trap because he rushed toward what he should have cautiously assessed.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store