鼎 → 謙
Hexagram 50: The Cauldron → Hexagram 15: Modesty
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 2, 4, 6).
Line 2
九二 鼎有實。我仇有疾。不我能即。吉。
Nine in the second place means: There is food in the ting. My comrades are envious, But they cannot harm me. Good fortune.
Line 4
九四 鼎折足。覆公餗。其形渥。凶。
Nine in the fourth place means: The legs of the ting are broken. The prince's meal is spilled And his person is soiled. Misfortune. A man has a difficult and responsible task to which he is not adequate. Moreover, he does not devote himself to it with all his strength but goes about with inferior people; therefore the execution of the work fails. In this way he also incurs personal opprobrium. Confucius says about this line: "Weak character coupled with honored place, meager knowledge with large plans, limited powers with heavy responsibility, will seldom escape disaster. "
Line 6
上九 鼎玉鉉。大吉。无不利。
Nine at the top means: The ting has rings of jade. Great good fortune. Nothing that would not act to further.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
大頭明目，載受喜福。三雀飛來，與祿相得。
A great head and bright eyes, receiving joy and blessings. Three magpies fly in, bringing fortune together.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Fire over wind fills the cauldron; a mountain hidden within the earth embodies Modesty. A figure with a large head and bright eyes receives blessings of joy and good fortune. Three magpies fly in, bringing prosperity with them. In folk tradition, magpies are harbingers of good news — their arrival in threes amplifies the auspice. The 'large head and bright eyes' suggest someone of striking, perhaps unusual appearance who nonetheless attracts heaven's favor. From The Cauldron to Modesty, the transformation reveals that fortune flows toward the unassuming. The mountain concealed beneath the earth does not flaunt its height; the cauldron's nourishment reaches the humble. Three magpies do not seek palaces — they find whoever is open to receive them.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store