鼎 → 遯
Hexagram 50: The Cauldron → Hexagram 33: Retreat
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 2, 5).
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 5
六五 鼎黃耳金鉉。利貞。
Six in the fifth place means: The ting has yellow handles, golden carrying rings. Perseverance furthers.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
彭名為妖，暴龍作災。盜堯衣裳，聚跖荷兵。青禽照夜，三旦夷亡。
Peng Ming becomes a monster; the violent dragon brings disaster. Stealing Yao's robes, gathering Zhi's brigands in arms. The blue bird shines through the night; by the third dawn, the rebels are destroyed.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Fire over wind fills the cauldron; heaven above the mountain allows space for retreat. 'Peng Ming works mischief as a demon, the violent dragon brings disaster.' Someone steals Yao's ceremonial robes and assembles Robber Zhi's armed gang. A blue-green bird illuminates the night, and by the third dawn, the barbarians perish. The verse layers usurpation upon usurpation: demonic agents, dragon-catastrophes, stolen imperial vestments, and bandits masquerading as rulers. The 'blue bird shining at night' may signal a celestial omen that exposes the frauds. From The Cauldron to Retreat, the transformation demands withdrawal when evil wears virtue's clothing. Heaven above the mountain provides the high ground from which to observe pretenders — and the wisdom to withdraw before their violence consumes the righteous.
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