鼎 → 師
Hexagram 50: The Cauldron → Hexagram 7: The Army
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 3, 4, 6).
Line 3
九三 鼎耳革。其行塞。雉膏不食。方雨虧悔。終吉。
Nine in the third place means: The handle of the ting is altered. One is impeded in his way of life. The fat of the pheasant is not eaten. Once rain falls, remorse is spent. Good fortune comes in the end.
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
所望在外，鼎令方來。拭爵澡罍，炊食待之，不為季憂。
What is hoped for lies abroad; the lord of the cauldron is about to arrive. Wipe the goblets, wash the bronze vessels; cook food and await him. There is no cause to worry over the youngest.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Fire over wind fills the cauldron while earth conceals water beneath — the army musters in disciplined silence. What is hoped for lies beyond the gate, but the cauldron's decree is already on its way. Goblets are polished, wine vessels washed, food prepared — everything readied in patient anticipation, 'no worry for the youngest.' This is the portrait of a well-ordered household or command post receiving an honored guest or awaited order. The ritual vessels gleam; the feast stands ready. From The Cauldron to The Army, the transformation reveals disciplined hospitality as a form of strategic readiness. The cauldron's fire refines, and the earth-over-water structure of The Army channels that refined energy into organized response.
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