震 → 恆
Hexagram 51: The Arousing Thunder → Hexagram 32: Duration
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3).
Line 1
初九 震來虩虩。後笑言啞啞。吉。
Nine at the beginning means: Shock comes–oh, oh! Then follow laughing words–ha, ha! Good fortune.
Line 2
六二 震來厲。億喪貝。躋于九陵。勿逐。七日得。
Six in the second place means: Shock comes bringing danger. A hundred thousand times You lose your treasures And must climb the nine hills. Do not go in pursuit of them. After seven days you will get them back again.
Line 3
六三 震蘇蘇。震行无眚。
Six in the third place means: Shock comes and makes one distraught. If shock spurs to action One remains free of misfortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
老狼白獹，長尾大胡。前顛卻躓，无有利得。
The old wolf, white-muzzled, with long tail and great jowls. Stumbling ahead, tripping behind; no profit to be found.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder doubled meets thunder over wind: shock prolonged into duration, but here duration means persistent failure. An old wolf and a white hound, long tail and great jowls — stumbling forward and tripping backward, gaining nothing of profit. The image of the aged wolf recalls the Shijing ode 'Lang Ba' (狼跋): 'The wolf stumbles on its dewlap going forward, and trips on its tail going back.' It describes an official so encumbered by his own bulk that movement in any direction causes collapse. From The Arousing to Duration, thunder and wind reinforce each other in perpetual motion, but this perpetuity is a curse. The creature that endures only endures its own gracelessness, lurching eternally between forward fall and backward stumble.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store