Hexagram 51: The Arousing Thunder → Hexagram 43: Breakthrough

The Arousing Thunder
Thunder / Thunder
Breakthrough
Lake / Heaven
Changing LinesStable Lines

Changing Lines

This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 2, 3, 5).

Line 2

六二 震來厲。億喪貝。躋于九陵。勿逐。七日得。

zhènthe thunder
láibrings (about)
difficulty
a hundred thousand
sànglost
bèibelongings
and climb
up
jiǔnine
línghill
do not
zhúpursue

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。

zhènthe thunder
awakens
and revives
zhènbe aroused
xíngto movement
and
shěngto distress

Six in the third place means: Shock comes and makes one distraught. If shock spurs to action One remains free of misfortune.

Line 5

六五 震往來厲。意无喪有事。

zhènthe thunder
wǎngin
láiand
is difficult
the meaning
is not
sànglost
yǒuhaving
shìwork to do

Six in the fifth place means: Shock goes hither and thither. Danger. However, nothing at all is lost. Yet there are things to be done.

Trigram Changes

Upper TrigramThunder LakeThe Arousing → The Joyous
Lower TrigramThunder HeavenThe Arousing → The Creative

Yilin Verse

三幸飛來,自我逢時。俱行先至,多得大利。

Three blessings fly hither; fortune comes to meet me in its season. Traveling together, arriving first; gaining great profit abundantly.

— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE

Commentary

Thunder doubled meets lake over heaven: shock decisive as Breakthrough. Three fortunes come flying in, and I meet my moment of opportunity. Traveling together yet arriving first, one gains great profit. The 'three fortunes' (三幸) descending like birds suggests luck arriving in multiples, converging at the perfect time. The one who moves decisively within the group reaches the goal ahead of all others. From The Arousing to Breakthrough, lake above heaven, the verse captures the moment when accumulated tension finally discharges. Breakthrough is the hexagram of decisive action — the lake's water breaking through the dam of heaven. Thunder's energy, channeled into this single moment of resolution, yields abundance. Fortune favors the one who acts when the moment breaks open.

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