震 → 井
Hexagram 51: The Arousing Thunder → Hexagram 48: The Well
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 5 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5).
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.
Line 4
九四 震遂泥。
Nine in the fourth place means: Shock is mired.
Line 5
六五 震往來厲。意无喪有事。
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
Yilin Verse
蝃蝀充側，佞人所惑。女謁橫行，正道壅塞。
The rainbow fills every side; flattering men are beguiled by it. Women's petitions run rampant; the righteous way is blocked and sealed.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder doubled meets water over wind: shock channeled into The Well's deep sustenance — but here the well is poisoned. The rainbow looms to the side, its presence enthralling the unscrupulous. Women's influence runs unchecked, and the proper way is blocked and choked. The rainbow (蝃蝀) is a direct allusion to the Shijing ode from the Yong Winds, where the rainbow is an omen of yin-yang imbalance and sexual impropriety. 'Women's petitions running rampant' (女謁橫行) describes feminine influence — whether consorts or eunuch-allied factions — overriding legitimate governance. From The Arousing to The Well, whose function is to provide pure sustenance, the verse shows the water source contaminated at its root. When flattery replaces frank counsel, even the well's life-giving water turns toxic.
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