艮 → 大壯
Hexagram 52: Keeping Still Mountain → Hexagram 34: Great Power
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 4, 6).
Line 1
初六 艮其趾。无咎。利永貞。
Six at the beginning means: Keeping his toes still. No blame. Continued perseverance furthers.
Line 2
六二 艮其腓。不拯其隨。其心不快。
Six in the second place means: Keeping his calves still. He cannot rescue him whom he follows. His heart is not glad.
Line 4
六四 艮其身。无咎。
Six in the fourth place means: Keeping his trunk still. No blame.
Line 6
上九 敦艮吉。
Nine at the top means: Noblehearted keeping still. Good fortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
魂微惙惙，屬纊聽絕。曠然大通，復更生活。
The soul flickers, faint and failing; placing silk floss to listen for the final breath. Then vast and open, all is clear again; life returns once more.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Twin mountains stand still at the threshold between life and death. The soul flickers faintly; silk floss is placed by the nose to detect the last breath. Then suddenly — vast openness, a great unblocking — life returns, renewed. The 'silk floss at the nose' (屬纊) is the ancient Chinese ritual for testing whether someone has truly died: a thread of silk held before the nostrils to detect breathing. From Keeping Still to Great Power, mountain yields to thunder roaring above heaven — explosive vitality. The transformation is dramatic: absolute stillness at the edge of extinction becomes thunderous resurgence. What seemed death was only the deepest possible gathering of force before its release. The mountain did not die; it was reloading.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store