Hexagram 53: Development → Hexagram 12: Standstill

Development
Wind / Mountain
Standstill
Heaven / Earth
Changing LinesStable Lines

Changing Lines

This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 3, 4).

Line 3

九三 鴻漸于陸。夫征不復。婦孕不育。凶。利禦寇。

hóngthe wild goose
jiànadvances
to
the plateau
the husband
zhēngon expedition
on but is
to return
the wife
yùnconceives
but does
give birth
xiōngunfortunate
it is worthwhile
oppose
kòupredator

Nine in the third place means: The wild goose gradually draws near the plateau. The man goes forth and does not return. The woman carries a child but does not bring it forth. Misfortune. It furthers one to fight off robbers.

Line 4

六四 鴻漸于木。或得其桷。无咎。

hóngthe wild goose
jiànadvances
to
the trees [on the mountain: ban xiang]
huòsomehow
to find
one
juéthe flat
no
jiùblame

Six in the fourth place means: The wild goose goes gradually draws near the tree. Perhaps it will find a flat branch. No blame.

Trigram Changes

Upper TrigramWind HeavenThe Gentle → The Creative
Lower TrigramMountain EarthKeeping Still → The Receptive

Yilin Verse

鴻飛循陸,公出不復,伯氏客宿。

Autumn waters stretch to the sky; a lone sail fades into distance. Someone waves from the shore — the boat does not turn back.

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

Commentary

Wind over mountain gives way to heaven over earth standing apart: gradual development reaches an impasse of non-communication. The original verse reads: 'The wild goose follows the land in flight; the lord departs and does not return. The elder brother lodges as a stranger.' A journey begun gradually reaches a point of no return. The goose, hexagram 53's signature bird, here traces a one-way path. From Development to Standstill, the communion that gradual growth promised collapses into severance. Heaven and earth no longer exchange their energies. The lord who leaves does not look back; the elder brother becomes a permanent guest in someone else's house. Gradual departure, unchecked, becomes permanent estrangement.

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