漸 → 晉
Hexagram 53: Development → Hexagram 35: Progress
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 3, 4, 5).
Line 3
九三 鴻漸于陸。夫征不復。婦孕不育。凶。利禦寇。
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。
Six in the fourth place means: The wild goose goes gradually draws near the tree. Perhaps it will find a flat branch. No blame.
Line 5
九五 鴻漸于陵。婦三歲不孕。終莫之勝。吉。
Nine in the fifth place means: The wild goose gradually draws near the summit. For three years the woman has no child. In the end nothing can hinder her. Good fortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
驅羊南行，與禍相逢。狼驚我馬，虎盜我子，悲恨自咎。
Driving the flock south, meeting disaster on the road. The wolf startles my horse; the tiger steals my child. Grief and regret, self-reproach.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Wind over mountain gives way to fire emerging from earth: gradual development advances into the light of Progress, yet the verse tells a darker story. Driving sheep southward, one encounters disaster. Wolves startle the horses; a tiger seizes the child. Grief and self-blame follow. The southward journey should align with Progress's upward movement of light, but instead the traveler stumbles into a predator's territory. From Development to Progress, fire rises above the earth, the bright minister ascending toward the sovereign. Yet the verse subverts this: the gradual advance leads into ambush rather than advancement. Self-blame rather than fate governs the outcome. The verse warns that even progress has its wolves, and choosing the wrong path turns ascent into catastrophe.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store