Hexagram 55: Abundance → Hexagram 12: Standstill

Abundance
Thunder / Fire
Standstill
Heaven / Earth
Changing LinesStable Lines

Changing Lines

This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 3, 5, 6).

Line 1

初九 遇其配主。雖旬无咎。往有尚。

meet with
one's own
pèiequal
zhǔand
suīeven if
xúnten days
no
jiùblame
wǎngto go ahead
yǒuis
shàngworth

Nine at the beginning means: When a man meets his destined ruler, They can be together ten days, And it is not a mistake. Going meets with recognition.

Line 3

九三 豐其沛。日中見沬。折其右肱。无咎。

fēngso abundant
are one's
pèiflowing banners
the day
zhōngat mid-
jiànone may see
mèistardust
zhéand also break
one's own
yòuright
gōngupper arm
but no
jiùblame

Nine in the third place means: The underbrush is of such abundance That the small stars can be seen at noon. He breaks his right arm. No blame.

Line 5

六五 來章。有慶譽吉。

láicoming
zhāngan
yǒuthere are
qìngreward
and praise
promising

Six in the fifth place means: Lines are coming, Blessing and fame draw near. Good fortune.

Line 6

上六 豐其屋。蔀其家。闚其戶。闃其无人。三歲不覿。凶。

fēngso
are
chambers
screen
one's own
jiāfamily
kuīpeering
one's own
door
abandoned
in
having no
rénthe others
sānand
suìyears
not
覿seen face to face
xiōngunfortunate

Six at the top means: His house is in a state of abundance. He screens off his family. He peers through the gate And no longer perceives anyone. For three years he sees nothing. Misfortune.

Trigram Changes

Upper TrigramThunder HeavenThe Arousing → The Creative
Lower TrigramFire EarthThe Clinging → The Receptive

Yilin Verse

蜲虵九子,長尾不殆。均明光澤,燕自受福。

The serpent Weiyi has nine young; their long tails bring no harm. Evenly bright and lustrous, the swallow of itself receives blessing.

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

Commentary

Thunder and fire converge in Abundance, and a marvelous serpent appears. The winding snake (蜲虵) has nine offspring, each with a long tail, unharmed. Their scales gleam evenly with lustrous sheen, and the state of Yan receives blessing. The serpent with nine young suggests a prolific lineage flourishing under protection. The long tails signify vitality rather than vulnerability — unlike the 'tail too large to wag' warning, here the tails flow freely. The blessing falling upon Yan may allude to a northern state prospering through natural increase. From Abundance to Standstill, heaven and earth cease their exchange: paradoxically, the serpent's self-contained prosperity thrives precisely because it does not depend on external communion, embodying Standstill's counsel to preserve inner virtue during withdrawal.

The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store

Related Pages