豐 → 萃
Hexagram 55: Abundance → Hexagram 45: Gathering Together
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 3, 5).
Line 1
初九 遇其配主。雖旬无咎。往有尚。
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。
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。
Six in the fifth place means: Lines are coming, Blessing and fame draw near. Good fortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
鹿食山草，不思邑里，雖久无咎。
A deer eats mountain grass, giving no thought to the town. Though it lingers long, no harm comes.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder and fire illuminate Abundance, and a deer grazes quietly on mountain herbs, not thinking of the town or its enclosures. Though it stays long in the wild, no harm comes. The deer's contentment lies in its refusal to be drawn toward human settlements where traps and hunters await. By remaining in its natural habitat, feeding on what the mountain freely offers, it avoids all danger. From Abundance to Gathering, the lake upon the earth: the verse presents the counter-image of Gathering. While Gathering draws people to a center, the deer thrives by staying apart, finding sustenance in solitude. Sometimes the wisest response to abundance is not to gather more but to remain where one already has enough.
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