Hexagram 55: Abundance → Hexagram 46: Pushing Upward

Abundance
Thunder / Fire
Pushing Upward
Earth / Wind
Changing LinesStable Lines

Changing Lines

This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 4).

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 2

六二 豐其蔀。日中見斗。往得疑疾。有孚發若。吉。

fēngso abundant
are one's
woven screens
the day
zhōngat mid-
jiànone may see
dǒuthe bushel constellation
wǎnggoing ahead
finds
doubt
and anxiety
yǒuto be
true
and manifest
ruòthis
is promising

Six in the second place means: The curtain is of such fullness That the polestars can be seen at noon. Through going one meets with mistrust and hate. If one rouses him through truth, Good fortune comes.

Line 4

九四 豐其蔀。日中見斗。遇其夷主。吉。

fēngso abundant
are one's
woven screens
the day
zhōngat mid-
jiànone may see
dǒuthe bushel constellation
or meet
that
hidden
zhǔmaster
promising

Nine in the fourth place means: The curtain is of such fullness That the polestars can be seen at noon. He meets his ruler, who is of like kind. Good fortune.

Trigram Changes

Upper TrigramThunder EarthThe Arousing → The Receptive
Lower TrigramFire WindThe Clinging → The Gentle

Yilin Verse

羊腸九縈,相推稍前。止須王孫,乃能上天。

Layer upon layer of cliff and ridge, a thousand stone steps. Hands grip vines; one step, one rest. The clouds part to reveal the summit — a temple stands above.

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

Commentary

Thunder and fire join in Abundance, and the original verse describes a winding, arduous ascent. 'The road coils like a sheep's intestine, pushing forward inch by inch; one must wait for the noble patron before ascending to heaven.' The sheep-gut path (羊腸) is a classical image of a treacherous mountain road so narrow that progress is agonizingly slow. The key insight: one cannot make this climb alone. A patron or supporter (王孫) is needed to complete the ascent. From Abundance to Pushing Upward, wood grows within the earth: the transformation captures the verse's message perfectly. Upward advance is not a sprint but a slow, organic rise from below, accumulating small gains until the summit emerges from the clouds.

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