旅 → 坎
Hexagram 56: The Wanderer → Hexagram 29: The Abysmal Water
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 5 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3, 5, 6).
Line 1
初六 旅瑣瑣。斯其所取災。
Six at the beginning means: If the wanderer busies himself with trivial things, He draws down misfortune upon himself.
Line 2
六二 旅即次。懷其資。得童僕貞。
Six in the second place means: The wanderer comes to an inn. He has his property with him. He wins the steadfastness of a young servant.
Line 3
九三 旅焚其次。喪其童僕。貞厲。
Nine in the third place means: The wanderer's inn burns down. He loses the steadfastness of his young servant. Danger.
Line 5
六五 射雉。一矢亡。終以譽命。
Six in the fifth place means: He shoots a pheasant. It drops with the first arrow. In the end this brings both praise and office.
Line 6
上九 鳥焚其巢。旅人先笑後號咷。喪牛于易。凶。
Nine at the top means: The bird's nest burns up. The wanderer laughs at first, Then must needs lament and weep. Through carelessness he loses his cow. Misfortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
迎福開戶，喜隨我後。曹伯愷悌，為宋國主。
Opening the door to welcome fortune; joy follows close behind. Lord Cao, kind and brotherly, became the ruler of Song.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Fire on the mountain, and the door opens to welcome arriving fortune. Joy follows close behind. The verse names 'Cao Bo' — a ruler of the state of Cao — who through fraternal virtue and harmonious conduct became lord of Song. The precise historical identification is debated, but the pattern is clear: a wanderer from one state, by virtue of his character, wins the trust and sovereignty of another. From The Wanderer to The Abysmal, water flows upon water, peril doubled. Yet the verse is entirely auspicious, suggesting that within danger lies opportunity. The one who opens his door to fortune navigates the abyss successfully — not by avoiding risk but by meeting it with generosity and warmth that disarms suspicion.
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