巽 → 復
Hexagram 57: The Gentle Wind → Hexagram 24: Return
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 5 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3, 5, 6).
Line 1
初六 進退。利武人之貞。
Six at the beginning means: In advancing and in retreating, The perseverance of a warrior furthers.
Line 2
九二 巽在牀下。用史巫。紛若。吉。无咎。
Nine in the second place means: Penetration under the bed. Priests and magicians are used in great number. Good fortune. No blame.
Line 3
九三 頻巽吝。
Nine in the third place means: Repeated penetration. Humiliation.
Line 5
九五 貞吉悔亡。无不利。无初有終。先庚三日。後庚三日。吉。
Nine in the fifth place means: Perseverance brings good fortune. Remorse vanishes. Nothing that does not further. No beginning, but an end. Before the change, three days. After the change, three days. Good fortune.
Line 6
上九 巽在牀下。喪其資斧。貞凶。
Nine at the top means: Penetration under the bed. He loses his property and his ax. Perseverance brings misfortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
車馳人趨，卷甲相求。齊魯寇戎，敗於大丘。
Chariots thunder, men rush; rolling up armor in pursuit. The forces of Qi and Lu; defeated at the Great Mound.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Wind upon wind transforms into earth over thunder: the Gentle becomes Return. Chariots race and men rush forward, rolling up armor as they pursue one another. The forces of Qi and Lu clash with invaders, defeated at the great mound. The verse describes a military debacle: armies mobilized in haste, armor bundled for speed rather than protection, and a disastrous rout at a prominent landmark. From The Gentle to Return, thunder stirs within the earth — the ancient kings closed the passes at solstice to allow renewal. The defeat at the great mound is the nadir from which return must begin. Hasty pursuit led to collapse, but the pattern of Return promises that even from the lowest point, the cycle can restart if one allows stillness before the next advance.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store