節 → 明夷
Hexagram 60: Limitation → Hexagram 36: Darkening of the Light
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 2, 3, 5).
Line 2
九二 不出門庭。凶。
Nine in the second place means: Not going out of the gate and the courtyard Brings misfortune.
Line 3
六三 不節若。則嗟若。无咎。
Six in the third place means: He who knows no limitation Will have cause to lament. No blame.
Line 5
九五 甘節吉。往有尚。
Nine in the fifth place means: Sweet limitation brings good fortune. Going brings esteem.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
羽動角甘，雨續草木，茂年歲熟。
Feathered clouds stir, bringing sweet rain; moisture continues for grass and trees. Flourishing through the year, the harvest ripens.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water over lake regulates the season's flow, and this verse celebrates that regulation producing natural abundance. The 'yu' tone stirs and the 'jiao' note sweetens — an allusion to the pentatonic musical scale governing cosmic harmony, where each note corresponds to a season and an element. Rain continues and nourishes grass and trees; the year grows lush and the harvest ripens. The verse connects musical order to agricultural plenty: when the cosmic tones sound in proper sequence, the earth responds with fertility. From Limitation to Darkening of the Light, the transformation hides this abundance beneath the surface. Light enters the earth and operates in concealment. The fertility generated by Limitation's proper ordering continues working even when the light dims — nourishment sustained through obscured but still-active natural rhythms.
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