節 → 井
Hexagram 60: Limitation → Hexagram 48: The Well
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 1, 3).
Line 1
初九 不出戶庭。无咎。
Nine at the beginning means: Not going out of the door and the courtyard Is without blame.
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.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
宣髮龍叔，為王主國。安土成稷，天下蒙福。
White-haired Dragon Shu governs the kingdom for the king. Securing the land, establishing the grain; all under heaven receives blessing.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water over lake channels resources wisely, and this verse celebrates those who channeled a nation's destiny. Xuan and Long Shu — likely referring to legendary or early Zhou ministers who stabilized the realm and established its foundations — govern for the king, securing the land, building the altars of soil and grain, and blessing all under heaven. The verse is a paean to capable stewardship: ministers who serve as conduits between heaven's mandate and the people's welfare. From Limitation to the Well, the transformation perfects this imagery. Water rises through wood — the well that nourishes the community without moving, inexhaustible if properly maintained. Limitation's regulatory wisdom becomes the Well's constant provision: governance as an enduring source that feeds all who draw from it.
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