節 → 革
Hexagram 60: Limitation → Hexagram 49: Revolution
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 2, 3, 4).
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 4
六四 安節亨。
Six in the fourth place means: Contented limitation. Success.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
諷德誦功,周美盛隆。惠旦輔成,光濟沖人。
Reciting virtue, chanting achievements; Zhou's glory is abundant and grand. The Duke of Zhou assisted completion; brilliance extends to the young ruler.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water over lake preserves the measure of an age, and this verse hymns the greatest such measure in Zhou history. Praising virtue and chanting merit, extolling the Zhou's magnificent prosperity — these are the songs that celebrate the dynasty at its height. 'Hui Dan' is the Duke of Zhou (Ji Dan), who assisted King Cheng as regent, guiding the young heir to fulfill his role as 'the immature one' (chong ren). The Duke of Zhou's regency represents the supreme model of limitation in service of continuity: restraining his own power to nurture the legitimate heir's growth. From Limitation to Revolution, the transformation adds a paradox — the lake's fire transforms what it touches. The very restraint that preserved the Zhou order also contained within it the seed of necessary change: institutions must periodically be renewed to remain vital.
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