Upper Trigram
巽 Xùn
Wind — Gentle
Lower Trigram
兌 Duì
Lake — Joyous
Classical Texts
The Judgment
Pigs and fishes. Good fortune. It furthers one to cross the great water. Persistence furthers. Pigs and fishes are the least intelligent of all animals and therefore the most difficult to influence. The force of inner truth must grow great indeed before its influence can extend to such creatures. The whole secret of success depends on finding the right way of approach. First rid yourself of all prejudice and let the psyche of the other person act on you without restraint. Then you will establish contact, understand, and gain power. But this force is not identical with simple intimacy or a secret bond. Association on the basis of common interests holds only up to a certain point. Only when the bond is based on what is right, on steadfastness, will it remain so firm that it triumphs over everything.
The Lines
Line 1
Being prepared brings good fortune. If there are secret designs, it is disquieting. The force of inner truth depends chiefly on inner stability and preparedness. From this state of mind springs the correct attitude toward the outer world. But if you try to cultivate secret relationships of a special sort, it would deprive you of inner independence. The more reliance you place on the support of others, the more uneasy and anxious you become as to whether these secret ties are really tenable.
Line 2
A crane calling in the shade. Its young answers it. I have a good goblet. I will share it with you. This refers to the involuntary influence of inner being upon persons of kindred spirit. The crane need not show itself on a high hill—it may be quite hidden when it sounds its call, yet its young will hear its note and give answer. Whenever a feeling is voiced with truth and frankness, whenever a deed is the clear expression of sentiment, a mysterious and far-reaching influence is exerted. The root of all influence lies in one's own inner being.
Line 3
He finds a comrade. Now he beats the drum, now he stops. Now he sobs, now he sings. Here the source of strength lies not in yourself but in your relation to other people. No matter how close to them you may be, if your center of gravity depends on them, you are inevitably tossed to and fro between joy and sorrow. Rejoicing to high heaven, then sad unto death—this is the fate of those who depend upon an inner accord with other persons whom they love.
Line 4
The moon nearly at the full. The team horse goes astray. No blame. To intensify the power of inner truth, always turn to your superior, from whom you can receive enlightenment as the moon receives light from the sun. However, this requires a certain humility, like that of the moon when not yet quite full. Only by pursuing your course like a horse that goes straight ahead without looking sidewise at its mate can you retain the inner freedom that helps you onward.
Line 5
He possesses truth, which links together. No blame. This describes the ruler who holds all elements together by the power of their personality. Only when the strength of character is so ample that it can influence all who are subject to you, is the person as they need to be. The power of suggestion must emanate from the ruler. Without this central force, all external unity is only deception and breaks down at the decisive moment.
Line 6
Cockcrow penetrating to heaven. Persistence brings misfortune. The cock is dependable. It crows at dawn. But it cannot itself fly to heaven. It just crows. One may count on mere words to awaken faith. This may succeed now and then, but if persisted in, it will have bad consequences.
Yilin: Forest of Changes
From Jiao Yanshou's Forest of Changes (焦氏易林) — the verse for Hexagram 61 in its unchanging form. A Han dynasty collection of four-character verses interpreting every hexagram transformation.
烏鳥譆譆，天火將下。燔我屋室，災及妃后。
Crows crying out alarums; heaven's fire about to fall. Burning my house and chambers; disaster reaches the queen.
Read full commentary ↓
Wind stirs above the lake — and returns to itself. Crows caw their alarm; heavenly fire is about to descend. The house burns; the disaster reaches the queen herself. This is Inner Truth confronting its own mirror: the source hexagram and target are identical, meaning no transformation occurs. The crows (烏鳥) are traditional fire omens, and their cries announce catastrophe for the very center of the household. The 'heavenly fire' consuming the palace may echo the story of Lady Boji, who perished in the Song palace fire of 543 BC because she refused to leave without her chaperone — sincerity carried to fatal extreme. When inner truth doubles upon itself without transformation, conviction calcifies into destruction. The very virtue that defines this hexagram becomes its consummate danger.
中文注释
澤上有風，中孚歸於自身——源卦與之卦相同，無變化發生。烏鳥譆譆——鴉鳥驚鳴，為火災之凶兆。天火將下——天降大火。燔我屋室——焚毀居所。災及妃后——禍延至后妃。「天火」焚宮或即伯姬之事：前543年宋宮失火，伯姬以傅母不在而不肯出，守禮而死——中孚（誠信）之極端化為致命。中孚自疊而無變，信念凝固為毀滅。定義此卦之美德在無轉化時反成至危——此即中孚之暗面。
Related Hexagrams
Same upper trigram: Wind (巽)
Same lower trigram: Lake (兌)