中孚 → 觀
Hexagram 61: Inner Truth → Hexagram 20: Contemplation
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 1, 2).
Line 1
初九 虞吉。有他不燕。
Nine at the beginning means: Being prepared brings good fortune. If there are secret designs, it is disquieting.
Line 2
九二 鳴鶴在陰。其子和之。我有好爵。吾與爾靡之。
Nine in the second place means: A crane calling in the shade. Its young answers it. I have a good goblet. I will share it with you.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
鳳生七子，同巢共乳，歡悅相保。
The phoenix bears seven young; sharing one nest and one breast. In joy they protect each other.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Wind stirs above the lake, and a phoenix raises seven young in a single nest, sharing nourishment and guarding one another in joy. The phoenix (鳳) is the supreme auspicious bird, and seven chicks thriving together represents ideal familial harmony — abundant progeny raised in mutual care. From Inner Truth to Contemplation, sincerity at the center yields to wind moving across the earth, the image of a ruler surveying his realm. The phoenix nest becomes a model of governance through observation: the parent bird does not command but watches over, and the young thrive not through discipline but through shared warmth. Contemplation at its finest is this gentle vigilance — trust made visible.
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