中孚 → 蹇
Hexagram 61: Inner Truth → Hexagram 39: Obstruction
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3, 6).
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.
Line 3
六三 得敵。或鼓或罷。或泣或歌。
Six in the third place means: He finds a comrade. Now he beats the drum, now he stops. Now he sobs, now he sings.
Line 6
上九 翰音登于天。貞凶。
Nine at the top means: Cockcrow penetrating to heaven. Perseverance brings misfortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
歡欣九子,俱見大喜。攜提福善,王孫是富。
Rejoicing in nine children; all witness great happiness. Carrying blessings and virtue; the king's descendants grow wealthy.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Wind stirs above the lake as nine children rejoice together in great delight. They carry blessings and goodness with them; the prince's descendants are wealthy. The verse is pure celebration: a large family united in happiness, prosperity flowing through the generations. The 'nine children' (九子) may allude to the ideal of numerous sons ensuring a lineage's continuity and strength. From Inner Truth to Obstruction, sincerity meets water upon the mountain — danger encountered on the high path. Yet the verse reads against the hexagram's difficulty: precisely because the family's inner trust is strong, the obstacles of Obstruction are navigated rather than feared. Wealth here is not gold but the accumulated goodwill of a clan whose bonds hold firm under pressure.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store