中孚

Hexagram 61: Inner Truth → Hexagram 49: Revolution

中孚
Inner Truth
Wind / Lake
Revolution
Lake / Fire
Changing LinesStable Lines

Changing Lines

This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 2, 3, 4, 6).

Line 2

九二 鳴鶴在陰。其子和之。我有好爵。吾與爾靡之。

míngcall
crane
zàiremaining in
yīnshadows
her
young ones
respond
zhīher
I
yǒuhave
hǎofine
juédecanter
I
along with
ěryour
will drain
zhīit

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。

finding
counterpart
huòmaybe
to beat
huòor maybe
to quit
huòmaybe
to weep
huòor maybe
to sing

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 4

六四 月幾望。馬匹亡。无咎。

yuèmoon
almost
wàngfull
horse
of a pair
wángruns away
no
jiùblame

Six in the fourth place means: The moon nearly at the full. The team horse goes astray. No blame.

Line 6

上九 翰音登于天。貞凶。

hànrooster's
yīncrowing
dēngascend
up to
tiānheaven
zhēnpersistence
xiōngunfortunate

Nine at the top means: Cockcrow penetrating to heaven. Perseverance brings misfortune.

Trigram Changes

Upper TrigramWind LakeThe Gentle → The Joyous
Lower TrigramLake FireThe Joyous → The Clinging

Yilin Verse

五精亂行,政逆皇恩。湯武赫怒,共伐我域。

The five essences move in disorder; government defies heaven's grace. Tang and Wu in fierce anger; together assault my domain.

— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE

Commentary

Wind stirs above the lake, but the five planets wander out of their courses, and governance runs contrary to the sovereign's grace. Then Tang and Wu blaze with righteous fury and jointly invade the offender's domain. The 'five essences in disorder' (五精亂行) refers to the five visible planets — the cosmic counterparts of the five elements — straying from their proper paths, which in Han astrology portended dynastic doom. Tang overthrew the tyrant Jie; Wu overthrew the tyrant Zhou. From Inner Truth to Revolution, sincerity confronts fire within the lake — the image of irreconcilable elements demanding transformation. Revolution requires that inner truth first perceive the disorder clearly, then act with the moral authority that both Tang and Wu claimed when they ended corrupt dynasties.

The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store

Related Pages