中孚 → 漸
Hexagram 61: Inner Truth → Hexagram 53: Development
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3).
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.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
三人俱行，北求大䍧。長孟病足，請季負囊。柳下之貞，不失我糧。
Three travel together; going north seeking great goats. The eldest has an injured foot; asking the youngest to carry the bags. The uprightness of Liu Xia; does not lose our provisions.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Wind stirs above the lake as three companions travel north seeking provisions. The eldest, Meng, falls lame, and the youngest, Ji, is asked to carry the baggage. Through Liuxia's integrity, the provisions are preserved. The three travelers may represent brothers or colleagues on a joint venture. 'Liuxia's constancy' (柳下之貞) invokes Liuxia Hui, the paragon of upright conduct who famously held a woman in his lap through a cold night without impropriety. His name here stands for moral steadfastness that protects shared resources from being squandered. From Inner Truth to Development, sincerity meets wind above the mountain — the tree growing gradually on the summit. Progress comes not from speed but from steady, principled advance, each companion bearing their share of the burden.
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