小過

Hexagram 62: Small Exceeding → Hexagram 38: Opposition

小過
Small Exceeding
Thunder / Mountain
Opposition
Fire / Lake
Changing LinesStable Lines

Changing Lines

This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3, 6).

Line 1

初六 飛鳥以凶。

fēiflies
niǎobird
is on the way to
xiōngadversity

Six at the beginning means: The bird meets with misfortune through flying.

Line 2

六二 過其祖。遇其妣。不及其君。遇其臣。无咎。

guòbypassing
one's own
ancestor
to meet with
one's own
grandmother
not
to reach
one's own
jūnleader
but meeting with
that
chénminister
no
jiùblame

Six in the second place means: She passes by her ancestor And meets her ancestress. He does not reach his prince And meets the official. No blame.

Line 3

九三 弗過防之。從或戕之。凶。

it
guògo beyond
fángto defend
zhīoneself
cóngfrom behind
huòsomebody
qiāngassault
zhīthis one
xiōngunfortunate

Nine in the third place means: If one is not extremely careful, Somebody may come up from behind and strike him. Misfortune.

Line 6

上六 弗遇過之。飛鳥離之。凶。是謂災眚。

without
greeting
guòin
zhīthem
fēiflying
niǎobirds
abandon
zhīthis
xiōngill-omened
shìtrue
wèisignalling
zāiof calamity
shěngand harm

Six at the top means: He passes him by, not meeting him. The flying bird leaves him. Misfortune. This means bad luck and injury.

Trigram Changes

Upper TrigramThunder FireThe Arousing → The Clinging
Lower TrigramMountain LakeKeeping Still → The Joyous

Yilin Verse

倉庾多億,宋公危殆。吳子巢門,殞命失所。

Granaries hold countless millions; the Duke of Song is imperiled; the son of Wu at the Nest Gate loses his life and his place.

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

Commentary

Thunder rumbles above the mountain, and granaries overflow with billions in store — yet the Duke of Song faces mortal peril. Wu Zixu stands at the Chao Gate, and the ruler loses his life and his domain. The verse juxtaposes abundance with catastrophe: material wealth cannot prevent political disaster. The Duke of Song (宋公) in peril may allude to any of several Song rulers who met violent ends despite their state's prosperity. Wu Zixu's presence at the Chao Gate invokes his role in the Wu-Chu conflict, when he brought an army to the gates of Ying. From Small Exceeding to Opposition, the mountain's thunder transforms into fire above the lake — two forces that look at each other but move apart. Wealth and security, seemingly paired, prove irreconcilable.

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