未濟 → 大畜
Hexagram 64: Before Completion → Hexagram 26: Great Taming
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 3, 4).
Line 1
初六 濡其尾。吝。
Six at the beginning means: He gets his tail in the water. Humiliating.
Line 3
六三 未濟征凶。利涉大川。
Six in the third place means: Before completion, attack brings misfortune. It furthers one to cross the great water.
Line 4
九四 貞吉悔亡。震用伐鬼方。三年有賞于大國。
Nine in the fourth place means: Perseverance brings good fortune. Remorse disappears. Shock, thus to discipline the Devil's Country. For three years, great realms are awarded.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
火雖熾，在吾後。寇雖近，在吾右。身安吉，不危殆。
Though fire blazes, it lies behind me. Though raiders press close, they are at my right. Body at peace and blessed; not imperiled nor endangered.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Fire above water, yet the flames stay behind and the enemy stays to the right — both present but neither reaching their mark. The body remains safe, unendangered. The verse arranges threats spatially: fire at the rear, raiders on the flank, yet the speaker stands untouched at the center. This is not escape but positioning — the dangers exist but cannot converge. From Before Completion to Great Taming, fire-over-water transforms into heaven contained within the mountain. Great Taming is the hexagram of accumulated strength held in reserve, of the gentleman who studies the words and deeds of the ancients to build inner power. The verse embodies this stored stillness: surrounded by danger, unmoved. The mountain does not flee the heaven it contains; it simply holds.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store