比 → 坤
Hexagram 8: Holding Together → Hexagram 2: The Receptive
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 1 changing line (line 5).
Line 5
九五 顯比。王用三驅。失前禽。邑人不誡。吉。
Nine in the fifth place means: Manifestation of holding together. In the hunt the king uses beaters on three sides only And forgoes game that runs off in front. The citizens need no warning. Good fortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
麟子鳳雛，生長家國。和氣所居，康樂無憂，邦多聖人。
Qilin young and phoenix chicks, born and raised in the homeland. Where harmonious qi dwells; peace and joy, no worry -- the state abounds with sages.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water upon earth gathers all streams into one: from this convergence, auspicious creatures are born. Qilin calves and phoenix chicks grow up within the household of the nation, nurtured by an atmosphere of harmony. Where benevolent energy dwells, there is health and joy without sorrow, and the realm abounds in sages. The qilin and phoenix appear only under sage governance — their presence here signals a golden age achieved through unity. From Holding Together to the Receptive, the transformation shows how alliance and mutual support create the vast, yielding ground of Kun: the double earth that bears all things without discrimination. Solidarity among the people becomes the fertile soil from which sages naturally emerge.
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