比 → 蹇
Hexagram 8: Holding Together → Hexagram 39: Obstruction
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 1 changing line (line 3).
Line 3
六三 比之匪人。
Six in the third place means: You hold together with the wrong people.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
長股喜走，趍步千里。王良嘉言，伯來在道。申見王母。
Long-legged and fond of running, striding a thousand li. Wang Liang speaks fine words; Bo arrives upon the road -- they are received by the Queen Mother.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water upon earth sets the traveler on a long road. Long-legged and eager to run, the figure covers a thousand li at a trot. Wang Liang offers wise counsel, and Bole arrives along the way — the legendary charioteer and the supreme judge of horses, each contributing mastery. At journey's end, the traveler meets the Queen Mother of the West. The verse layers three figures of extraordinary skill and transcendence: Wang Liang's driving, Bole's discernment, and the Queen Mother's immortality. From Holding Together to Obstruction, water atop mountain blocks the path. Yet the verse's confidence suggests that with the right allies — guides who see clearly and drive surely — even Jian's steep obstacles become a pilgrimage to the divine.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store