比 → 中孚
Hexagram 8: Holding Together → Hexagram 61: Inner Truth
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 6).
Line 1
初六 有孚比之。无咎。有孚盈缶。終來有它吉。
Six at the beginning means: Hold to him in truth and loyalty; This is without blame. Truth, like a full earthen bowl: Thus in the end Good fortune comes from without.
Line 2
六二 比之自內。貞吉。
Six in the second place means: Hold to him inwardly. Perseverance brings good fortune.
Line 6
上六 比之无首。凶。
Six at the top means: He finds no head for holding together. Misfortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
春鴻飛東，以馬質金；利得十倍，重載歸鄉。
The spring swan flies east, trading horses for gold. Profit gained tenfold; heavy-laden, returning home.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water upon earth facilitates commerce across distances. In spring, wild geese fly east — the direction of sunrise and new enterprise. Horses are traded for gold, and the profit returns tenfold. The merchant loads his gains heavily and rides home to his village. The spring goose migration sets the timing; the eastward direction signals expansion. Trading horses for gold — exchanging living assets for concentrated wealth — is a bold mercantile gamble that pays handsomely. From Holding Together to Inner Truth, wind over lake penetrates to the heart of the matter. Zhongfu's sincerity is the merchant's credit: the trade succeeds because both parties trust the exchange. Alliance built on genuine good faith yields returns that far exceed the investment.
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