小畜 → 小過
Hexagram 9: Small Taming → Hexagram 62: Small Exceeding
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 2, 3, 5).
Line 2
九二 牽復。吉。
Nine in the second place means: He allows himself to be drawn into returning. Good fortune.
Line 3
九三 輿說輻。夫妻反目。
Nine in the third place means: The spokes burst out of the wagon wheels. Man and wife roll their eyes.
Line 5
九五 有孚攣如。富以其鄰。
Nine in the fifth place means: If you are sincere and loyally attached, You are rich in your neighbor.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
關雎淑女,配我君子;少妻在門,君子嘉喜。
The osprey cries for a virtuous maiden, a fit match for my lord. The young wife stands at the gate; the noble man rejoices.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Wind above heaven meets thunder resting above the mountain — Small Exceeding's modest overstepping. The verse quotes the Shijing's opening ode 'Guan Ju': ospreys cry on the river islet, and the gentle maiden is a worthy match for the gentleman. A young bride stands at the gate; the gentleman rejoices. From Small Taming to Small Exceeding, the verse finds in Xiao Guo's cautious overreach the courage to make a match. The poem's restraint is the key: this is not Great Exceeding's structural strain but a small, appropriate step beyond propriety's usual boundaries — the heart's quiet boldness in declaring its intent. The osprey's cry announces that even modest initiative, rightly timed, brings the match that fulfills both partners.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store