第62卦
小過
Xiǎo Guò
Small Exceeding
上卦
艮 Gèn
Mountain — Stillness
下卦
震 Zhèn
Thunder — Arousing
经典文本
彖辞
亨。利貞。可小事。不可大事。飛鳥遺之音。不宜上宜下。大吉。
象辞
山上有雷，小過。君子以行過乎恭，喪過乎哀，用過乎儉。
爻辞
第初爻
初六 飛鳥以凶。
第二爻
六二 過其祖。遇其妣。不及其君。遇其臣。无咎。
第三爻
九三 弗過防之。從或戕之。凶。
第四爻
九四 无咎。弗過遇之。往厲必戒。勿用永貞。
第五爻
六五 密雲不雨。自我西郊。公弋取彼在穴。
第上爻
上六 弗遇過之。飛鳥離之。凶。是謂災眚。
At the Moulin Rouge
Toulouse-Lautrec, 1892
Preponderance of the Small
Harsh electric light floods the Moulin Rouge's interior, illuminating pale faces crowded around tables. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec painted this scene in 1892, documenting Paris nightlife's marginal figures—the cabaret dancer, the absinthe drinker, the ghostly woman in the foreground whose greenish face suggests illness or intoxication. These are not the grand subjects of history painting but the small dramas of entertainment districts, fleeting social moments in artificial light. The composition cuts figures at odd angles, capturing fragments rather than monumental wholes.
阅读完整论述 ↓
Toulouse-Lautrec embodies Xiao Guo (小過), Preponderance of the Small—Thunder above Mountain, Zhen over Gen. Movement restrained by stillness, arousing energy meeting immovable mass. The line structure shows strong yang at center with yin dominating outer positions, suggesting that small or yielding forces gain unusual prominence while great matters must wait. The character 小過 literally means "small exceeding," indicating minor concerns taking disproportionate attention. Not the emperor's court but the cabaret hall, not eternal truths but passing entertainments. Zhou Dynasty diviners saw this configuration when circumstances favored modesty over assertion, when marginal matters required careful tending, when the small became temporarily central. Toulouse-Lautrec captured Paris nightlife at the Moulin Rouge cabaret. Figures crowd around tables in the famous dance hall, illuminated by harsh electric light. Preponderance of the Small (Xiao Guo) concerns attending to minor matters—the painting documents fleeting social moments and marginal figures rather than grand historical events. The Judgment addresses Toulouse-Lautrec's subject matter: "Preponderance of the Small. Success. Perseverance furthers. Small things may be done; great things should not be done. The flying bird brings the message: It is not well to strive upward, it is well to remain below. Great good fortune." The cabaret is precisely this—earthward attention, small pleasures, moments that pass without historical weight. Ancient texts describe a bird that should not fly too high, focusing instead on immediate, practical concerns. In divination, Xiao Guo appeared when grand undertakings must yield to modest maintenance. The Image Text offers counsel the painter might recognize: "Thunder on the mountain: the image of Preponderance of the Small. Thus in his conduct the superior one gives preponderance to reverence. In bereavement he gives preponderance to grief. In his expenditures he gives preponderance to thrift." This is not a moment for transformation but for exceptional attention to minor courtesies, mundane details. In the I-Ching sequence, Xiao Guo follows Inner Truth—after sincere judgment comes acceptance that some periods favor small over great, the marginal over the monumental.
焦氏易林
焦延寿《易林》——第62卦本卦之辞。西汉时期以四言诗阐释卦变，为最早的系统性易学占辞集。
初雖驚惶，後反无傷，受其福慶。
山上有雷，小過復歸自身。
阅读完整注释 ↓
山上有雷，小過復歸自身。初雖驚惶——起初驚恐不安，雷動山搖之際難免恐懼。後反无傷——然而事後發現並無損傷。受其福慶——反而得到福澤慶祥。此為小過之本義以最純粹之形式呈現：稍逾其分之初始驚恐，繼而發現此過本為善意。雷驚而不擊，山搖而不崩。源卦與變卦相同，卦自言其道：小小之逾越，以謙卑處之，化罰為福。飛略高之鳥發現望更遠，鞠過深之人反得意外敬重。朝謹慎方向之過度，本身即為獎賞。
English commentary
Thunder rumbles above the mountain, returning to itself. At first there is alarm and fright, but afterward no harm comes — blessings and good fortune are received. The verse captures Small Exceeding's own nature in its purest form: the initial shock of exceeding one's proper bounds, followed by the discovery that the excess was benign all along. The thunder startles but does not strike; the mountain shakes but does not fall. When source and target are identical, the hexagram speaks to itself, revealing its core teaching: small transgressions, handled with humility, resolve into benefit rather than punishment. The bird that flies slightly too high discovers it can see farther. The one who bows too deeply earns unexpected respect. Excess in the direction of caution becomes its own reward.