Looking at the figure we see that the two central places are occupied by strong lines; but 2 is confined between 1 and 3, both of which are weak, and 5 (the ruler), as well as 4 (his minister), is covered by the weak 6; all which peculiarities are held to indicate the repression or straitening of good men by bad. For the way in which the same view is derived from the great symbolism, see Appendix II, in loc.
The concluding sentence of the Thwan is literally, ‘If he speak, he will not be believed;’ but the Khang-hs? editors give sufficient reasons for changing one character so as to give the meaning in the translation. ‘Actions,’ not words, are what are required in the case.
The symbolism of ‘buttocks’ is rather a favourite with the duke of Kau;—‘chacun 4 son gofit” The poor subject of line r sitting on a mere stump, which affords him no shelter, is indeed badly off. The line is at the bottom of the trigram indicating peril, and 4, which is its proper correlate, is so circumstanced as not to be able 164 THE Yf KING. TEXT.
XLVIII. Tue 3inc Hexacram.
(Looking at) 3ing, (we think of) how (the site of) a town may be changed, while (the fashion of) its ee ee ee to render it help; hence comes the unfavourable auspice. ‘Three years’ is used, as often, for a long time.
The three strong lines in the figure (2, 4, and 5) are all held to represent “superior men;’ and their being straitened is not in their persons or estates, but in their principles which are denied develop- ment. Hence the subject of 2 is straitened while he fares sumptu- ously. His correlate in 5, though not quite proper, occupies the ruler’s place, and comes to his help. That it is the ruler who comes appears from his red or vermillion knee-covers, different from the scarlet knee-covers worn by nobles, as in paragraph 5. Let 2 cultivate his sincerity and do the work of the hexagram as if he were sacrificing to spiritual beings; and then, if he keep quiet, all will be well.
For “a full explanation’ of paragraph 3 AQ Hst refers his readers to what Confucius is made to say on it in Appendix III, ii, 35. The reader, however, will probably not find much light in that passage. The Khang-hsf editors say here:—* The subjects of the three divided. lines (1, 3, and 6) are all unable to deal aright with the straitened state indicated by the figure. The first is at the bottom, sitting and distressed. The second, occupies the third place, where he may either advance or retreat; and he advances and is distressed. Wounded abroad, he returns to his family, and finds none to receive him; so graphically is there set forth the distress which reckless action brings.’
Line 4 is the proper correlate of 1, but it is a strong line in an even place, and its assistance is given dilatorily. Then x is over- ridden by 2, which is represented by ‘a chariot of metal.’ It is difficult for the subjects of 1 and 4 to come together, and effect much; but 4 is near 5, which is also a strong line. Through a SECT. II. THE 8ING HEXAGRAM. 165 EEE eee wells undergoes no change. (The water of a well) never disappears and never receives (any great) in- crease, and those who come and those who go can draw and enjoy the benefit. If (the drawing) have nearly been accomplished, but, before the rope has quite reached the water, the bucket is broken, this is evil.
1. The first line, divided, shows a well so muddy that men will not drink of it; or an old well to which neither birds (nor other creatures) resort.
2. The second line, undivided, shows a well from which by a hole the water escapes and flows away to the shrimps (and such small creatures among the grass), or one the water of which leaks away from a broken basket.
3. The third line, undivided, shows a well, which has been cleared out, but is not used. Our hearts are sorry for this, for the water might be drawn out and used. If the king were (only) intelligent, both he and we might receive the benefit of it.
De — eee common sympathy, the subject of 5 will have a measure of suc- cess. So the symbolism of this line has been explained,—not very satisfactorily.
Line s is repressed by 6, and pressed on by 4. Above and below its subject is wounded. Especially is he straitened by the minister in 4, with his scarlet knee-covers. But the upper trigram is Tui, with the quality of complacent satisfaction. And this indi- cates, it is said, that the subject of 5 gets on notwithstanding his straits, especially by his sincerity. This explanation is not more satisfactory than the last.
Line 6 is at the top of the figure, where the distress may be supposed to reach its height. Its subject appears bound and on a perilous summit. But his extremity is also his opportunity. He is moved to think of repenting; and if he do repent, and go forward, his doing so will be fortunate.
166 THE Yi KING. TEXT. ee eS LS 4. The fourth line, divided, shows a well, the lining of which is well laid. There will be no error.
5. The fifth line, undivided, shows a clear, limpid well, (the waters from) whose cold spring are (freely) drunk.
6. The topmost line, divided, shows (the water from) the well brought to the top, which is not allowed to be covered. This suggests the idea of sincerity. There will be great good fortune.
XLVIII. Zing, which gives its name to this hexagram, is the symbol of a well. The character originally was pictorial (FE), intended to represent a portion of land, divided into nine parts, the central portion belonging to the government, and being culti- vated by the joint labour of the eight families settled on the other divisions. In the centre of it, moreover, was a well, which was the joint property of all the occupants.
What is said on Zing might be styled ‘Moralisings on a well,’ or ‘Lessons to be learned from a well for the good order and government of a country.’ What a well is to those in its neighbour- hood, and indeed to men in general, that is government to a pecple. If rulers would only rightly appreciate the principles of government handed down from the good ages of the past, and faithfully apply them to the regulation of the present, they would be blessed them- selves and their people with them.
In the Thwan we have the well, substantially the same through many changes of society; a sure source of dependance to men, for their refreshment and for use in their cultivation of the ground. Its form is what I have seen in the plains of northern China; what may be seen among ourselves in many places in Europe. It is deep, and the water is drawn up by a vessel let down from the top; and the value of the well depends on the water being actually raised. And so the principles of government must be actually carried out.
Line 1, being weak, and at the very bottom of the figure, suggests, or is made to suggest, the symbolism of it. Many men in authority are like such a well; corrupt, useless, unregarded.
Line 2 is strong, and might very well symbolise an active spring, ever feeding the well and, through it, the ground and its cultivators; but it is in an inappropriate place, and has no proper correlate.
SECT, II. THE KO HEXAGRAM. 167 Se ee XLIX. THe Ko HExaGRAM.
i (What takes place as indicated by) K 0 is believed in only after it has been accomplished. There will be great progress and success. Advantage will come from being firm and correct. (In that case) occasion for repentance will disappear.
1. The first line, undivided, shows its subject (as if he were) bound with the skin of a yellow ox.
Pe Abee rht Sue boty Se eee Its cool waters cannot be brought to the top. So important is it that the ministers of a country should be able and willing rightly to administer its government. In the account of the ancient Shun it is stated that he once saved his life by an opening in the lining of a well.
Line 3 is a strong line, in its proper place; and must represent an able minister or officer. But though the well is clear, no use is made of it. Ido not find anything in the figure that can be con- nected with this fact. The author was wise beyond his lines. After the first sentence of the paragraph, the duke of Aau ceases from his function of making emblems; reflects and moralises.
Line 4 is weak, but in its proper place. Its subject is not to be condemned, but neither is he to be praised. He takes care of himself, but does nothing for others.
Line 5 is strong, and in its right place. The place is that of the ruler, and suggests the well, full of clear water, which is drawn up, and performs its useful work. Such is the good Head of government to his people.
Line 6 is in its proper place, but weak. If the general idea of the figure was different, a bad auspice might be drawn from it. But here we see in it the symbol of the water drawn up, and the top uncovered so that the use of the well is free to all. Then the mention of ‘sincerity’ suggests the inexhaustibleness of the elemental supply.
168 THE Yi KING. TEXT.
eee 2. The second line, divided, shows its subject making his changes after some time has passed. Action taken will be fortunate. There will be no error.
3. The third line, undivided, shows that action taken by its subject will be evil. Though he be firm and correct, his position is perilous. If the change (he contemplates) have been three times fully discussed, he will be believed in.
4. The fourth line, undivided, shows occasion for repentance disappearing (from its subject). Let him be believed in; and though he change (existing) ordinances, there will be good fortune.
5. The fifth line, undivided, shows the great man (producing his changes) as the tiger (does when he) changes (his stripes). Before he divines (and proceeds to action), faith has been reposed in him.
6. The sixth line, divided, shows the superior man producing his changes as the leopard (does when he) changes (his spots), while small men change their faces (and show their obedience). To go forward (now) would lead to evil, but there will be good fortune in abiding firm and correct.
ee ey oes) ei ee XLIX. The character called Ko or Keh is used here in the sense of changing. Originally used for the skin of an animal or bird, alive or dead, it received the significance of changing at a very early time. Its earliest appearance, indeed, in the first Book of the Sh, is in that sense. How the transition was made from the idea of a skin or hide to that of change is a subject that need not be entered on here. The author has before him the subject of changes occurring—called for—in the state of the country; it may be on the greatest scale. The necessity of them is recognised, and hints are SECT. Il. THE TING HEXAGRAM. 169 EE nl te) (ie Tinc HEXAGRAM.
Ting gives the intimation of great progress and success.
1. The first line, divided, shows the caldron over- thrown and its feet turned up. (But) there will be ee EET given as to the spirit and manner in which they should be brought about.
For the way in which the notion of change is brought out of the trigrams of the figure, see Appendixes I and II. It is assumed in the Thwan that change is viewed by people generally with suspicion and dislike, and should not be made hastily. When made as a necessity, and its good effects appear, the issues will be great and good. A proved necessity for them beforehand; and a firm correctness in the conduct of them:—these are the conditions by which changes should be regulated.
Line 1, at the bottom of the figure, may be taken as denoting change made at too early a period. It has no proper correlate or helper, moreover, above. Hence its subject is represented as tied up, unable to take any action.
Line 2, though weak, is in its correct place. It is in the centre also of the trigram Lf, signifying brightness and intelligence, and has a proper correlate in the strong 5. Let its subject take action in the way of change.
The symbolism of paragraph 3 is twofold. The line is strong, and in the correct position, but it has passed the centre of Sun and is on its outward verge. These conditions may dispose its subject to reckless and violent changing which would be bad. But if he act cautiously and with due deliberation, he may take action, and he will be believed in. 7 Line 4 is strong, but in the place of a weak line. This might vitiate any action of its subject in the way of change, and give occasion for repentance. But other conditions are intimated that 170 THE Yi KING. TEXT: ane Caaf halen tga I, at a advantage in its getting rid of what was bad in it. (Or it shows us) the concubine (whose position is improved) by means of her son. There will be no error, 2. The second line, undivided, shows the caldron with the things (to be cooked) in it. (If its subject can say), ‘My enemy dislikes me, but he cannot approach me,’ there will be good fortune.
3. The third line, undivided, shows the caldron with (the places of) its ears changed. The progress (of its subject) is (thus) stopped. The fat flesh of the pheasant (which is in the caldron) will not be eaten. But the (genial) rain will come, and the grounds for repentance will disappear. There will be good fortune in the end.
4. The fourth line, undivided, shows the caldron with its feet broken; and its contents, designed for the ruler’s use, overturned and spilt. Its subject will be made to blush for shame. ‘There will be evil.
will have a contrary effect; and if he have further secured general confidence, he may proceed to the greatest changes, even to change the dynasty,—‘ with good fortune’ The conditions favourable to his action are said to be such as these:—The line has passed from the lower trigram into the upper; water and fire come in it into contact; the fourth place is that of the minister immediately below the ruler’s seat. All these considerations demand action from the subject of 4 in harmony with the idea of the hexagram.
Line 5 has every quality proper to ‘the lord of the hexagram,’ and his action will be in every way beneficial. He is symbolled by the tiger; and the changes which he makes by the bright stripes of the tiger when he has changed his coat.
Line 6 is weak, but its subject is penetrated with the spirit of the hexagram. If its subject be a superior man, only inferior to ‘the great man,’ immediately below, the changes he makes will be inferior only to his. If he be a small man, he will be compliant and submissive. The lesson for him, however, is to abide firm and correct without taking any action of his own.
SECT. II. THE TING HEXAGKAM. 173 ae eet 5. The fifth line, divided, shows the caldron with yellow ears and rings of metal in them. ‘There will be advantage through being firm and correct.
6. The sixth line, undivided, shows the caldron with rings of jade. There will be great good for- tune, and all action taken will be in every way advantageous.
en Pe ee eS L. Ting was originally a pictorial character, representing acaldron with three feet and two ears, used for cooking and preparing food for the table (the mat in old times) and the altar. The picture has disappeared from the character, but it is said that in the hexa- gram we have an outline from which fancy may construct the vessel. The lower line, divided, represents its feet; lines 2, 3, 4; all undivided, represent the body of it; line 5, divided, represents its two ears; and line 6, undivided, the handle by which it was carried, or suspended from a hook, Appendix VI makes Ting follow Ko in the order of the hexagrams, because there is no changer of the appearance and character of things equal to the furnace and caldron!
Ting and 3ing (48) are the only two hexagrams named from things in ordinary use with men; and they are both descriptive of the government’s work of nourishing. There are three hexagrams of which that is the theme, I (27), under which we are told in Ap- pendix I that ‘the sages nourished men of worth, by means of them to reach to the myriads of the people.’ 3ing treats of the nourish- ment of the people generally by the government through its agri- cultural and other methods; Ting treats of the nourishment of men of talents and virtue; and that being understood, it is said, without more ado, that it ‘intimates great progress and success. The Text that follows, however, is more difficult to interpret than that of Zing.
Line 1 is weak, and little or nothing can be expected from its subject. But it has a proper correlate in the strong 4; and the disastrous overthrow, causing the feet to be directed towards 4, is understood to be lucky, as accelerating the co-operation of their two lines! The overturned caldron is thereby emptied of bad stuff that had accumulated in it!! The writer uses another illustration, which comes to the same thing. A concubine is less honourable than a wife,—like the overthrown caldron. But if she have a son, 172 THE Yi KING. TEXT.
rt ee ent aera ree I eel ne aan HEXAGRAM.
i #an gives the intimation of ease and develop- ment. When (the time of) movement (which it indicates) comes, (the subject of the hexagram) will be found looking out with apprehension, and yet while the proper wife has none, he will be his father’s heir, and the mother, the concubine, will share in the honour of his position. Thus the issue of what was so unpromising is good. At least ‘there is no mistake.’ The above is what is found in the best commentaries on the paragraph, I give it, but am myself dis- satisfied with it.
Line 2 is strong. ‘The enemy 'is the first line, which solicits x. One, however, is able to resist the solicitation; and the whole paragraph gives a good auspice. The personal pronoun seems to show that the whole Was, Or was intended to be, understood as an oracular response in divination. This paragraph is rhymed, more- Over, as are also 1, 3, and 4i— ‘In the caldron is good fare, See my foe with angry glare; But touch me he does not dare Line 3 is also strong, and in the proper place; and if its corre- late were the divided 5, its auspice would be entirely good. But instead of 5, its correlate is the Strong 6. The place of the ears at 5 has been changed. Things promise badly. The advance of 3 is stopped. The good meat in the caldron which it symbolises will not be eaten. But 3 keeping firm s will by and by seek its society! The yin and the yang will mingle, and their union wil] be followed by genial rain. The issue will be good.
Line 4 is in the place of a great minister, who is charged with the most difficult duties, which no single man can sustain. Then the strength of 4 is weakened by being in an even place, and its corre- late is the weak 1 in the lowest place. Its subject is insufficient of SECT. II. THE KAN HEXAGRAM. 173 i eee smiling and talking cheerfully. When the move- ment (like a crash of thunder) terrifies all within a hundred li, he will be (like the sincere worshipper) who is not (startled into) letting go his ladle and (cup of) sacrificial spirits.
1. The first line, undivided, shows its subject, when the movement approaches, looking out and around with apprehension, and afterwards smiling and talking cheerfully. There will be good fortune.
>. The second line, divided, shows its subject, when the movement approaches, in a position of peril. He judges it better to let go the articles (in his possession), and to ascend a very lofty height. There is no occasion for him to pursue after (the things he has let go); in seven days he will find them.
3. The third line, divided, shows its subject dis- traught amid the startling movements going on. If those movements excite him to (right) action, there will be no mistake.
himself for his work, and he has no sufficient help; and the result will be evil.
‘Paragraph 5,’ says the Daily Lecture, praises the ruler as con- descending to the worthy with his humble virtue.” ‘ Yellow’ has occurred repeatedly as ‘a correct colour;’ and here ‘the yellow ears and strong rings of metal’ are intended to intensify our appre- ciation of the occupant of 5. As the line is divided, a caution is added about being firm and correct.
Line 6 is strong, but the strength is tempered by its being in an even place. It is this which makes the handle to be of jade, which, though very hard, is supposed to have a peculiar and rich softness of its own. The auspice of the‘line is very good. ‘The great minister,’ it is said, ‘the subject of 6, performs for the ruler, the subject of 5,in helping his government and nourishing the worthy, the part which the handle does for the caldron.
174 THE Yi KING. TEXT.
Se 4. The fourth line, undivided, shows its subject, amid the startling movements, supinely sinking (deeper) in the mud.
5. The fifth line, divided, shows its subject going and coming amidst the startling movements (of the time), and always in peril; but perhaps he will not incur loss, and find business (which he can accomplish).
6. The topmost line, divided, shows its subject, amidst the startling movements (of the time), in breathless dismay and looking round him with trembling apprehension. Ifhe take action, there will be evil. If, while the startling movements have not reached his own person and his neighbourhood, (he were to take precautions), there would be no error, though his relatives might (still) speak against him.
rr ee ee rr ee ee LI. Kan among the trigrams represents thunder, and, according to Wan’s arrangement and significance of them, ‘ the oldest son’ It is a phonetic character in which the significant constituent is Vii, meaning rain, and with which are formed most characters that denote atmospherical phenomena. ‘The hexagram is formed of the trigram an redoubled, and may be taken as representing the crash or peal of thunder; but we have seen that the attribute or virtue of the trigram is ‘moving, exciting power;’ and thence, symbolically, the character is indicative of movement taking place in society or in the kingdom. This is the meaning of the hexagram; and the subject is the conduct to be pursued in a time of movement—such as insurrection or revolution—by the party promoting, and most interested in, the situation. It is shown how he ought to be aware of the dangers of the time, and how by precaution and the regula- tion of himself he may overcome them.
The indication of a successful issue given by the figure is sup- posed to be given by the undivided line at the bottom of the trigram. The subject of it must be superior to the subjects of the two divided lines above. It is in the idea of the hexagram that he should be moving and advancing;—and what can his movement be but successful?
SECT. II. THE KAN HEXAGRAM. 175 A LII. Tue KAn HeExacram.
When one’s resting is like that of the back, and he loses all consciousness of self; when he walks De ee The next sentence shows him sensible of the danger of the occasion, but confident and self-possessed. The concluding sen- tence shows him rapt in his own important affairs, like a sincere worshipper, thinking only of the service in which he is engaged. Such a symbol is said to be suggested by Wan’s significance of Kan as ‘the oldest son (page 33).’ It is his to succeed to his father, and the hexagram, as following Ting, shows him presiding over the sacrifices that have been prepared in the caldron. This is too fanciful.
What is said on line 1 is little more than a repetition of the principal part of the Thwan. The line is undivided, and gives the auspice of good fortune.
‘The position of peril’ to the subject of line 2 is suggested, as Appendix II says, by its position, immediately above r. But the rest of the symbolism is obscure, and At Hsi says he does not understand it. ‘The common interpretation appears in the version. The subject of the line does what he can to get out of danger; and finally, as is signified by the central position of the line, the issue is better than could have been expected. On the specification of ‘seven days,’ see what is said in the treatise on the Thwan of hexagram 24. On its use here A/ang-3ze says:—* The places of a diagram amount to 6. The number 7 is the first of another. When the movement symbolised by Xn is gone by, things will be as they were before.’
Line 3 is divided, and where an undivided line should be; but if its subject move on to the fourth-place, which would be right for him, the issue will not be bad.
The 4th line, however, has a bad auspice of its own. It is undi- vided in an even place, and it is pressed by the divided line on 176 THE Yt KING. TEXT.
in his courtyard, and does not see any (of the per- sons) in it,—there will be no error.
1. The first line, divided, shows its subject keep- ing his toes at rest. There will be no error; but it will be advantageous for him to be persistently firm and correct.
2. The second line, divided, shows its subject keeping the calves of his legs at rest. He cannot help (the subject of the line above) whom he fol- lows, and is dissatisfied in his mind.
3. The third line, undivided, shows its subject keeping his loins at rest, and separating the ribs (from the body below). The situation is perilous, and the heart glows with suppressed excitement.
4. The fourth line, divided, shows its subject keeping his trunk at rest. There will be no error.
5. The fifth line, divided, shows its subject keep- ing his jawbones at rest, so that his words are (all) orderly. Occasion for repentance will disappear.
6. The sixth line, undivided, shows its subject either side, hence its subject is represented as supinely sinking in the mud.
Line 5 is divided, in an odd place, and that in which the action of the hexagram may be supposed to be concentrated. Hence its subject is always in peril; but his central position indicates safety in the end.
Line 6 is weak, and has to abide the concluding terrors of the movement. Action on the part of its subject is sure to be evil. If, however, he were to take precautions, he might escape with only the censures of his relatives. But I do not see anything in the figure to indicate this final symbolism. The writer, probably, had a case in his mind, which it suited; but what that was we do not know, SECT. II. THE KAN HEXAGRAM. E77 devotedly maintaining his restfulness. There will be good fortune.
LII. The trigram K4n represents a mountain. Mountains rise up grandly from the surface of the earth, and their masses rest on it in quiet and solemn majesty; and they serve also to arrest the on- ward progress of the traveller. Hence the attribute ascribed to Kan is twofold; it is both active and passive—resting and arresting. The character is used in this hexagram with both of those signifi- cations. As the name of the figure, it denotes the mental charac- teristic of resting in what is right; especially resting, as it is expressed by Chinese critics, ‘in principle,’—that which is right, on the widest scale, and in the absolute conception of the mind; and that which is right in every different position in which a man can be placed. We find this treated of in the Great Learning (Commentary, chapter 3), and in the Doctrine of the Mean, chapter 14, and other places. This is the theme of the hexa- gram; and the symbolism of it is all taken from different parts of the human body, as in hexagram 31, and the way in which they are dealt with. Several of the paragraphs are certainly not easy to translate and interpret.
The other parts of the body, such as the mouth, eyes, and ears, have their appetencies, which lead them to what is without them- selves. The back alone has nothing to do with anything beyond itself{—hardly with itself even; all that it has to do is to stand straight and strong. So should it be with us, resting in principle, free from the intrusion of selfish thoughts and external objects. Amidst society, he who realises the idea of the hexagram is still alone, and does not allow himself to be distracted from the con- templation and following of principle. He is not a recluse, how- ever, who keeps aloof from social life; but his distinction is that he maintains a supreme regard to principle, when alone, and when mingling with others.
In the symbolism the author rises from one part of the body to the other. The first line at the bottom of the figure fitly suggests ‘the toes.” The lesson is that from the first men should rest in, and be anxious to do, what is right in all their affairs. The weakness of the line and its being in an odd place give occasion for the caution, with which the paragraph concludes.
Above the toes are the calves, represented by the second line, weak, but in its proper place. Above this, again, are the loins, represented by 3, strong, and in danger of being violent. Line 2 178 THE Yi KING. TEXT.
LITT. Tue Aten HEXAGRAM.
Kien suggests to us the marriage of a young lady, and the good fortune (attending it), There will be advantage in being firm and correct.
1. The first line, divided, shows the wild geese gradually approaching the shore. A young officer (in similar circumstances) will be in a position of danger, and be spoken against; but there will be no error.
follows 3, and should help it; but is unable to do so; and there results dissatisfaction.
When the calves are kept at rest, advance is stopped, but no other harm ensues. Not so when the loins are kept at rest, and unable to bend, for the connexion between the upper and lower parts of the body is then broken. The dissatisfaction increases to an angry heat. Paragraph 3 is unusually difficult. For ‘loins’ P. Regis has scapulae, and for ribs renes; Canon McClatchie says:—‘ Third Nine is stopping at a limit, and separating what is in continued succession (i.e. the backbone); thus the mind, &c.
Line 4 is a weak line resting in a proper place; hence it gives a good auspice. The Khang-hsi editors, however, call attention to the resting of the trunk as being inferior to the resting of the back in the Thwan.
The place of the weak fifth line is not proper for it; and this accounts for the mention of its subject ‘repenting,’ for which, however, there is not occasion.
The third line of the trigrams, and the sixth of the hexagram, is what makes Kan what it is,—the symbol of a mountain. The subject of it therefore will carry out the resting required by the whole figure in the highest style.
SECT. ll. THE KIEN HEXAGRAM. 179 2. The second line, divided, shows the geese gradually approaching the large rocks, where they eat and drink joyfully and at ease. There will be good fortune.
3. The third line, undivided, shows them gradu- ally advanced to the dry plains. (It suggests also the idea of) a husband who goes on an expedition from which he does not return, and of a wife who is pregnant, but will not nourish her child. There will be evil. (The case symbolised) might be advan- tageous in resisting plunderers.
4. The fourth line, divided, shows the geese gradually advanced to the trees. They may light on the flat branches. There will be no error.
5. The fifth line, undivided, shows the geese gradually advanced to the high mound. (It sug- gests the idea of) a wife who for three years does not become pregnant; but in the end the natural issue cannot be prevented. There will be good fortune.
6. The sixth line, undivided, shows the geese gradually advanced to the large heights (beyond). Their feathers can be used as ornaments. There will be good fortune.
LIII. Kien is ordinarily used in the sense of gradually; but there is connected with that the idea also of progress or advance. The element of meaning in the character is the symbol of water; and the whole of it denotes gradual advance, like the soaking in of water. Three hexagrams contain in them the idea of advance,— Zin (35), Shang (46), and this Kien; but each has its peculiarity of meaning, and that of Kien is the gradual manner in which the advance takes place. The subject then of the hexagram is the advance of men to offices in the state, how it should take place gradually and by successive steps, as well as on certain other 180 THE Yi KING. TEXT.
LIV. Tue Kwer Mer HExAGRAM.
Kwei Mei indicates that (under the conditions which it denotes) action will be evil, and in no wise advantageous.
conditions that may be gathered from the Text. P. Regis gives this exposition of the subject, as taken by him from the symbolism, which he ascribes to Confucius:—‘ Viri probi, seu republica digni, in virtutis soliditate instituendi sunt a sapiente, bonisque regulis ut altis radicibus firmandi, nec alii ad rempublicam tractandam promovendi, nisi qui paulatim per varios minoresque gradus ad magnum hoc regimen periculo facto ascendere digni sint.’ He then illustrates this sentiment by the words of Pliny:—‘ Eligetur multis experimentis eruditus, et qui futura possit ex praeteritis praevidere.’
But how does the lineal figure give the idea of a gradual advance? We shall see how it is attempted in the Great Sym- bolism to get this from the component trigrams. The account there is not satisfactory; and still less so is what else I have been able to find on the subject. E.g., the trigrams were originally Khwan and Xhien; but the third line of Khw4n and the first of Khien have changed places; and the trigrams now denote ‘the youngest son,’ and ‘the eldest daughter.’ If all this, which is a mere farrago, were admitted, it would not help us to the idea of an advance.