Line 1 is weak, and at the bottom of the hexagram. ‘Though 4 be a proper correlate, yet the influence indicated by it must be ineffective. However mucha man’s great toes may be moved, that will not enable him to walk.
The calves cannot move of themselves. They follow the moving of the feet. The moving of them indicates too much anxiety to move. Line 2, moreover, is weak. But it is also the central line, and if its subject abide quiet, till he is acted on from above, there will be good fortune.
Neither can the thighs move of themselves. The attempt to 126 THE Yi KING. TEXT.
correctness there will be evil; there will be no advantage in any way.
2. The second line, undivided, shows all occasion for repentance disappearing.
3. The third line, undivided, shows one who does not continuously maintain his virtue. There are those who will impute this to him as a disgrace. However firm he may be, there will be ground for regret.
4. The fourth line, undivided, shows a field where there is no game.
5. The fifth line, divided, shows its subject con- tinuously maintaining the virtue indicated by it. In a wife this will be fortunate; in a husband, evil.
6. The topmost line, divided, shows its subject exciting himself to long continuance. There will be evil.
move them is inauspicious. Its subject, however, the line being strong, and in an odd place, will wish to move, and follows the sub- ject of 4, which is understood to be the seat of the mind. He exercises his influence therefore with a mind and purpose, which is not good.
Line 4 is strong, but in an even place. Itis the seat of the mind. Its subject therefore is warned to be firm and correct in order to a good issue. If he be wavering and uncertain, his influence will not extend beyond the circle of his friends.
The symbolism of line 5 refers to a part of the body behind the heart, and is supposed therefore to indicate an influence, ineffec- tive indeed, but free from selfish motive, and not needing to be repented of.
Line 6 is weak, and in an even place. It is the topmost line also of the trigram of satisfaction. Its influence by means of speech will only be that of loquacity and flattery, the evil of which needs not to be pointed out.
XXXII. The subject of this hexagram may be given as persever- ance in well doing, or in continuously acting out the law of one’s SECT. 11s THE THUN HEXAGRAM. rag XXXIII. Ture Tuun HeExacram.
Thun indicates successful progress (in its circum- stances). Toa small extent it will (still) be advan- tageous to be firm and correct.
1. The first line, divided, shows a retiring tail. The position is perilous. No movement in any direction should be made.
being. The sixth Appendix makes it a sequel of the previous figure. As that treats, it is said, of the relation between husband and wife, so this treats of the continuous observance of their respective duties. Hsien, we saw, is made up of Kan, the symbol of the youngest son, and T ui, the symbol of the youngest daughter, attraction and influence between the sexes being strongest in youth. Hang consists of Sun, ‘the oldest daughter’ and Xan, the oldest son. The couple are more staid. The wife occupies the lower place; and the relation between them is marked by her submission. ‘This is sound doctrine, especially from a Chinese point of view; butI doubt whether such application of his teaching was in the mind of king Wan. Given two parties, an inferior and superior in correlation. If both be continuously observant of what is correct, the inferior being also submissive, and the superior firm, good fortune and progress may be predicated of their course.
Line 1 has a proper correlate in 4; but between them are two strong lines; and it is itself weak. ‘These two conditions are against its subject receiving much help from the subject of 4. He should be quiet, and not forward for action.
Line 2 is strong, but in the place of a weak line. Its position, however, being central, and its subject holding fast to the due mean, the unfavourable condition of an even place is more than counteracted.
Line 3 is strong, and in its proper place; but being beyond the centre of the trigram, its subject is too strong, and coming under 128 THE Yi KING. TEXT.
2. The second line, divided, shows its subject holding (his purpose) fast as if by a (thong made from the) hide of a yellow ox, which cannot be broken.
3. The third line, undivided, shows one retiring but bound,—to his distress and peril. (If he were to deal with his binders as in) nourishing a servant or concubine, it would be fortunate for him.
4. The fourth line, undivided, shows its subject retiring notwithstanding his likings. In a superior man this will lead to good fortune; a small man cannot attain to this.
5. The fifth line, undivided, shows its subject retiring in an admirable way. With firm correctness there will be good fortune.
6. The sixth line, undivided, shows its subject retiring in a noble way. It will be advantageous in every respect.
the attraction of his correlate in 6, he is supposed to be ready to abandon his place and virtue. He may try to be firm and cor- rect, but circumstances are adverse to him.
Line 4 is strong in the place of a weak line, and suggests the symbolism of the duke of Aau.
The weak 5th line responds to the strong 2nd, and may be sup- posed to represent a wife conscious of her weakness, and docilely submissive; which is good. A husband, however, and a man gene- rally, has to assert himself, and lay down the rule of what is right.
In line 6 the principle of perseverance has run its course; the motive power of Aan is exhausted. The line itself is weak. The violent efforts of its subject can only lead to evil.
XXXIII. Thun is the hexagram of the sixth month; the yin influence is represented by two weak lines, and has made good its footing in the year. The figure thus suggested to king Wan the growth of small and unprincipled men in the state, before whose advance superior men were obliged to retire. This is the theme of his essay,—how, ‘when small men multiply and increase in power, SECT. II. THE TA KWANG HEXAGRAM. 129 XXXIV. Tue TA AKwanea HExaGRamM.
Ta Kwang indicates that (under the conditions which it symbolises) it will be advantageous to be firm and correct.
the necessity of the time requires superior men to withdraw before them.’ Yet the auspice of Thun is not all bad. By firm correct- ness the threatened evil may be arrested to a small extent.
‘A retiring tail’ seems to suggest the idea of the subject of the lines hurrying away, which would only aggravate the evil and danger of the time.
‘His purpose’ in line 2 is the purpose to withdraw. The weak 2 responds correctly to the strong 5, and both are central. The purpose therefore is symbolled as in the text. The ‘yellow’ colour of the ox is introduced because of its being ‘correct,’ and of a piece with the central place of the line.
Line 3 has no proper correlate in 6; and its subject allows himself to be entangled and impeded by the subjects of 1 and 2. He is too familiar with them, and they presume, and fetter his movements;—compare Analects, 17. 25. He should keep them at a distance.
Line 4 has a correlate in 1, and is free to exercise the decision belonging to its subject. The line is the first in A Zien, symbolic of strength.
In the Shi, IV, v, Section 2. 9, the worthy I Yin is made to say, ‘The minister will not for favour or gain continue in an office whose work is done;’ and the Khang-hs? editors refer to his words as an illustration of what is said on line 5. It has its correlate in 2, and its subject carries out the purpose to retire ‘ an admirable way.’
Line 6 is strong, and with no correlate to detain it in 3.
Its subject vigorously and happily carries out the idea of the hexagram.
130 THE Yi KING. TEXT.
1. The first line, undivided, shows its subject manifesting his strength in his toes. But advance will lead to evil,—most certainly.
2. The second line, undivided, shows that with firm correctness there will be good fortune.
3. The third line, undivided, shows, in the case of a small man, one using all his strength; and in the case of a superior man, one whose rule is not to do so. Even with firm correctness the position would be perilous. (The exercise of strength in it might be compared to the case of) a ram butting against a fence, and getting his horns entangled.
4. The fourth line, undivided, shows (a case in which) firm correctness leads to good fortune, and occasion for repentance disappears. (We see) the fence opened without the horns being entangled. The strength is like that in the wheel-spokes of a large waggon.
5. The fifth line, divided, shows one who loses his ram(-like strength) in the ease of his position, (But) there will be no occasion for repentance.
6. The sixth line, divided, shows (one who may be compared to) the ram butting against the fence, and unable either to retreat, or to advance as he would fain do. There will not be advantage in any respect; but if he realise the difficulty (of his position), there will be good fortune.
XXXIV. The strong lines predominate in TA Kwang. It suggested to king Wan a state or condition of things in which there was abundance of strength and vigour, Was strength alone enough for the conduct of affairs? No. He saw also in the figure that which suggested to him that strength should be held in subor- dination to the idea of right, and exerted only in harmony with it.
SECT. Il. THE 38IN HEXAGRAM. I31 XXXV. Tue 31n HExacrRamM.
In 3in we see a prince who secures the tranquil- lity (of the people) presented on that account with numerous horses (by the king), and three times in a day received at interviews.
This is the lesson of the hexagram, as sententiously expressed in the Thwan.
Line 1 is strong, in its correct place, and also the first line in Khien, the hexagram of strength, and the first line in Ta A wang. The idea of the figure might seem to be concentrated in it; and hence we have it symbolised by ‘strength in the toes,’ or ‘advancing.’ But such a measure is too bold to be undertaken by one in the lowest place, and moreover there is no proper correlate in 4. Hence comes the evil auspice.
Line 2 is strong, but the strength is tempered by its being in an even place, instead of being excited by it, as might be feared. Then the place is that in the centre. With firm correctness there will be good fortune.
Line 3 is strong, and in its proper place. It is at the top more- over of Khien. A small man so symbolled will use his strength to the utmost; but not so the superior man. For him the position is beyond the safe middle, and he will be cautious; and not injure himself, like the ram, by exerting his strength.
Line 4 is still strong, but in the place of a weak line; and this gives occasion to the cautions with which the symbolism com- mences. The subject of the line going forward thus cautiously, his strength will produce good effects, such as are described.
Line s is weak, and occupies 4 central place. Its subject will cease therefore to exert his strength; but this hexagram does not forbid the employment of strength, but would only control and 132 THE Yi KING. TEXT.
a e 1. The first line, divided, shows one wishing to advance, and (at the same time) kept back. Let him be firm and correct, and there will be good fortune. If trust be not reposed in him, let him maintain a large and generous mind, and there will be no error.
2. The second line, divided, shows its subject with the appearance of advancing, and yet of being sorrowful. If he be firm and correct, there will be good fortune. He will receive this great blessing from his grandmother.
3. The third line, divided, shows its subject trusted by all (around him). All occasion for re- pentance will disappear.
4. The fourth line, undivided, shows its subject with the appearance of advancing, but like a marmot. However firm and correct he may be, the position is one of peril.
5. The fifth line, divided, shows how all occasion for repentance disappears (from its subject). (But) let him not concern himself about whether he shall fail or succeed. To advance will be fortunate, and in every way advantageous.
6. The topmost line, undivided, shows one ad- vancing his horns. But he only uses them to punish the (rebellious people of his own) city. The position direct it. All that is said about him is that he will give no occasion for repentance.
Line 6 being at the top of Kin, the symbol of movement, and at the top of Ta Kwang, its subject may be expected to be active in exerting his strength; and through his weakness, the result would be as described. But he becomes conscious of his weakness, re- flects and rests, and good fortune results, as he desists from the prosecution of his unwise efforts.
SECT. Il. THE 8IN HEXAGRAM. 133 is perilous, but there will be good fortune. (Yet) however firm and correct he may be, there will be occasion for regret.
XXXV. The Thwan of this hexagram expresses its subject more fully and plainly than that of any of the previous thirty-four. It is about a feudal prince whose services to the country have made him acceptable to his king. The king’s favour has been shown to him by gifts and personal attentions such as form the theme of more than one ode in the Shih; see especially III, iii, 7. The symbolism of the lines dimly indicates the qualities of such a prince. 3in means ‘to advance.’ Hexagrams 46 and 53 agree with this in being called by names that indicate progress and ad- vance. The advance in 8in is like that of the sun, ‘the shining light, shining more and more to the perfect day.’
Line 1 is weak, and in the lowest place, and its correlate in 4 is neither central nor in its correct position. This indicates the small and obstructed beginnings of his subject. But by his firm correct- ness he pursues the way to good fortune; and though the king does not yet believe in him, he the more pursues his noble course.
Line 2 is weak, and its correlate in 5 is also weak. Its subject therefore has still to mourn in obscurity. But his position is central and correct, and he holds on his way, till success comes ere long. The symbolism says he receives it ‘from his grand- mother;’ and readers will be startled by the extraordinary state- ment, as I was when I first read it. Literally the Text says ‘the king’s mother,’ as P. Regis rendered it,—‘ Istam magnam felicitatem a matre regis recipit.’ He also tries to give the name a historical reference;—to Thai-Kiang, the grandmother of king Wan; Thai- Zan, his mother; or to Thii-sze, his wife, and the mother of king Wf and the duke of KAu, all famous in Chinese history, and cele- brated in the Shih. But ‘king’s father’ and ‘king’s mother’ are well-known Chinese appellations for ‘grandfather’ and ‘ grand- mother’ This is the view given on the passage, by AAang-jze, Kt Hsi, and the Khang-hsi editors, the latter of whom, indeed, account for the use of the name, instead of ‘deceased mother,’ which we find in hexagram 62, by the regulations observed in the ancestral temple. These authorities, moreover, all agree in saying that the name points us to line 5, the correlate of 2, and ‘the lord of the hexagram.’ Now the subject of line 5 is the sovereign, who at length acknowledges the worth of the feudal lord, and gives him 134 THE Yi KING. TEXT.
a at ee er XXXVI. Tue Minc { HEXAGRAM.
Ming I indicates that (in the circumstances which it denotes) it will be advantageous to realise the the great blessing. The ‘New Digest of Comments on the Yt (1686),’ in its paraphrase of the line, has, ‘He receives at last this great blessing from the mild and compliant ruler.’ I am not sure that ‘motherly king’ would not be the best and fairest translation of the phrase.
Canon McClatchie has a very astonishing note on the name, which he renders ‘Imperial Mother’ (p. 164):—‘ That is, the wife of Imperial Heaven (Juno), who occupies the “throne of the dia- gram,” viz. the fifth stroke, which is soft and therefore feminine. She is the Great Ancestress of the human race. See Imp. Ed. vol. iv, Sect. v, p. 25, Com.’ Why such additions to the written word?
Line 3 is weak, and in an odd place; but the subjects of r and 2 are possessed by the same desire to advance as the subject of this. A common trust and aim possess them; and hence the not unfavourable auspice.
Line 4 is strong, but it is in an even place, nor is it central. It suggests the idea of a marmot (? or rat), stealthily advancing. Nothing could be more opposed to the ideal of the feudal lord in the hexagram.
In line 5 that lord and his intelligent sovereign meet happily. He holds on his right course, indifferent as to results, but things are so ordered that he is, and will continue to be, crowned with success, Line 6 is strong, and Suggests the idea of its subject to the last continuing his advance, and that not only with firm correctness, but with strong force. The ‘horns’ are an emblem of threatening Strength, and though he uses them only in his own state, and against the rebellious there, that such a prince should have any occasion to use force is matter for regret.
A SECT. II. THE MING I HEXAGRAM. 135 difficulty (of the position), and maintain firm cor- rectness.
1. The first line, undivided, shows its: subject, (in the condition indicated by) Ming ], flying, but with drooping wings. When the superior man (is re- volving) his going away, he may be for three days without eating. Wherever he goes, the people there may speak (derisively of him).
2. The second line, divided, shows its subject, (in the condition indicated by) Ming I, wounded in the left thigh. He saves himself by the strength of a (swift) horse; and is fortunate.
3. The third line, undivided, shows its subject, (in the condition indicated by) Ming I, hunting in the south, and taking the great chief (of the dark- ness). He should not be eager to make (all) correct (at once).
4. The fourth line, divided, shows its subject (just) entered into the left side of the belly (of the dark land). (But) he is able to carry out the mind appro- priate (in the condition indicated by) Ming I, quitting the gate and courtyard (of the lord of darkness).
5. The fifth line, divided, shows how the count of Ki fulfilled the condition indicated by Ming I. It will be advantageous to be firm and correct.
6. The sixth line, divided, shows_the case where there is no light, but (only) obscurity. (Its subject) had at first ascended to (the top of) the sky; his future shall be to go into the earth.
XXXVI. In this hexagram we have the representation of a good and intelligent minister or officer going forward in the service of his country, notwithstanding the occupancy of the throne by a weak 136 THE Yi KING. TEXT.
XXXVII. Tue AIA ZAN HEXAGRAM.
For (the realisation of what is taught in) Kia Zan, (or for the regulation of the family), what is and unsympathising sovereign. Hence comes its name of Ming f{, or ‘Intelligence Wounded,’ that is, injured and repressed. The treatment of the subject shows how such an officer will conduct himself, and maintain his purpose. The symbolism of the figure is treated of in the same way in the first and second Appendixes. Appendix VI merely says that the advance set forth in 35 is sure to meet with wounding, and hence in is followed by Ming I.
Line 1 is strong, and in its right place;—its subject should be going forward. But the general signification of the hexagram supposes him to be wounded. The wound, however, being re- ceived at the very commencement of its action, is but slight. And hence comes the emblem of a bird hurt so as to be obliged to droop its wings. The subject then appears directly as ‘the supe- rior man.’ He sees it to be his course to desist from the struggle for a time, and is so rapt in the thought that he can fast for three days and not think of it. When he does withdraw, opposition follows him; but it is implied that he holds on to his own good purpose.
Line 2 is weak, but also in its right place, and central; giving us the idea of an officer, obedient to duty and the right. His wound in the left thigh may impede his movements, but does not disable him. He finds means to save himself, and maintains his good purpose.
Line 3, strong and in a strong place, is the topmost line of the lower trigram. It responds also to line 6, in which the idea of the sovereign, emblemed by the upper trigram, is concentrated. The lower trigram is the emblem of light or brightness, the idea of which again is expressed by the south, to which we turn when we look at the sun in its meridian height. Hence the subject of the SECT. II. THE KIA ZAN HEXAGRAM. 137 most advantageous is that the wife be firm and correct.
1. The first line, undivided, shows its subject establishing restrictive regulations in his household. Occasion for repentance will disappear.
2. The second line, divided, shows its subject taking nothing on herself, but in her central place attending to the preparation of the food. Through her firm correctness there will be good fortune.
3. The third line, undivided, shows its subject (treating) the members of the household with stern severity. There will be occasion for repentance, there will be peril, (but) there will (also) be good fortune. If the wife and children were to be smirk- ing and chattering, in the end there would be occa- sion for regret.
4. The fourth line, divided, shows its subject line becomes a hunter pursuing his game, and successfully. The good officer will be successful in his struggle; but let him not be over eager to put all things right at once.
Line 4 is weak, but in its right place. AQ Hs? says he does not understand the symbolism, as given in the Text. The translation indicates the view of it commonly accepted. The subject of the line evidently escapes from his position of danger with little damage.
Line 5 should be the place of the ruler or sovereign in the hex- agram; but 6 is assigned as that place in Ming I. The officer occupying 5, the centre of the upper trigram, and near to the sovereign, has his ideal in the count of Af, whose action appears in the Sh, III, pp. 123, 127, 128. He is a historical personage.
Line 6 sets forth the fate of the ruler, who opposes himself to the officer who would do him good and intelligent service. Instead of becoming as the sun, enlightening all from the height of the sky, he is as the sun hidden below the earth. I can well believe that the writer had the last king of Shang in his mind.
138 THE Yi KING. TEXT.
enriching the family. There will be great good fortune.
5. The fifth line, undivided, shows the influence of the king extending to his family. There need be no anxiety; there will be good fortune.
6. The topmost line, undivided, shows its subject possessed of sincerity and arrayed in majesty. In the end there will be good fortune.
XXXVII. Aia Zan, the name of the hexagram, simply means ‘a household,’ or ‘the members of a family.’ The subject of the essay based on the figure, however, is the regulation of the family, effected mainly by the co-operation of husband and wife in their several spheres, and only needing to become universal to secure the good order of the kingdom. The important place occupied by the wife in the family is seen in the short sentence of the Thwan. That she be firm and correct, and do her part well, is the first thing necessary to its regulation.
Line 1 is strong, and inastrong place. It suggests the necessity of strict rule in governing the family. Regulations must be estab- lished, and their observance strictly insisted on.
Line 2 is weak, and in the proper place for it,—the centre, more- over, of the lower trigram. It fitly represents the wife, and what is said on it tells us of her special sphere and duty; and that she should be unassuming in regard to all beyond her sphere; always being firm and correct. See the Shih, III, 350.
Line 3 is strong, and in an odd place. If the place were central, the strength would be tempered; but the subject of the line, in the topmost place of the trigram, may be expected to exceed in severity. But severity is not a bad thing in regulating a family;—it is better than laxity and indulgence.
Line 4 is weak, and in its proper place. The wife is again suggested to us, and we are told, that notwithstanding her being confined to the internal affairs of the household, she can do much to enrich the family.
The subject of the strong fifth line appears as the king. This may be the husband spoken of as also a king; or the real king whose merit is revealed first in his family, as often in the Shih, where king W&n is the theme. The central place here tempers the display of the strength and power.
SECT. II. THE KHWEI HEXAGRAM. 139 XXXVIII. Tue Azwer HeExacram.
KaAwei indicates that, (notwithstanding the con- dition of things which it denotes), in small matters there will (still) be good success.
1. The first line, undivided, shows that (to its subject) occasion for repentance will disappear. He has lost his horses, but let him not seek for them; —they will return of themselves. Should he meet with bad men, he will not err (in communicating with them).
2. The second line, undivided, shows its subject happening to meet with his lord in a bye-passage. There will be no error.
3. In the third line, divided, we see one whose carriage is dragged back, while the oxen in it are pushed back, and he is himself subjected to the shaving of his head and the cutting off of his nose. There is no good beginning, but there will be a good end.
4. The fourth line, undivided, shows its subject solitary amidst the (prevailing) disunion. (But) he meets with the good man (represented by the first Line 6 is also strong, and being in an even place, the subject of it might degenerate into stern severity, but he is supposed to be sincere, complete in his personal character and self-culture, and hence his action will only lead to good fortune.
140 THE Yi KING. TEXT.
line), and they blend their sincere desires together. The position is one of peril, but there will be no mistake.
5. The fifth line, divided, shows that (to its sub- ject) occasion for repentance will disappear. With his relative (and minister he unites closely and readily) as if he were biting through a piece of skin. When he goes forward (with this help), what error can there be?
6. The topmost line, undivided, shows its subject solitary amidst the (prevailing) disunion. (In the subject of the third line, he seems to) see a pig bearing on its back a load of mud, (or fancies) there is a carriage full of ghosts. He first bends his bow against him, and afterwards unbends it, (for he discovers) that he is not an assailant to injure, but a near relative. Going forward, he shall meet with (genial) rain, and there will be good fortune.
XXXVIII. AAwei denotes a social state in which division and mutual alienation prevail, and the hexagram teaches how in small matters this condition may be healed, and the way prepared for the cure of the whole system. The writer or writers of Appendixes J and IJ point out the indication in the figure of division and dis- union according to their views. In Appendix VI those things appear as a necessary sequel to the regulation of the family; while it is impossible to discover any allusion to the family in the Text.
Line 1 is strong, and in an odd place. A successful course might be auspiced for its subject; but the correlate in line 4 is also strong; and therefore disappointment and repentance are likely to ensue. In the condition, however, indicated by KhAwei, where people have a common virtue, they will help one another. Through the good services of 4, the other will not have to repent. His condition may be emblemed by a traveller’s loss of his horses, which return to him of themselves, Should he meet with bad men, however, let him not shrink from them. Communication with them will be of benefit. His good SECT. II. THE KIEN HEXAGRAM. I4I XXXIX. Ture Aren HEXAGRAM.
SCAR nine MO In (the state indicated by) Kien advantage will be found in the south-west, and the contrary in the north-east. It will be advantageous (also) to meet may overcome their evil, and at least it will help to silence their slanderous tongues.
Line 5 is weak, and its subject is the proper correlate of the strong 2. They might meet openly; but for the separation and disunion that mark the time. A casual, as it were a stolen, inter- view, as in a bye-lane or passage, however will be useful, and may lead on to a better understanding.
Line 3 is weak, where it ought to be strong. Its correlate, how- ever, in 6 is strong, and the relation between them might seem what it ought to be. But the weak 3 is between the strong lines in 2 and 4; and ina time of disunion there ensue the checking and repulsion emblemed in the Text. At the same time the subject of line 6 inflicts on that of 3 the punishments which are mentioned. It is thus bad for 3 at first, but we are told that in the end it will be well with him; and this will be due to the strength of the sixth line. The conclusion grows out of a conviction in the mind of the author that what is right and good is destined to triumph over what is wrong and bad. Disorder shall in the long run give place to order, and disunion to union.
Line 4 has no proper correlate, and might seem to be solitary. But, as we saw on line 1, in this hexagram, correlates of the same class help each other. Hence the subjects of 4 and 1, meeting together, work with good will and success.
The place of 5 is odd, but the line itself is weak, so that there might arise occasion for repentance. But the strong 2 is a proper correlate to the weak 5. Five being the sovereign’s place, the sub- ject of 2 is styled the sovereign’s relative, of the same surname 142 THE Yi KING. TEXT.
with the great man. (In these circumstances), with firmness and correctness, there will be good fortune.
1. From the first line, divided, we learn that advance (on the part of its subject) will lead to (greater) difficulties, while remaining stationary will afford ground for praise., 2. The second line, divided, shows the minister of the king struggling with difficulty on difficulty, and not with a view to his own advantage.
3. The third line, undivided, shows its subject advancing, (but only) to (greater) difficulties. He remains stationary, and returns (to his former associates).
4. The fourth line, divided, shows its subject advancing, (but only) to (greater) difficulties. He remains stationary, and unites (with the subject of the line above).
5. The fifth line, undivided, shows its subject struggling with the greatest difficulties, while friends are coming to help him.
6. The topmost line, divided, shows its subject going forward, (only to increase) the difficulties, with him, and head of some branch of the descendants of the royal house. It is as easy for 5, so supported, to deal with the disunion of the time, as to bite through a piece of skin.
Line 6 is an even place, and yet the line is strong;—what can its subject effect? He looks at 3, which, as weak, is a proper correlate; but he looks with the evil eye of disunion. The subject of 3 appears no better than a filthy pig, nor more real than an impossible carriage-load of ghosts. He bends his bow against him, but he unbends it, discovering a friend in 3,as 1 did in 4,and5 inz2. He acts and with good luck, comparable to the falling rain, which results from the happy union of the yang and yin in nature.
SECT. II. THE KIEN HEXAGRAM. 143 while his remaining stationary will be (productive of) great (merit). There will be good fortune, and it will be advantageous to meet with the great man.
XXXIX. Xien is the symbol for incompetency in the feet and legs, involving difficulty in walking; hence it is used in this hexa- gram to indicate a state of the kingdom which makes the government of it an arduous task. How this task may be successfully performed, now by activity on the part of the ruler, and now by a discreet inactivity:—this is what the figure teaches, or at least gives hints about. For the development of the meaning of the symbolic character from the structure of the lineal figure, see Appendixes I and II.
The Thwan seems to require three things—attention to place, the presence of the great man, and the firm observance of cor- rectness—in order to cope successfully with the difficulties of the situation. The first thing is enigmatically expressed, and the lan- guage should be compared with what we find in the Thwan of hexagrams 2 and 4o. Referring to Figure 2, in Plate III, we find that, according to W4n’s arrangement of the trigrams, the south- west is occupied by Khwan (===), and the north-east by Aan (===). The former represents the champaign country; the Jatter, the mountainous region. The former is easily traversed and held; the latter, with difficulty. The attention to place thus becomes transformed into a calculation of circumstances; those that promise success in an enterprise, which should be taken advan- tage of, and those that threaten difficulty and failure, which should be shunned.
This is the generally accepted view of this difficult passage. The Khang-hst editors have a view of their own. I have been myself inclined to find less symbolism in it, and to take the south- west as the regions in the south and west of the kingdom, which we know from the Shih were more especially devoted to Wan and his house, while the strength of the kings of Shang lay in the north and east.
‘The idea of “the great man,” Mencius’s “minister of Heaven,” ’ is illustrated by the strong line in the fifth place, having for its cor- relate the weak linein 2. But favourableness of circumstances and place, and the presence cf the great man do not dispense from the observance of firm correctness. Throughout these essays of the Yi this is always insisted on.
144 THE Yi KING. TEXT.
XL. Tue Aten HEXAGRAM.
In (the state indicated by) Aieh advantage will be found in the south-west. If no (further) opera- tions be called for, there will be good fortune in coming back (to the old conditions). If some opera- tions be called for, there will be good fortune in the early conducting of them.
1. The first line, divided, shows that its subject will commit no error.
Line 1 is weak, whereas it ought to be strong as being in an odd place. If its subject advance, he will not be able to cope with the difficulties of the situation, but be overwhelmed by them. Let him wait for a more favourable time.
Line 2 is weak, but in its proper place. Its correlation with the strong 5, and consequent significance, are well set forth.
Line 3 is strong, and in a place of strength; but its correlate in 6 is weak, so that the advance of its subject would be unsupported. He waits therefore for a better time, and cherishes the subjects of the two lines below, who naturally cling to him.