The I Ching or Book of Changes (94 page)
The nuclear trigram Kên means nose. This is a yielding line in a yielding place, and it rests on the hard nine at the beginning; hence it goes a little too far in punishment.
Six in the third place:
a
) Bites on old dried meat
And strikes on something poisonous.
Slight humiliation. No blame.
b
) “Strikes on something poisonous.” The place is not the appropriate one.
The nuclear trigram K’an means poison. The place is not appropriate—a weak line is in a strong place at a time of
transition. Because of the lack of power, decisions are allowed to hang fire indefinitely.
Nine in the fourth place:
a
) Bites on dried gristly meat.
Receives metal arrows.
It furthers one to be mindful of difficulties
And to be persevering.
Good fortune.
b
) “It furthers one to be mindful of difficulties and to be persevering. Good fortune.” He does not yet give light.
Firmness in a yielding place points to meat with bones. This is dried by the sun (Li, in which this is the beginning line). The nuclear trigram K’an means arrows. The line is in the place of the official. It is strong, but in view of the weakness of its place, remains aware of the difficulties, hence the augury of good fortune. Although it is at the beginning of Li, the line does not yet give light, because it is in the middle of the nuclear trigram K’an.
Six in the fifth place:
a
) Bites on dried lean meat.
Receives yellow gold.
Perseveringly aware of danger.
No blame.
b
) “Perseveringly aware of danger. No blame.” He has found what is appropriate.
The line is yielding, hence “lean” meat, and in the middle of Li, hence “dried” meat. When it changes, the upper trigram becomes Ch’ien, which means metal. As the middle line of K’un, its color is yellow—hence “yellow gold.” By reason of its mildness in the place of honor, it succeeds in biting through and receives yellow gold, the symbol of firmness and loyalty. Therefore in its verdict it hits upon what is right and appropriate, so that everything turns out properly.
Nine at the top:
a
) His neck is fastened in the wooden cangue,
So that his ears disappear.
Misfortune.
b
) “His neck is fastened in the wooden cangue, so that his ears disappear.” He does not hear clearly.
The top line indicates the head; the trigram Li, fetters. The nuclear trigram K’an means ear. The line is too hard, places itself arrogantly over the ruler of the hexagram, and does not heed him. It therefore does not heed the just sentence passed upon it, and because of this meets with the misfortune of being unable to hear any longer, even if it should desire to do so.
The rulers of the hexagram are the six in the second place and the nine at the top. The Commentary on the Decision refers to these when it says: “The yielding comes and gives form to the firm, the firm ascends and gives form to the yielding.”
The Sequence
Things should not unite abruptly and ruthlessly; hence there follows the hexagram of GRACE. Grace is the same as adornment.
Miscellaneous Notes
GRACE means being undyed.
The most perfect grace consists not in external ornamentation but in allowing the original material to stand forth, beautified by being given form. The upper trigram Kên, the mountain, is disposed to remain still; fire, Li, blazes up from below and illumines the mountain. This movement is strengthened by the nuclear trigram Chên, which likewise moves upward, while the resting weight of the mountain is activated to a falling movement by the lower nuclear trigram K’an. Thus the inner structure of the hexagram shows a harmonious equalization of movement, giving no excess of energies to the one side or the other. This hexagram is the inverse of the preceding one.
THE JUDGMENT
GRACE has success.
In small matters
It is favorable to undertake something.
Commentary on the Decision
“GRACE has success.” The yielding comes and gives form to the firm; therefore, “Success.” A detached firm line ascends and gives form to the yielding; therefore, “In small matters it is favorable to undertake something.” This is the form of heaven. Having form, clear and still: this is the form of men. If the form of heaven is contemplated, the changes of time can be discovered. If the forms of men are contemplated, one can shape the world.
The text of the commentary does not appear to be intact. There seems to be a sentence missing before, “This is the form of heaven.” Wang Pi
1
says: “The firm and the yielding unite alternately and construct forms: this is the form of heaven.” This was taken as the original text, now missing, but Mao Ch’i Ling
2
takes another view and sees in it only an explanation of the foregoing sentence. But something of the sort must in fact be presupposed.
The yielding element that comes is the six in the second place. It places itself between the two firm lines and gives them success, gives them form. The strong element that detaches itself is the nine at the top. It places itself at the head of the two upper yielding lines and gives them the possibility of attaining form. In each case, the yang principle is the content, the yin principle the form. In the first case it is the yin line that bestows form directly and therefore brings about success, whereas the ascending yang line, by lending content, only indirectly provides the material on which the otherwise empty form of the yin lines can work itself out. Hence the effect is that it is favorable for “the small” to undertake something.
The form of heaven is symbolized by the four trigrams constituting the hexagram. The lower primary trigram Li is the sun, the lower nuclear trigram K’an is the moon; the upper nuclear trigram Chên by its movement represents the Great Bear, and the upper primary trigram Kên by its stillness represents the constellations. If one observes the rotation of the Great Bear, one knows the course of the year; through contemplation of the course of the sun and the phases of the moon, one recognizes the time of day and the periods of the month.
The form of human life results from the clearly defined (Li) and firmly established (Kên) rules of conduct, within which love (light principle) and justice (dark principle) build up the combinations of content and form. Here too love is the content and justice the form.
THE IMAGE
Fire at the foot of the mountain:
The image of GRACE.
Thus does the superior man proceed
When clearing up current affairs.
But he dare not decide controversial issues in this way.
This hexagram is the inverse of the preceding one. In the latter we find brightness and movement; these indicate a swift carrying out of penalties according to clearly understood laws. Here we have standstill (Kên) outside and clarity (Li) inside,
and this means a theoretical, not a practical turn of mind. This attitude suffices for the application of the established rules of everyday affairs, but not for extraordinary things. One ruler of the hexagram is too weak, the other too far outside to be capable of taking hold of the situation.
THE LINES
Nine at the beginning:
a
) He lends grace to his toes, leaves the carriage, and walks.
b
) “He leaves the carriage and walks,” for it accords with duty not to ride.
Being lowest, this line corresponds to the toes. The nuclear trigram K’an means a carriage. But the present line is below this trigram, hence does not ride. The six in the second place is the ruler of the hexagram; the nine in the beginning has no relationship with this ruler, so that it is not fitting for the line to ride. On the other hand, as a yang line, it possesses sufficient inner strength to be reconciled to the fate thus imposed.
a
) Lends grace to the beard on his chin.
b
) “Lends grace to the beard on his chin”: that is, he ascends with the one above.
The third line is the chin and the second is, as it were, merely its appendage. The upward movement that evokes grace takes place in the two lines together. The yielding element can adorn the strong, but cannot add to it any independent quality. This line has significance only in the hexagram taken as a whole; in its individual aspect it is not especially important.
Nine in the third place:
a
) Graceful and moist.
Constant perseverance brings good fortune.
b
) The good fortune of constant perseverance cannot, in the end, be put to shame.
The nine in the third place has content, because it is a strong line in a strong place; the six in the second place is in the relationship of holding together with it and adorns it. Hence grace. The nuclear trigram in which this line occupies the middle place is K’an, water, hence moistness. Moistness is the height of grace, and the line moreover stands at the highest point of the trigram Li, clarity. But since it also stands in the middle of the nuclear trigram K’an, the abyss, there is a danger that it may be submerged. Hence the praise of constant perseverance as a protection against this danger.