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Above; Mountain,
stillness
Below; Heaven the creative
The creative power
is subjugated to the Mountain which imposes stillness.
This should be contrasted with hexagram 9 (Xiao Chu),
the Power of the Weak, in the creative power is tamed
by gentleness. Here, four strong lines are restrained
by the two weak lines, in the positions of prince
and the minister.
Perseverance brings
favourable results. Subsisting away from the home
and family without taking service at court, will bring
good fortune. It is favourable to cross the great
water. Crossing the great water symbolizes an undertaking
of any kind including a trip.
This hexagram symbolizes
strength and magnanimity, glory, and honour, a daily
renewal of character. The firm rises, paying respect
to the worth. Restraint in the exercise of power is
praiseworthy. He who dines away from home is, by implication,
entertaining other worth people. Great and difficult
undertakings, such as crossing the wide river or the
sea are successful because they accord with heaven’s
will.
Heaven beneath
the mountain is the symbol of the restraining force
of the great. At the same time we glimpse the sky
among the mountain peaks. The Superior man studies
the sayings of antiquity and the deeds of heroes of
the past, strengthening his innate virtue and learning
to understand what is to come.
Line 1
Danger threatens.
Avoid all action.
The man who wishes
to go forward boldly, but who sees that circumstances
oppose him, is wise not to attempt to overcome them.
Waiting patiently, he will find that the situation
is bound to change.
Line 2
The springs of
the wagon are broken.
There is no virtue
in trying to fight the force which is holding one
back. This line is central to the lower trigram. There
is no blame.
Line 3
A good horse will
gallop with the others. Go forward, aware of the dangers.
Practice chariot driving and armed defense daily.
It is favourable to have a destination.
A strong horse
follows the others. It is good to follow the example
of a strong man. But one should still go forward cautiously,
conscious of surrounding hazards and preparing oneself
against unexpected attack. Above all, it is important
to have a definite goal toward which one struggles.
Line 4
The headboard
of a young bull. Great good fortune.
In China, it was
the custom to attach a board to the head of a young
bull, before his horns began to sprout so that they
would not be damaged. As well, so they would grow
in such a way that they could not do harm to others.
By forestalling wild force it is most easily controlled.
The safest way to deal with problems is to meet them
in advance.
Line 5
The tusks of a
gelded boar. Good fortune.
The strength of
forward advance is now even more impetuous, likened
to the charge of a savage boar. But if the nature
of the boar is changed by gelding, his tusks are no
longer a danger. This a more indirect and subtle way
of meeting danger in advance.
Line 6
Reaching command
of heaven. Success.
There are no more
obstructions. The creative power throws off the weight
of the mountain. Following the way of heaven, honoured
by all, the wise man achieves all that he desires
and nothing stands in his way.
© 1979 Neil
Powell
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