Obstruction: Six in the Second "The loyal minister is obstructed" image

《易林》以艮為臣，初不知其用何象，後思《易》《遯》九三云「畜臣妾吉」，《小過》六二云「遇其臣」，皆以艮為臣，而《蹇》下艮，亦曰王臣。《易》之以艮為臣，可謂至明矣。後之人不解林詞者，因《易》象至東漢失傳故也。《易林》，字字步趨《周易》者也。

Jiao's Forest of Changes takes Gen as a minister. At first I did not understand the basis for this imagery; later I thought of the Nine in the Third line of the Duan hexagram in the Zhou Changes, which says "Keeping ministers and concubines is auspicious," and the Six in the Second line of the Xiao Guo hexagram, which says "Meeting his minister," both taking Gen as a minister. The lower trigram of the Jian hexagram is also Gen, so it also mentions "the king's minister." This shows that the Zhou Changes clearly take Gen as a minister. Later scholars failed to understand the Forest of Changes because the imagery of the Changes was lost by the Eastern Han dynasty. The Forest of Changes follows the Zhou Changes line by line.

三體坎，坎為輿為曳，三在坎末，兌見，故曰輿曳。離為牛。「掣」，鄭作「？」，「牛角皆踴」也，案此最得解。兌之為羊，亦取象於角，牛角與羊等耳。又《易林·大畜之睽》云：「傷破妄行，觸壁觗牆。」亦以角踴為說，不以牽掣為訓。踴者，起也，言牛角騰踴上出也。

The sixth line in the third position is located in the trigram Kan, which represents a cart and dragging. Since the sixth line is at the end of the trigram Kan, the image of Dui (Lake) appears, so the line statement says, "Seeing a cart being dragged." The trigram Li represents cattle. The character "chè" is written by Zheng Xuan as another character (the original character is missing in the text), and he explains it as "both cattle horns are raised." I think this interpretation is most appropriate. The reason Dui is taken as the image of sheep is also because of the horns. Cattle horns and sheep horns are similar. Also, in the "Forest of Changes" under the hexagram Da Xu transforming into Kui, it says: "Injury, reckless movement, colliding with walls and barriers." This is also referring to horns raised upward, rather than interpreting "chè" as pulling. The term "yǒng" means to rise up, indicating that the cattle horns are high and upward.

「天」，馬融云：「剠鑿其額曰天。」鄭注《周禮·司刑》云：「截鼻曰劓。」虞詁亦與馬同。惟此用旁通，東漢人則無一能知者，而以《無妄》二五上下為穿鑿。豈知二陰之卦多矣，若用卦變，《中孚》又何不可，何必《無妄》？又東漢人知艮為鼻，不知額亦為艮，艮陽在上，《易林》凡言面、言額鼻者皆謂艮。《睽》兌通艮，今艮伏兌，見而上毀，故曰剠額；艮形滅，故曰截鼻，全用旁通，非由卦變。

As for the term 「天」, Ma Rong said: "To carve the character 「天」 on the forehead with a tattoo is called 「天」." Zheng Xuan's commentary on the "Zhou Li · Si Xing" said: "To cut off the nose is called 「劓」." Yu Fan's explanation is the same as Ma Rong's. However, here the method used is that of mutual assistance between trigrams, and no one in the Eastern Han dynasty understood it. Instead, they made up interpretations based on the movement of the second and fifth lines of the "Wu Wang" hexagram. They never considered that there are many hexagrams with two yin lines. If the change of hexagrams can be applied, why not apply it to "Zhong Fu"? Why must it necessarily be "Wu Wang"? Moreover, people in the Eastern Han knew that Gen represents the nose, but they did not know that the forehead also belongs to Gen. Gen has one yang line at the top, which corresponds to the upper part of the human face. In the "Yi Lin," whenever the face, forehead, or nose is mentioned, it refers to Gen. The upper trigram of "Kui" is Dui and Gen, which are mutually assisting trigrams. Now Gen is hidden and Dui is revealed. Dui signifies destruction, and the upper part is missing, hence it is said 「黥额」; Gen's form is gone, hence it is said 「截鼻」. All of this is based on mutual assistance between trigrams, not on the change of hexagrams.

又俞樾云：「凡《易》皆以天為陽，今忽詁為剠額，無乃太異。考《荘子·德充符》篇『魯有兀者』，《釋文》曰：『李云：刖足曰兀。』其人兀且劓，猶《困》九五曰『劓刖』也。古文天作『？[上兀下兀]』，見《玉篇》，故兀誤為天。」案俞氏此詁，於象尤合，震為足，三震象半見，故刖足。又以天為刑，愚亦心異之，而不能求得馬氏之所本。朱漢上云：「《易傳》髡曰天。」以《易》象考之，《易傳》是也。漢上善用覆，兌覆巽，巽寡髮，故曰髡，亦切於馬詁也。

Another point is that Yu Yue said: "In the Zhou Changes, whenever the character 'tian' is used, it refers to yang. Now suddenly interpreting it as a tattoo on the forehead seems too strange. Investigating the 'De Chong Fu' chapter of the Zhuangzi, there is a mention of 'a man with a missing foot in Lu.' Lu Deming's 'Classic Interpretation' says: 'Li Yi said: cutting off the foot is called 'wu.' Therefore, 'his person is missing a foot and also has his nose cut off' is similar to the 'Yi' in the 'Kun' hexagram's nine in the fifth line, which says 'cutting off the nose and feet.' In ancient texts, the character 'tian' was written as two 'wu's on top of each other (this character is found in the 'Yu Pian,' but the original text is missing). Therefore, 'wu' was mistakenly taken as 'tian.'" I think Yu Yue's explanation aligns especially well with the hexagram imagery: Zhen represents the foot, and the sixth line in the third position is a half-visible position of the Zhen image, so it refers to cutting off the foot. As for taking 'tian' as a type of punishment, I also find it strange, yet I cannot find the source that Ma Rong relied upon. Zhu Zhen (who was known as Hanshang) said: "The 'Yi Zhuan' interprets 'tian' as shaving the head." Considering the imagery of the Zhou Changes, Zhu Zhen's interpretation is correct. Zhu Zhen was good at using inverted images: Dui inverted becomes Xun, and the 'Shuo Gua' says Xun represents a bald head, so it refers to shaving the head, which is very fitting with Ma Rong's interpretation.

《睽》上離，離對坎，坎為豕、為塗、為鬼、為車、為弧、為寇、為雨，《易》見離而象盡用坎，水火相逮不分也。後儒惟來知德氏窺見此旨，曰「此用錯象坎」，餘皆以中爻坎為說。不本《易林》，皆與《易林》闇合，故夫來氏真有心得者也。後儒因不明此旨，因而不解《易林》。《易林》說巽而詞象用震，說兌而詞象用艮，如此者十蓋五六也。後儒不解《易》，故亦不解《易林》矣。

The hexagram Guī has its upper trigram as Li (Fire). The opposite trigram of Li is Kan (Water). Kan represents pigs, mud, ghosts, carts, bows and arrows, robbers, and rain. In the Zhou Changes, this line refers to Li, but the imagery used is entirely based on Kan. This is because fire and water influence each other and are inseparable. Only Lai Zhide, a later Confucian scholar, understood this point, saying, "Here the image used is the wrong trigram Kan." He also applied this principle of the middle trigram Kan in other contexts. He did not rely on Jiao's Forest of Changes, yet his interpretations coincided with those of the Forest of Changes. Therefore, Lai Zhide truly had profound insights. Later scholars, not understanding this principle, could not comprehend the Forest of Changes. In the Forest of Changes, there are instances where the trigram Xun (Wind) is used with the image of Zhen (Thunder), or the trigram Dui (Lake) is used with the image of Gen (Mountain). Such cases occur in about five or six out of ten instances. Since later scholars did not understand the Zhou Changes, they naturally could not understand the Forest of Changes either.

餘因《易林》無一字不根於象，而悟《易》亦然也。蓋古聖人之制《易》詞，皆澄心凝慮，目視卦象而為之，忽於甲有觸卽生甲象，忽於乙又有觸卽生乙象，而上下文不必相屬，吉與凶不必其齊一。

I realized that the Forest of Changes by Jiao氏 has no word that does not root in the hexagram images, so I understood that the Zhou Changes are also like this. Probably, when the ancient sages composed the line statements, they clarified their minds and concentrated their thoughts, looking directly at the hexagrams to write. Suddenly, something was triggered at Jia, giving rise to statements related to the Jia image; suddenly, something was triggered at Yi, giving rise to statements related to the Yi image. Therefore, the text does not necessarily connect sequentially, and good fortune and misfortune do not necessarily follow one after another.

如《睽》卦之詞，至易見矣：方喜馬復，忽又見惡人；方見輿牛，忽又見人之天且劓；方見豕，又見鬼；方慮張弧，又喜遺壺；方慮寇，又冀雨。迷離閃灼，其詞若不從卦象生，不發狂乎？而執者解《困》之有言不信，必與上文大人吉相屬；解《震》上六「震不于其躬，于其鄰」，必與下「婚媾有言」相屬，胡能通乎？

The line statements of the hexagram Kui clearly illustrate this point: at first, the strong is happy about "losing a horse, do not chase, it will return by itself," but suddenly "evil people appear"; just seeing "a cart dragged by an ox and a bull struggling," suddenly "the person is heaven and nose-cut"; just seeing "a pig carrying mud," suddenly "a ghost cart appears"; just worrying about "a bow drawn in advance," suddenly rejoicing at "a cup offered later"; just worrying about "not a robber," suddenly hoping for "rain brings good fortune." The meaning is obscure and flickering, and if it were not generated from the hexagram's image, it would be like the ravings of a madman. Yet those who are rigid in their interpretations connect the line "there is no trust in words" of the hexagram Guan with the previous "the great man is auspicious," and connect the line "the earthquake does not affect himself, but his neighbor" of the upper sixth line of Zhèn with the following "the marriage partner speaks," which is not coherent at all.

《易林》於《解》，往往用半象。茲按《解》六三云「負且乘，致寇至」，卽用半象也。六三體離，離上艮下震，艮為負，震為乘，三正當其間，故負且乘。三上下皆坎，坎為寇，故曰致寇。自來說者皆不協，蓋《易》原用半象，故《易林》本之也。

In Jiao's Forest of Changes, when encountering the hexagram "Jie" (Release), half-figures are often used. Now, according to the line "Six in the Third" of "Jie," which says "carrying burdens and riding in a carriage, leading bandits to come," this is precisely the use of a half-figure. The line Six in the Third is located within the trigram Li (Fire). The upper half of Li corresponds to Gen (Mountain), representing carrying burdens, while the lower half corresponds to Zhen (Thunder), representing riding in a carriage. Since the line Six in the Third is exactly between these two, it is said "carrying burdens and riding in a carriage." Furthermore, both above and below this line are Kan (Water), which represents bandits. Therefore, it is said "leading bandits to come." Those who have interpreted this line in the past have not explained it properly. In fact, the Zhou Changes itself originally used half-figures, and the Forest of Changes merely continued this method.

《小過》六五曰「公弋」，卽以震為公。《易林·需之歸妹》云：「同公共母。」《歸妹》上震為公，故曰同公。又《泰之豫》云：「莊公築館。」亦以《豫》上震為公。《解》之上體震，故曰公。射亦震象，《左傳》晉筮遇《復》，云「射其元」，卽以震為射，《易林》本之。

The line statement of 《Xiao Guo》 six in the fifth says, "The public shoots at him who is in the hole." Here, Zhen is taken as the public. 《Jiao's Forest of Changes·Need to Gui Mei》 says: "The public and the commoner share the same mother." The upper trigram of 《Gui Mei》 is Zhen, which is taken as the public, hence the phrase "the public and the commoner." Again, 《Tai to Yu》 says: "Zhuang Gong builds a pavilion." Here, the upper trigram of 《Yu》 is Zhen, which is taken as the public. The upper trigram of 《Jie》 is also Zhen, so the line statement refers to "the public." Shooting is also an image of Zhen: 《Zuo Zhuan》 records that when the State of Jin consulted the oracle and encountered the 《Fu》 hexagram, the line statement said, "Shoot at his head," which takes Zhen as shooting. 《Jiao's Forest of Changes》 follows this example.

《艮之姤》云：「荷弓射魚。」《姤》通《復》，《復》下震為射，坤為魚，故曰射魚。又《巽之鼎》云：「矢石所射。」《鼎》通《屯》，《屯》下震為射，上坎為矢，艮為石，故曰矢石所射。《解》上震，故曰射；震為鵠，故亦為隼；伏巽為庸為高。蓋《解》有重險，上六出重險之外，故象曰「解悖」，坎為悖也。公用射隼于高庸之上者，言居高庸之上而射隼，象卦形，故獲（坎為獲）之無不利，非自下射上也。虞翻以三為公，以離為隼，皆因卦象失傳，故誤也。

The commentary on "Gen" and "Gou" says: "Carrying a bow to shoot fish." "Gou" and "Fu" are complementary, and "Fu" has a lower trigram Zhen (Thunder) representing shooting and a lower trigram坤 (Earth) representing fish, so it is said "shooting fish." Again, the commentary on "Xun" and "Ding" says: "Arrows and stones shot." "Ding" and "Zun" are complementary, and "Zun" has a lower trigram Zhen (Thunder) representing shooting, an upper trigram Kan (Water) representing arrows, and a middle trigram Gen (Mountain) representing stones, so it is said "arrows and stones shot." The upper trigram of "Jie" is Zhen (Thunder), so it is said "shooting." Zhen represents a bird, so it can also represent a falcon; a hidden Xun represents a wall and height, so it is said "high wall." "Jie" originally has multiple dangers, and the upper sixth line has already gone beyond the dangerous situation, so the small commentary says "to resolve contradiction," as Kan represents disorder. "The public shoots a falcon on a high wall" means standing on a high wall to shoot a falcon—this exactly corresponds to the form of the hexagram, so it can shoot and obtain (Kan represents obtaining) without any disadvantage, and it is not shooting from below. Yu Fan took the ninth line as the public and the trigram Li as the falcon, but this was wrong because the hexagram symbols had been lost.

損大象君子以懲忿窒欲。此與頤之慎言語、節飲食同也。損二至上亦頣也，此易用五爻互也。二至上正反兩震言相對，有爭訟象，故懲忿；懲忿卽慎言語也。正反兩艮手、兩震口相對，有爭食相制象，故窒慾；窒慾卽節飲食也，皆易林義也。易林《萃》之《損》云：「張王子張，爭財相制。」坤為財，兩艮手相對，故曰爭、曰制。又《大畜》之《損》云：「兩虎爭鬥。」艮為虎，正覆兩艮，故曰兩虎相鬥。夫曰相制、曰相鬥、曰爭，卽懲忿窒欲之反也，皆以正覆對象也。而虞仲翔等以乾為忿，以泰乾初居上為懲忿，坤為欲，艮止為窒慾。後治漢易者奉此說，不敢異詞。由易林證之，皆穿鑿也。乾形破卽為懲忿，說尤可哂。

The Great Image Commentary of the "Loss" hexagram says, "The superior man acts by restraining anger and suppressing desires." This is the same principle as the Great Image Commentary of the "Nourishment" hexagram, which says, "The superior man acts by being cautious in speech and regulating food and drink." The "Loss" hexagram, from the second line to the top line, also forms the shape of the "Nourishment" hexagram, which is an example of the use of five-line mutual structures in the Zhou Changes. Between the second line and the top line, there are one positive and one negative Zhen trigrams facing each other; Zhen represents speech and mouth, and two mouths facing each other indicate contention, hence the need for "restraining anger" — restraining anger is the same as the "Nourishment" hexagram's "being cautious in speech." Similarly, one positive and one negative Gen trigrams represent hands, and two Zhen trigrams represent mouths, facing each other, indicating contention over food, hence the need for "suppressing desires" — suppressing desires is the same as "regulating food and drink." These are examples of the symbolic meanings used in the Jiao's Forest of Changes. In the Forest of Changes, the entry under "Cessation" for the "Loss" hexagram says, "Zhang Wangzi Zhang, contention over wealth and mutual restriction." The "Loss" hexagram contains the Kun trigram, which represents wealth, and two Gen trigrams (hands) facing each other in contention, hence the terms "contention" and "restriction." In the entry under "Great Accumulation" for the "Loss" hexagram, it says, "Two tigers fighting." Gen represents a tiger, and in the "Loss" hexagram, the positive and negative Gen trigrams are stacked, hence the term "two tigers fighting." Any mention of "mutual restriction," "mutual fighting," or "contention" is the opposite of "restraining anger and suppressing desires" — precisely because there is originally anger and desire, it is necessary to restrain and suppress them; and all these symbolic representations use opposing positive and negative elements. As for Yu Fan (whose name was Zhongxiang), he interpreted the Qian trigram as "anger," saying that the "Loss" hexagram comes from the Tai hexagram, and that the initial Qian line of Tai moving to the top position represents "restraining anger." He also interpreted the Kun trigram as "desire," and the stopping nature of Gen as "suppressing desire." Later scholars who studied the Han dynasty interpretation of the Zhou Changes accepted this as the established view, without objection. However, when verified with the Forest of Changes, these interpretations are forced and artificial. As for the claim that the destruction of the Qian trigram shape is called "restraining anger," this is especially laughable.

益利有攸往、利涉大川解。此與蹇解之利西南同也。蹇陽居五，曰往得中，又居坤中，坤西南，故曰利西南。解陽居四，前臨二陰，曰往得眾，坤為眾，位西南，故亦曰利西南。益陽居五中，下乘三陰，故曰利往，兼蹇解二義也。毛西河謂利往指否初之四，豈知彖明曰：「利有攸往，中正有慶。」五乃中正，四不中正也。而尚詡詡自得曰：「攸往從來未解。」然如此等解，不如不解也。

The hexagram statement of the "Benefit" hexagram says, "It is advantageous to go somewhere, and advantageous to cross great rivers." This is the same principle as the "Obstruction" and "Release" hexagrams, which both mention "advantageous to the southwest." In the "Obstruction" hexagram, the yang line is in the fifth position, so the commentary on the judgment says, "Going leads to the center." The fifth line is also in the body of the "Earth" trigram, which is located in the southwest, hence the statement "advantageous to the southwest." In the "Release" hexagram, the yang line is in the fourth position, facing two yin lines ahead, so the commentary on the judgment says, "Going leads to the people." The "Earth" trigram represents the people, and since it is located in the southwest, it also says "advantageous to the southwest." In the "Benefit" hexagram, the yang line is in the fifth position and thus in the center, and it is below three yin lines, so it says "advantageous to go somewhere"—it combines the meaning of both the "Obstruction" and "Release" hexagrams. Mao Qilin (pen name Xihé) said that "advantageous to go" refers to the first line of the "Opposition" hexagram rising to the fourth position. But he never considered that the commentary on the judgment clearly states, "Advantageous to go somewhere, the middle and correct position brings good fortune." The fifth line is both middle and correct, while the fourth line is not. Mao, however, boasted that "the words 'advantageous to go' have never been interpreted before." Such an interpretation is worse than not interpreting at all.

至利涉大川，則指初言。初陽臨坤，坤為大川，陽遇陰則通，故曰利涉大川，與損二之利有攸往同也。損二前臨三陰，故利往。凡易言利往、利涉者，義無不通，特坤水象至東漢失傳，必以坎為大川，●●歧誤，而解益之大川尤扞格難通。虞翻云：「三失正，動成坎，坎為大川，故利涉大川。」大川象得矣，而利涉不知屬誰。坎陷，初不利，五亦不利，又陽遇陽則窒，尤不利也。

As for "favorable for crossing a great river," this refers to the first line. The first line is a yang line, and directly above it is the hexagram of K'un, which represents a great river (this is the interpretation held by the Shang school that "K'un represents water"). A yang line encountering a yin line indicates smooth passage, hence "favorable for crossing a great river." This is the same reasoning as in the line "favorable for going somewhere" in the second line of the hexagram of Zhen. The second line of Zhen faces three yin lines, hence it is favorable for movement. Whenever the Zhou Changes mentions "favorable for going" or "favorable for crossing," one can explain it according to this principle without difficulty. However, the image of "K'un as water" was lost by the Eastern Han dynasty, and commentators insisted on using Kan to represent "great river," (the original text here is missing two characters) leading to confusion and errors. Explaining the "great river" in the hexagram Yi is especially difficult. Yu Fan said: the third line is out of position and improper, and after change it becomes Kan, which represents a great river, hence "favorable for crossing a great river." Although this image of "great river" is obtained, it is unclear which line is actually favorable for crossing. The nature of Kan is danger and difficulty; crossing from the first line is not favorable, and crossing from the fifth line is also not favorable. Moreover, a yang line encountering another yang line results in obstruction, making it even less favorable.

益彖木道乃行解。虞翻謂三動成渙，渙舟楫象，巽木得水，故木道乃行，可謂●極。然坤卽為水，依其解，巽木得坤水，豈不益當乎？惜虞不知此象，必變坎始得水，多此波折。蓋木道乃行者，卽月令所謂行春令也。震木巽木，震為春，巽為夏初，正木德昌王之時。而中爻艮亦為木，反震亦為木，故曰木道乃行，不必因涉川而得舟楫為行也。以此為行，義小甚矣。

The Commentary on the Judgment of the Hexagram "Benefit" says, "The way of wood is then carried out." Yu Fan believed that after the third line moves, it forms the Hexagram "Dispersing," which has the image of boats and rafts. The trigram "Wind" (Xun), representing wood, receives water, hence the statement "the way of wood is then carried out." This can truly be said to have reached its extreme. In fact, the trigram "Earth" (Kun) itself represents water. According to his interpretation, the trigram "Wind" (Xun), representing wood, receiving the trigram "Earth" (Kun), representing water, would be even more appropriate. Unfortunately, Yu Fan did not understand this image, insisting on using the trigram "Water" (Kan) through a changing line to represent water, thus unnecessarily complicating things. In reality, the phrase "the way of wood is then carried out" refers to what is said in the "Monthly Ordinances" of the "Rites," namely "carrying out the spring command." The trigram "Thunder" (Zhen) belongs to wood, and so does the trigram "Wind" (Xun); "Thunder" corresponds to spring, and "Wind" corresponds to early summer, which is precisely the time when the virtue of wood flourishes and prevails. In the Hexagram "Benefit," the inner trigrams form "Mountain" (Gen), which also belongs to wood; the reverse trigram is "Thunder" (Zhen), which is also wood. Therefore, "the way of wood is then carried out." There is no need to interpret "carried out" as traveling by boat. To interpret "carried out" as boat travel is too narrow in meaning.

益彖其道大光解。大光之象，因互艮也。此與大畜彖之輝光、艮彖之其道光明，皆指艮言也。此其義，易林最多，乃至東漢而失傳。鄭康成解困卦，謂兌為闇昧。兌與艮對，兌為闇昧，艮當然為光明，乃康成知兌暗而不知艮光。至宋張浚說隨九四、徐幾說艮、吳澄說謙，始知之，乃至清又失。清治漢易者篤守東漢人說，不敢越軌，遂以家法自囿矣。

The Commentary on the Judgment of the Hexagram "Benefit" says, "Its way is greatly bright." The image of "great brightness" arises because the hexagram "Benefit" has the trigram "Kun" (Earth) emerging from its middle line. This is similar to the "glow" mentioned in the Commentary on the Judgment of the Hexagram "Great Accumulation" and the "its way is bright" mentioned in the Commentary on the Judgment of the Hexagram "Kun." All these refer to the trigram "Kun." This interpretive method is most commonly used in the Jiao's Forest of Changes, but it was lost by the Eastern Han dynasty. Zheng Xuan (styled Kangcheng) interpreted the hexagram "Obstruction" and said that the trigram "Dui" (Lake) represents darkness. Since "Dui" and "Kun" are opposite trigrams, if "Dui" represents darkness, "Kun" should naturally represent brightness. However, Zheng Xuan only knew that "Dui" was dark and did not understand that "Kun" was bright. It was not until the Song dynasty that Zhang Jun explained the line nine four of the hexagram "Following," Xu Ji explained the hexagram "Kun," and Wu Cheng explained the hexagram "Humility" that this image was once again understood. But by the Qing dynasty, this interpretation had again been lost. Scholars of the Han dynasty's Yi during the Qing dynasty rigidly adhered to the old interpretations of the Eastern Han dynasty and dared not go beyond the boundaries, thus being confined by the methods of their teachers.

損益十朋龜夬姤臀無膚解。易用覆象，莫此為著矣。損六五覆之，卽益六二，故皆曰十朋龜。夬九四覆之，卽姤九三，故皆曰臀無膚、其行次且。既濟三卽未濟四，故皆曰伐鬼方。此與明夷上六之用晉覆、復彖之用剝覆、泰上六之用艮覆、大過九五之用巽覆，義通也，此皆由易林而得其會通也。乃東漢人除荀爽謂中孚兩巽相對、虞翻謂大壯有反巽，餘用者甚少，故吾謂東漢人於覆象半信半疑也。至龜象，則以損益皆互艮象，故皆曰龜。兩貝為朋，言此龜值十朋也。

The hexagrams "Loss" and "Gain" both mention "ten tortoises," and the hexagrams "Breaking Up" and "Meeting" both mention "no skin on the buttocks." In the "Zhou Changes," the use of inverted images (reversing the hexagram's structure) is most evident in these instances. The fifth line of the hexagram "Loss" inverted becomes the second line of the hexagram "Gain," hence both mention "ten tortoises." The fourth line of the hexagram "Breaking Up" inverted becomes the third line of the hexagram "Meeting," hence both mention "no skin on the buttocks, moving with difficulty." The third line of the hexagram "Completion" is the fourth line of the hexagram "Non-Completion," so both mention "marching against the ghostly people." This is similar to the use of inverted images in the upper sixth line of "Darkening of the Light" using the hexagram "Progress," the "Commentary on the Judgment" of "Return" using the hexagram "Splitting," the upper sixth line of "Great Passage" using the hexagram "Stillness," and the fifth line of "Great Excess" using the hexagram "Wind." These are all connected through the "Forest of Changes" by Jiao. However, among the Eastern Han scholars, only Xun Shuang mentioned that the hexagram "Faithful and Kind" contains two "Wind" hexagrams facing each other, and Yu Fan mentioned that the hexagram "Great Strength" contains an inverted "Wind." Few others used the method of inverted images, so I believe the Eastern Han scholars were only half convinced of the use of inverted images. As for the image of the tortoise, it is because both the hexagrams "Loss" and "Gain" contain the structure of "Stillness," and "Stillness" represents a tortoise, hence both mention "tortoise." In ancient times, two shells made one "peng," so "ten peng of tortoise" refers to a tortoise worth ten peng.

夬卦九四聞言不信及象聰不明解。此其義亦晦茫二千年矣。虞翻謂震為言，坎為耳，震坎不正，用半象，故聞言不信也。夫以震坎半見為不信，如此解經，謂之為通，其誰信之？清毛西河、焦循、姚配中、惠氏父子之所釋，愈不協矣。易說易象之失傳，此尤顯著。

The "Gua" of "Gua" with Nine in the Fourth line "Upon hearing words, one does not believe" and the "Image Commentary" saying "The ear is not clear," the meaning of this passage has been obscure and unclear for two thousand years. Yu Fan said that "Zhen" represents speech and "Kan" represents the ear, but in the "Gua" of "Gua," both "Zhen" and "Kan" are incomplete, only appearing as "half-images," hence the phrase "Upon hearing words, one does not believe." To explain "not believing" by referring to "Zhen" and "Kan" only partially appearing is it still possible to make sense of the text? Who would believe that? The interpretations by Mao Qilin, Jiao Xun, Yao Peizhong, and the father and son Hui Zhou ti and Hui Dong in the Qing dynasty are even more inappropriate. The loss of the "Yi" and the "Yi" images is particularly evident in this passage.

夫乾為言為信，而兌口在上，與下乾相背，相背卽不信矣。是以易林姤之夬云：「兩人俱醉，相與背戾，心乖不同，訟爭恟恟。」夬乾為人，兌先天居二，故曰兩人；兌口與乾背，故曰背戾；相背卽相爭相訟，故曰訟爭恟恟。又坤之夬云：「一簧兩舌，妄言謬語。」夬下乾先天居一，故曰一簧；兌先天居二，故曰兩舌；兌口與乾言背，故妄言謬語。夫曰爭訟、曰謬妄，卽不信也，此不啻焦氏特解此爻詞矣。

In fact, the hexagram Qian represents speech and trust, while the hexagram Guai has its upper trigram Dui (Lake) representing the mouth located above, which is opposite to the lower trigram Qian below. Opposite positions signify a lack of trust. Therefore, in the Jiao's Forest of Changes, the entry for Guai leading to Guai says: "Two people are both drunk, facing opposite directions, their hearts differ, and there is a quarrel and clamor." The trigram Qian in Guai represents people, and Dui is the second trigram in the Earlier Heaven sequence, hence "two people." The mouth of Dui is opposite to Qian, hence "facing opposite directions"; being opposite leads to contention and litigation, hence "quarrel and clamor." In another entry, "Kun leading to Guai," it says: "One tongue, two tongues, false words and mistaken speech." The trigram Qian in Guai is the first trigram in the Earlier Heaven sequence, hence "one tongue"; Dui is the second trigram, hence "two tongues"; the mouth of Dui is opposite to the speech of Qian, hence "false words and mistaken speech." Whenever it speaks of "contention" or "falsehood," it refers to "lack of trust." These entries from Jiao Yanshou are essentially annotations for the line statement of the fourth line in the hexagram Guai.

又井之姤云：「各引是非。」姤反兌，與上乾亦相背，故曰各引是非。又震之泰云：「心與言反。」泰中爻震兌，皆與下乾言相背，故曰心與言反，亦不信之註解也。千年之霧障，一旦而祛，能不於焦氏易林馨香祝之哉！

The entry in the "Well" hexagram of the "Forest of Changes" (Yilin) under the "Meeting" (Gou) hexagram says: "Each leads to right or wrong." The lower trigram of "Meeting" is "Wind" (Xun), which is the reversed form of "Lake" (Dui), and it is opposite to the upper trigram "Heaven" (Qian), hence the statement "Each leads to right or wrong." The entry in the "Thunder" hexagram of the "Forest of Changes" under the "Great Passage" (Tai) hexagram says: "Heart and speech are opposite." In the "Great Passage" hexagram, the middle trigrams produce "Thunder" (Zhen) and "Lake" (Dui), both of which are opposite to the lower trigram "Heaven" (Qian), which represents speech, hence the statement "Heart and speech are opposite" — this is again a commentary on the word "untrustworthy." Once the long-standing confusion is cleared away, how could one not burn incense and pay homage, with gratitude, to Jiao Yanshou's "Forest of Changes"?

至聞之為象，指半坎無疑，故象曰聰不明也。聰卽聞，管子宙合篇「聞審謂之聰」是也。半坎耳不足，故曰聰不明，卽俗所謂不明白。不明仍謂耳，非謂目。舊注謂耳曰聰、目曰明，各有所司。若聰謂耳、明又謂目者，豈知噬嗑上九象曰：「何校滅耳，聰不明也。」耳滅坎伏，故聰不明，專指耳言，亦不指離目，舊注誤也。

As for the image of "hearing" (闻), it undoubtedly refers to half of the trigram Kan (坎), so the Image Commentary says "the ear is not clear." "Cognizance" (聪) is the same as "hearing," as stated in the chapter "Zhouhe" of the "Guanzi," which says "to hear clearly is called 'cognizance'," which is exactly this meaning. Half of Kan, the ear image is incomplete, hence "the ear is not clear," which is what is commonly said as not understanding clearly. Here, "not clear" still refers to the ear, not the eye. Old interpretations claim that the ear is called "cognizance" and the eye is called "clearness," each having its own function. If "cognizance" refers exclusively to the ear and "clearness" exclusively to the eye, then how should we interpret the Image Commentary of the line "What is the school that cuts off the ear, 'cognizance is not clear'" in the upper ninth line of "Shihhe"? There, the ear is cut off by a collar, and the trigram Kan is hidden, hence "cognizance is not clear," referring exclusively to the ear and not involving the trigram Li (离) representing the eye. Thus, the old interpretations are incorrect.

行唐尚秉和節之撰

Shang Binghe, from Xingtang in Zhili (now Xingtang County, Hebei Province), with the style name Jiezi, wrote the work.

姤象后以施命誥四方解。虞翻、翟玄、王弼皆以天下有風，風無不周，故天子法之，申命誥四方。豈知姤為夏至之卦，天子施命令多在歲首。周禮天官及秋官所謂「正月之吉，縣法象於象魏，使萬民觀治」，並宣佈於四方，是也，不聞夏至。鄭玄、王肅則又作誥四方，蓋以夏至微陰初生，奸慝潛匿，詰奸摘伏，端在此時。然觀周禮，詰奸之職多矣，於夏至無關也，似亦未協。

The Great Image Commentary of the Hexagram 50, "Gou" (Meeting), says, "The king should issue commands and proclaim them to all directions." Yu Fan, Zhai Zixuan, and Wang Bi all believed that wind pervades everywhere, so the Son of Heaven should emulate it by issuing decrees and informing all directions. But they did not realize that "Gou" is the hexagram of the summer solstice, and the Son of Heaven usually issues commands at the beginning of the year. The "Rites of Zhou" states that in the first month, the laws and images are displayed on the gate of the court, so that the people may observe the governance, and they are proclaimed to all directions. This is exactly the system in question, and there is no mention of it being held at the summer solstice. Zheng Xuan and Wang Su, on the other hand, suggested reading the phrase as "investigate all directions" (the character in the current text is "gao," but they read it as "jie"), probably because at the summer solstice, the initial signs of Yin begin to appear, and wickedness hides, making it the proper time to investigate wrongdoing and uncover hidden evils. However, upon examining the "Rites of Zhou," there are many officials responsible for investigating wrongdoing, none of whom are associated with the summer solstice, so this interpretation seems questionable as well.

案後漢魯恭傳：「五月姤用事，經曰『後以施令（注引亦作令）誥四方』，言君以夏至之日施命令，止四方行者。」章懷注云：「復卦曰『先王以至日閉關，商旅不行』，故夏至宜止行。」據此，是魯恭及章懷皆以誥四方為禁止四方行旅，與易林二至之戒「家無凶禍」說合，又與復象義通也，復象卽兼夏至言也。恭，東漢初人，疑其說近古。又漢書薛宣傳「至日休吏，由來已久」，注：「至日，冬夏至也。」夫曰休吏，則不治事也；官吏不治事，則行旅可知。疑此俗仍周之舊也。

According to the "Book of the Later Han · Lu Gong's Biography," the hexagram Gou (Encounter) is in effect during the fifth lunar month, and the text says, "The king issues commands to the four directions" (the annotation by Li Xian cites the word "command"). This means that the sovereign issues decrees on the day of the summer solstice, prohibiting travel by people in all directions. Prince Zhang Huai, the son of Emperor Zhong, explained that the "Great Image" of the hexagram Fu (Return) says, "The former kings closed the borders on the day of the solstice, and merchants and travelers did not travel." Therefore, travel should also be stopped on the summer solstice. From this, we can see that Lu Gong and Li Xian both interpreted "commanding the four directions" as prohibiting travel by people in all directions. This aligns with the cautionary words in the "Forest of Changes" by Jiao concerning the winter and summer solstices, which say "there will be no misfortune in the family," and also corresponds with the meaning of the "Great Image" of the hexagram Fu. The "Great Image" of Fu originally also refers to the summer solstice. Lu Gong was a person of the early Eastern Han dynasty, and I suspect his interpretation is closer to the ancient meaning. Additionally, the "Book of Han · Xue Xuan's Biography" says, "On the day of the solstice, officials rest," and the annotation explains that "the day of the solstice" refers to the winter and summer solstices. Since it mentions "officials rest," meaning they do not conduct official business, it is evident that travel would also be stopped. I suspect this custom has been carried down from the Zhou dynasty.

升南征吉解。虞氏謂二升五成離，為南。然經曰南征，則非指變後之離也，後來說者愈不協。茲以易林解之，則南為震象也。易林咸之升云：「南與凶俱。」升上坤，為凶；震南，故曰南與凶俱。又無妄之升云：「三鶴南飛。」升中爻震，為鶴，數三，又為南，故曰南飛。是易林明以震為南也。

The hexagram statement of 《Sheng》 says "Southward campaign is auspicious." Yu Fan believed that the second line ascending to the fifth position forms 《Li》, and 《Li》 in the later heaven direction belongs to the south. However, the text refers to "southward campaign," not the resulting hexagram 《Li》 after the change. Later interpretations became even more inconsistent. Now, using 《Jiao's Forest of Changes》 for interpretation, "south" refers to the image of 《Zhen》. 《Jiao's Forest of Changes》 under 《Xian》 changing into 《Sheng》 says: "South and misfortune are together." The upper trigram of 《Sheng》 is 《Kun》, and 《Kun》 represents misfortune; 《Zhen》 represents south, hence "South and misfortune are together." Another entry under 《Wuwang》 changing into 《Sheng》 says: "Three cranes fly south." The middle trigram of 《Sheng》 is 《Zhen》, and 《Zhen》 represents cranes, with the number three, and also represents south, hence "flying south." Clearly, 《Jiao's Forest of Changes》 explicitly uses 《Zhen》 to represent south.

然猶可曰因卦詞也。乃小畜之謙云「南國虐亂」，之師云「南至嘉國」，既濟之蠱云「冠帶南行」，睽之中孚云「南向陋室」，損之豫云「南厯玉山」，易林凡遇震卽曰南。初觀其詞，皆不知其所指；後思易升卦曰南征、明夷九三曰南狩，是易原以震為南也。

Perhaps someone might argue that this is because the Hexagram Statement of the "Upward Movement" (升) hexagram originally contains the words "southern campaign" (南征). However, the "Forest of Divination" (易林) in the "Small Accumulation" (小畜) hexagram says "south country suffering turmoil" (南国虐乱), in the "Army" (师) hexagram it says "reaching the southern prosperous country" (南至嘉国), in the "Perfecting" (既济) hexagram's "Guilt" (蛊) it says "heading south in procession" (冠带南行), in the "Parting" (睽) hexagram's "Sincerity" (中孚) it says "facing south in a humble room" (南向陋室), and in the "Loss" (损) hexagram's "Joy" (豫) it says "crossing the Jade Mountains to the south" (南厯玉山). These hexagrams, either in their original form or through their middle lines, contain the trigram Zhen (震), indicating that the "Forest of Divination" always uses the word "south" (南) whenever Zhen is involved. At first glance, these statements do not reveal where the word "south" comes from; later, thinking of the Hexagram Statement of the "Upward Movement" (升) in the Zhou Changes (周易) saying "southern campaign" (南征) and the Nine in the Third (九三) of the "Darkness over the Sun" (明夷) saying "southern hunting" (南狩), I realized that the Zhou Changes itself originally regarded Zhen as representing the south.

又左傳：晉與楚戰，筮得復，繇曰「南國蹙」。坤為國，震南，南行推陰，故南蹙，是春秋時說易卽以震為南也。自東漢以來解易誤者，由震南之象失傳也。餘前謂易林字字步趨周易，易說易象至東漢末而失傳，於是不能解易，遂亦不能解易林者，正謂此也。

Another record in the "Zuo Zhuan" states that during a battle between the State of Jin and Chu, a divination using the hexagram "Fu" (Return) yielded a commentary that said, "The southern state is pressed." In the hexagram "Fu," the trigram "Kun" represents the state, and "Zhen" represents the south. Since "Zhen" moves upward from below to overcome the yin, it is said that the southern state suffers defeat. This shows that in the Spring and Autumn period, when discussing the "I Ching," the trigram "Zhen" was already associated with the south. The errors in interpreting the "I Ching" since the Eastern Han dynasty arose precisely because the symbolic meaning of "Zhen" as representing the south was lost. I previously said that the "Jiao's Forest of Changes" follows the "I Ching" word for word, but since the interpretations and symbolic meanings of the "I Ching" were lost by the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, people could no longer understand the "I Ching," and consequently could not understand the "Jiao's Forest of Changes" either—this is exactly the kind of situation I was referring to.

升初六允升大吉及小象上合志解。允，說文引作？，進也。陰遇陽則通，故能隨陽進而上升，而大吉也。易林恆例，陽遇陰則吉，無妄初九之往吉、大畜九三之利有攸往、升九三之無所疑皆是也；陰遇陽亦吉，如革六二之征吉、巽六四之有功、渙六四之元吉、升初六之大吉皆是也。惟不當位者不盡吉，陰消陽者不與以吉。升初六雖不當位，然前臨二陽，二陽必上升，初升二得中，彖所謂柔以時升也。京氏曰：「上下見木，內外俱順。」故大吉也。

The first line of the Hexagram "Ascending" says "Allowing ascent, great good fortune." The "Small Image" explains "coinciding with the will above." The character "允" is interpreted as "advancing" according to the "Shuo Wen Jie Zi" citing the "Zhou Yi." Since the line is yin and meets a yang line, the path is clear, so the first line can follow the yang line to ascend, hence "great good fortune." Jiao's Forest of Changes has a general principle that when yang meets yin, it is auspicious, as in the first line of "Wu Wang" with "going is good," the ninth line of "Da Xu" with "favorable to go," and the ninth line of "Sheng" with "no doubt." When yin meets yang, it is also auspicious, as in the sixth line of "Ge" with "advancing is good," the sixth line of "Xun" with "achieving merit," the sixth line of "Huan" with "great good fortune," and the first line of "Sheng" with "great good fortune." However, if the line is not in the proper position, it may not be entirely auspicious, and when yin consumes yang, it is not given auspicious words. Although the first line of "Sheng" is yin in a yang position and thus not in the proper position, it is closely followed by two yang lines. These two yang lines will certainly ascend, and the first line will follow to the second position, thus achieving the middle position. This is what the "Commentary on the Judgment" refers to as "flexible yin rising at the right time." Jing Fang says "wood appears above and below, internal and external harmony," hence great good fortune.

至象曰上合志，自東漢以來皆不知上之所指。九家謂與二陽合志，略為得之；惟又謂陽升五，謂上為五，則又不協。惠氏士奇知其不安，則又以京氏八宮世應為合志，謂升世在四，應在初，上謂四也。信如是也，大畜之世應在二五，而大畜於九三曰上合志，不及二五也；小畜之世應在初四，而小畜於六四曰上合志，不及初也。則升之合志不在世應亦明矣。其餘惠棟、姚配中、張惠言等，皆遵九家說，謂上謂五，以訛承訛，經義愈晦，則以易例不明也。

As for the "Image Commentary" saying "upper harmony of will," since the Eastern Han dynasty, no one has known what the word "upper" refers to. The "Nine Schools Commentary on the Changes" says it refers to the combination of will with the two upper yang lines, which is roughly correct; however, it also says that the yang lines rise to the fifth position and that "upper" refers to the fifth line, which is incorrect. Hu Shiqi noticed this mistake and changed the explanation of "harmony of will" to be based on Jing Fang's eight palace diagrams, saying that in the "Ascending" hexagram, the world line is in the fourth line and the response line is in the first line, so "upper" refers to the fourth line. If this is true, then in the "Great Accumulation" hexagram, where the world and response lines are in the second and fifth lines, the text says "upper harmony of will" in the ninth trigram, which does not involve the second or fifth lines; in the "Small Accumulation" hexagram, where the world and response lines are in the first and fourth lines, the text says "upper harmony of will" in the sixth trigram, which does not involve the first line. This clearly shows that the "harmony of will" in the "Ascending" hexagram is not based on the world and response lines. Others such as Hui Dong, Yao Peizhong, and Zhang Huiyan followed the "Nine Schools Commentary on the Changes" and believed that "upper" refers to the fifth line, thus passing on errors and making the meaning of the Changes more obscure. This is all due to not understanding the principles of the Zhou Changes.

小畜六四之上合志，以六四前承二陽也；大畜九三之上合志，以九三前臨二陰也；升初六之上合志，亦以初六前承二陽也。易以在前者為上，不專指上，亦不專指五也。王弼云：「雖無其應，處升之初，與九二九三合志俱升。」較九家說尤適，而治漢易者不取之，則以門戶之見蔽之也。

In the hexagram "Xiao Xu," line six at the fourth position says "upper harmony of will," because line six at the fourth position is supported by two yang lines ahead of it; in the hexagram "Da Xu," line nine at the third position says "upper harmony of will," because line nine at the third position faces two yin lines ahead of it; in the hexagram "Sheng," line six at the beginning also says "upper harmony of will," for the same reason that line six at the beginning is supported by two yang lines ahead of it. The "Zhou Yi" uses "upper" to refer to the line that is ahead, not exclusively the top line or the fifth line. Wang Bi says: "Although there is no corresponding line, since it is at the beginning of the hexagram 'Sheng,' it harmonizes with the will of lines nine at the second and nine at the third, and they rise together." This interpretation is more accurate than that of the "Jiu Jia Yi," yet those who study the Han dynasty interpretation of the "Zhou Yi" do not adopt it, because they are blinded by factionalism.

升九三升虛邑。虛，祗馬訓為丘，餘皆訓為空虛，謂五虛無君，陽宜升五。按詩邶風「升彼虛矣，以望楚矣」，毛傳：「虛，漕虛也。」鄭箋：「蓋地有故墟，可登以望。」然則虛卽墟也，故釋文云「或作墟」，說文云「大丘也」。又國語實沈之虛、禮記墟墓之間、竹書紀年遂曰殷墟，益足證虛墟同為一字。此虛邑之虛，自以從毛詩為最當，而訓為墟落或殷墟之墟也。

The "Sheng" hexagram, line nine in the third position, says "ascending to a deserted city." The character "virtual" is interpreted by only Ma Rong as "qiu," while all other scholars interpret it as "empty and void," explaining that the fifth position is empty and lacks a ruler, so the yang line should ascend to the fifth position. According to the "Poetry · Bei Wind," "ascending to the empty place, to look at Chu," (now listed in the "Yong Wind · Ding Zhi Fang Zhong" in the "Mao Poetry"), the "Mao Transmission" says "virtual refers to the漕virtual," and Zheng Xuan's "Commentary" says "there was an old ruined site on the ground, which could be climbed to look afar." From this, "virtual" is the same as "xu." Therefore, Lu Deming's "Classic Interpretation" says this character can also be written as "xu," and the "Shuo Wen Jie Zi" says "xu means a large hill." Furthermore, the "Guoyu" mentions "Shi Shen's xu," the "Liji" mentions "between the graves," and the "Zhu Shu Ji Nian" directly refers to "Yin xu," which further proves that "virtual" and "xu" are originally the same character. In this context, the "virtual city" should be interpreted according to the explanation in the "Mao Poetry," meaning a village ruin or a place like Yin xu.

舊多訓為空虛，以與坤虛象合，豈知坤為邑，虛亦坤象也。易林遇升卽曰登山、曰登高，亦不訓為空虛也。又易林噬嗑之屯云：「破亡之虛，神所哀憂。」此虛字義亦同墟，與虛邑同，亦取屯中爻坤象。然則升之虛亦取象於坤明矣。

Old interpretations often take the term "virtual" to mean "empty," in order to correspond with the image of the hexagram "Kun" (Earth). But they did not realize that "Kun" is also represented by "xu" (ruin), so "xu" is also an image of "Kun." In "Jiao's Forest of Changes," whenever the hexagram "Sheng" (Increase) appears, it says "climbing mountains" and "ascending high," and does not interpret this character as "empty." Also, in the entry for the hexagram "Zun" (Obstruction) in "Jiao's Forest of Changes," it says: "a ruined place, where the spirits grieve and worry." Here, the term "xu" also means "ruin," and its usage is consistent with "xu yi" (ruined city), and it also takes the image of the second line of the hexagram "Zun" interacting with "Kun." Thus, it is clear that the "xu" in the hexagram "Sheng" also takes its image from "Kun."

升六四王用享于岐山。此以易林本象與對象雜用之例推之。四體兌，對艮，故曰山；兌西，故曰岐山。六四震體，震為王，兌食，為享，在山下，故王享於岐山。荀爽謂二升五，五為王，下成艮，故曰山，皆曲說也。

The hexagram "Ascending" (升) line six-four says, "The king uses offerings at Qishan." This passage should be interpreted using the method of the "Forest of Changes" by Jiao, which combines the original image and the corresponding image. Line six-four is located within the trigram "Dui" (Lake), which is formed by the middle trigram. The opposite trigram of "Dui" is "Gen" (Mountain), and "Gen" represents mountain, hence the mention of "mountain." "Dui" is located in the west, hence "Qishan" (Qishan is in the western land). Line six-four is also located within the trigram "Zhen" (Thunder), formed by the lines three to five. "Zhen" represents the king; "Dui" represents mouth and food, hence "offering" (祭享); the place of offering is below the mountain, hence "the king uses offerings at Qishan." Xun Shuang said that line two ascends to the fifth position, and five represents the king, while the lower part becomes "Gen" (Mountain), hence "mountain," but these are all forced and arbitrary interpretations.

困有言不信尚口乃窮解。此其義亦誤解者二千年矣。虞翻謂震為言，折入兌，故有言不信、尚口乃窮。荀爽謂陰從二升上，用否推，成兌為有言，失中為不信。張惠言謂乾為信，乾滅故不信，惠棟同。毛奇齡謂：「荀爽以否陽降成險，陰升為悅，善推易之法；虞氏以震折入兌為不信，則並以恆推易，尤為近代所罕識。」夫以震變兌為不信、否陰升上失中為不信、乾體滅為不信，為是說者，恐自審亦心謂不愜洽矣，乃二千年來不能不用其說，且驚以為神奇者，則以易象失傳，無可如何也。

The meaning of the Hexagram Statement "There is speech but it is not believed" and the Commentary on the Judgment "Over-reliance on words leads to ruin" has been misunderstood for two thousand years. Yu Fan said that Zhen represents speech, and Zhen breaking and entering Dui leads to "There is speech but it is not believed, over-reliance on words leads to ruin." Xun Shuang said that the yin line moves from the second position to the top position, using the Hexagram of Not Being, forming Dui, which is "speech," and losing the central position is "not believed." Zhang Huiyan said that Qian represents trust, and the body of Qian being destroyed leads to "not believed," and Hui Dong's interpretation is the same. Mao Qilin said that Xun Shuang's use of the Hexagram of Not Being, with yang lines descending to form danger and yin lines ascending to form joy, is a skillful method for explaining the principles of the Book of Changes; Yu Fan's explanation of "not believed" by Zhen entering Dui is a method that also includes the Hexagram of Constancy, which is especially rare in modern times. However, those who take Zhen transforming into Dui as "not believed," those who take the rising yin line in the Hexagram of Not Being losing the center as "not believed," and those who take the destruction of the Qian body as "not believed," probably feel uneasy themselves. Yet for two thousand years, people have had to follow their interpretations, even regarding them as miraculous, because the images of the Book of Changes have been lost, and there was really no alternative.

茲證之易林。坤之離云：「齊魯爭言，戰於龍門。」離中爻巽齊兌魯（兌魯說見後），故曰齊魯；離二至五正覆兩兌口相背，相背幫爭言；龍門用對象坎。離二至五與困三至上同也。又中孚之巽云：「一言不同，乖戾生訟。」巽初至四亦正覆兩兌口相背，相背故生訟；巽初至四與困三至上亦同也。夫至於相爭相訟，則言之不信也決矣。

Now let us verify this with Jiao's Forest of Changes. The entry "Kun" changing to "Li" says: "Qi and Lu contend, fighting at the龙门." The middle line of the "Li" hexagram corresponds to the "Xun" hexagram, and "Xun" represents Qi; "Dui" represents Lu (the interpretation of "Dui" as Lu will be explained later), hence "Qi and Lu." The lines two to five of the "Li" hexagram consist of two opposite "Dui" trigrams, which represent contention; "L龙门" is derived from the object of "Li," which is "Kan" (since "Kan" represents water and a river). The section of the "Li" hexagram from lines two to five is the same as the section of the "Kun" hexagram from lines three to six. Another entry, "Zhongfou" changing to "Xun," says: "A single word differs, leading to discord and litigation." The lines one to four of the "Xun" hexagram also consist of two opposite "Dui" trigrams, which cause contention and litigation; the section of the "Xun" hexagram from lines one to four is the same as the section of the "Kun" hexagram from lines three to six. When contention and litigation have reached this level, it is certain that words are not trustworthy.

故彖曰尚口乃窮。兌為口，口出言，反正皆口，故曰尚口；尚口則有言不信，不信則窮矣。此文王在獄中審視卦象，以陽皆得中，故曰亨、曰大人吉；又審視初至三正反兩兌口相背，三至上亦正反兩兌口相背，口能言，一言南，一言北，一言上，一言下，故終曰有言不信。後人每欲以此句與上大人吉連屬為義者，誤之遠矣。

Therefore, the Commentary on the Judgment says, "Excessive talking leads to ruin." The trigram兑 represents the mouth, which can speak words. Both the main trigram and the reversed trigram are mouths, so it is said "excessive talking" (emphasizing the use of words). If one only indulges in words, then "words are not trusted," and thus one becomes destitute. This is the insight gained by King Wen while imprisoned: because all the yang lines in the hexagram困 are in the central positions, it says "it is favorable" and "the great man is auspicious." Furthermore, he observed that the first line to the third line consists of one positive and one negative兑 trigrams facing each other, and the third line to the top line also consists of one positive and one negative兑 trigrams facing each other. Since the mouth can speak, one says south while another says north, one says up while another says down, so the conclusion is "words are not trusted." Later people often try to connect this sentence with the previous "the great man is auspicious" as one meaning, but they are far off the mark.

困六三困于石據于蒺藜解。巽為石，見前；坎為蒺藜。六三下據坎，故曰蒺藜；上承巽，故曰困于石。自東漢以來，皆以兌伏艮為石，豈知巽卽為石也。然非易林，不能證明易以巽為石，並不知邵子巽石之象之本於易也。

The interpretation of line six in the third position of the hexagram "Kun" ("Obstruction") says, "Trapped by stone, resting on thornweed." The trigram "Xun" represents stone, as mentioned earlier; "Kan" represents thornweed. Since line six is below the trigram "Kan," it says "resting on thornweed," and since it is above the trigram "Xun," it says "trapped by stone." Since the Eastern Han dynasty, commentators have taken the trigram "Dui" containing "Gen" as stone, but they did not realize that "Xun" itself is stone. However, without "Jiao's Forest of Changes," we would not be able to prove that the "Zhou Changes" take "Xun" as stone, and we would not know that Shao Yong's image of "Xun" as stone originally comes from the "Zhou Changes."

困九五劓刖解。以易林言劓刖之例推之，則用對象也。困上兌，通艮，艮為鼻，今艮伏兌見，鼻象不見，則劓矣。三至五巽，巽通震，震為足，今震伏巽入，足形不見，則刖矣。而九五當兌巽之間，故上象劓，下象刖。虞翻不用旁通，以四動成艮震為說，非也。

The interpretation of the line "Ni Yu" (劓刖) in the line "Nine in the Fifth" of the hexagram "Kun" (困). According to Jiao's Forest of Changes, the meaning of "Ni Yu" is derived from the image of the object (the image of the opposite). The upper trigram of the hexagram "Kun" is "Dui" (兑), which is opposite to "Gen" (艮). "Gen" represents the nose; now "Gen" is hidden and "Dui" is visible, so the image of the nose disappears, which is "Ni" (cutting off the nose). From the third to the fifth lines, the interacting trigram is "Xun" (巽), which is opposite to "Zhen" (震). "Zhen" represents the foot; now "Zhen" is hidden and "Xun" appears, so the image of the foot disappears, which is "Yu" (cutting off the feet). Since the line "Nine in the Fifth" is located between "Dui" and "Xun," it takes the image of "Ni" from above and the image of "Yu" from below. Yu Fan did not use the opposite image, but instead explained it by the change of the fourth line into "Gen" and "Zhen," which is incorrect.

井卦名解。井上坎，坎，窞也，而初至四又互大坎，則窞愈深而為井矣。雜卦云「井，通也」，卽釋此義也。自大象失傳，於是井之義愈說愈晦矣，此不可不知也。

The卦 name "Well" (井) is explained as follows. The upper trigram of the Well hexagram is Kan, which represents a pit (the term "窞" refers to the pit within Kan). Furthermore, the first to fourth lines together form a large Kan, making the pit even deeper, thus forming a well. The Zanggai Zhuan says "Well, means communication," which precisely explains this meaning. Since the principle of "Great Kan" and "Great Li" formed by combining the lines (数爻合成大坎大离) has been lost, the interpretation of the Well hexagram has become increasingly obscure. This is something that should not be overlooked.

井初六井泥不食舊井無禽解。虞翻、干寶、王弼皆以禽為禽鳥，祗崔憬謂禽獲也，禽擒同字。後說易者如朱子，如來知德、毛西河、惠棟、張惠言之屬，亦皆以禽鳥為訓。祗王夫之、王引之謂古禽擒同字，禽者獲也。引之並謂：「易凡言田有禽、田無禽、失前禽者，皆指獸言之，此禽字不當有異。」按引之所說是也。舊井有禽鳥、無禽鳥，有何義意？而各家就禽鳥穿鑿，說雖不同，而無當則一。

The interpretation of the line "The well is muddy and not drinkable, the old well has no birds" in the "Well" hexagram. Yu Fan, Gan Bao, and Wang Bi all took "qin" as referring to birds, but Cui Jing said "qin" meant "to capture," and "qin" and "qin" were originally the same character. Later commentators such as Zhu Xi, Lai Zhide, Mao Qiling, Hui Dong, and Zhang Huiyan all interpreted "qin" as birds. Only Wang Fu zhi and Wang Yin zhi believed that in ancient times "qin" and "qin" were the same character, and "qin" meant to obtain. Wang Yin zhi further said that in the Zhou Changes, whenever it says "the field has qin" (line six five of the "Militant" hexagram), "the field has no qin" (line nine four of the "Constant" hexagram), or "lost the previous qin" (line nine five of the "Comparison" hexagram), it refers to wild animals obtained during hunting, and the character "qin" here should not be interpreted differently. According to Wang Yin zhi's view, it is correct. Whether an old well that has been abandoned has birds or not, what significance could that have? Various scholars have made elaborate interpretations around the idea of birds, and although their explanations differ, they all fail to make sense.

以為焦氏易斷不如此，果於易林最後未濟之井獲其義，曰：「天旱水涸，枯槁無澤，困於沙石，未有所獲。」夫曰天旱、曰枯槁，則無水而泥矣；沙石者泥也，困於沙石則井泥，不能食也。井原以取水，今無水而泥，故曰無獲，無獲卽無禽也，易林特為此爻解也。故象曰時舍，井而不能得水，則人必棄之矣，此與田有禽、田無禽之義皆合也。然能知此者，在魏晉惟崔憬，在清惟二王。故夫二千年來，經說之多莫如易，經說之晦亦莫如易。

I am convinced that Jiao Yanshou's study of the Yi Jing would not be like this. Indeed, I found its original meaning in the last hexagram of the Jiao's Forest of Changes, the "Wei Ji" hexagram's "Jing" line: "The sky is dry and the water has dried up, the grass and trees are withered and dry, trapped by sand and stone, with nothing to gain." It says "dry sky" and "withered and dry," meaning there is no water left, only mud; "sand and stone" refer to mud, being trapped by sand and stone means "well mud," thus making it inedible. A well is originally used to draw water, but now there is no water, only mud, so it says "nothing to gain" — "no gain" is equivalent to "no bird." This line from the Forest of Changes is clearly a commentary specifically for this line statement. Therefore, the Image Commentary says "time is abandoned" (the time when it was abandoned): if a well cannot bring up water, people will certainly abandon it. This also matches the usage of "field has bird" and "field has no bird." However, only Cui Jing in the Wei and Jin dynasties, and Wang FuZhi and Wang YinZhi of the Qing dynasty, understood this. Therefore, over two thousand years, there has been no other classic with more commentaries than the Yi Jing, nor has any other classic been as obscure as the Yi Jing.