Volume Sixteen of Shang's Studies on the Zhou Changes, Lower Classic

巽。小亨，利有攸往，利見大人。初四皆承陽，故曰巽。巽，順也，順陽故小亨。往遇陽故利。陽居二五得中，故利見大人。彖日：重巽以申命，剛巽乎中正而志行，柔皆順乎剛，是以小亨，利有攸往，利見大人。巽為命令，虞書「申命義叔」，傳：申，重也。重巽以申命者，謂工者一再宣佈命令，以示鄭重也。巽為風，行莫疾於風，命令一出，傳達天下，有若於風，故巽為命也。二五中正，下陰順承，故志行。象曰：隨風，巽。君子以申命行事。重巽故曰隨風，隨，繼也、從也，言後風之隨前風也。令出惟行，萬事以治，故君子以之。

The hexagram "Xun" (Wind) indicates slight success and is favorable for going forward and meeting a great person. Both the first line and the fourth line are above the yang lines, hence the name "Xun." Xun means to be obedient; since the yin lines obey the yang lines, it is "slightly successful." Going forward meets yang lines, hence "favorable for going forward." The yang lines are in the second and fifth positions, which are central and upright, hence "favorable for meeting a great person." The "Commentary on the Judgment" says: the repeated Xun image is used to reiterate orders. The yang lines are obedient and in central and upright positions, so their aspirations are realized. The yin lines all obey the yang lines, hence slight success and favorable for going forward and meeting a great person. Xun represents orders. The "Book of Documents, Yu Annals" says, "Issue orders to Xi Shu," and Confucius explains that "issue" means to repeat. "Repeated Xun to issue orders" means the king issues orders repeatedly to show seriousness. Xun represents wind; nothing moves faster than wind across the world. When an order is issued, it spreads throughout the world like wind, hence Xun has the image of "orders." The second and fifth lines are central and upright, with the yin lines below obeying them, hence "aspirations are realized." The "Image Commentary" says: wind follows wind, this is Xun. The gentleman thus repeatedly issues orders and carries out affairs. Both upper and lower are Xun, hence "following the wind." "Following" means succession and following, meaning the subsequent wind follows the previous wind. When orders are issued and carried out, all things are thus governed, hence the gentleman imitates it.

初六，進退，利武人之貞。初臨重陽得主，故宜於進；而四無應與，故進而又退。象釋曰志疑，疑四無應也。震為武人，此巽卦也，何以利武人之占？因震巽相反覆，巽究則為震，易貴將來，故武人利也。象曰：進退，志疑也；利武人之貞，志治也。巽不果，故志疑；返震故志治，言得行其志以治天下。

Initial Line Six: Being hesitant to advance or retreat, it is advantageous for a warrior to hold firm and maintain correctness. Initially, the line is above two yang lines, thus receiving support and should advance; however, since line four is also a yin line, there is no corresponding support, so it advances and then retreats. The Small Image Commentary explains this as 'doubtful intent,' which refers to the doubt that line four does not respond. The trigram Zhen represents a warrior, but this hexagram is Xun rather than Zhen. So why does the line statement say it is advantageous for a warrior? Because Zhen and Xun are reverses of the same hexagram. When Xun is examined to its extreme, it becomes Zhen. The Zhou Changes emphasize future development, hence it is advantageous for a warrior. The Small Image Commentary says: 'Hesitation in advancing and retreating' indicates doubt in the mind; 'advantageous for a warrior to maintain correctness' indicates the mind's intent to govern. Xun is flexible and indecisive, hence 'doubtful intent'; once it returns to Zhen, it becomes strong and active, hence 'intent to govern,' meaning the ability to carry out one's will to govern the world.

九二，巽在床下，用史玉紛若，吉，無咎。巽為床，初順二，故曰巽在床下。初至四正覆兌，兌口多，故曰用史巫紛若。按周禮內史云：凡命諸侯孤卿大夫，則策命之；凡四方之事書，內史讀之。儀禮云：辭多則史。又司巫云：男巫女巫，凡邦之大栽，則歌哭而請。是史巫皆以口舌為用。而二居正反兌之間，故曰紛若，紛若言不一也。二得中故吉無咎。此義先儒無知者，只茹敦和云：巽初之陰，伏於床下，震也，於是乎用史巫以祛之，史巫雲者互兌也。象始大明。而茹氏仍不知初至三為覆兌，故紛若不得解。象曰：紛若之吉，得中也。二無應、失位、遇敵，然下孚於陰得中故吉。

Nine Two: Humility leads to being hidden beneath the bed, employing diviners and shamans to perform rituals and prayers, which brings good fortune without fault. Xun represents the bed, and initial line Six follows Nine Two, hence the phrase 'Xun is beneath the bed.' The first line to the fourth line form a combination of the upright Dui trigram and the inverted Dui trigram. Dui represents the mouth, and with many mouths, hence the phrase 'using diviners and shamans in a flurry.' The 'Rites of Zhou' states that the internal historian is responsible for issuing mandates to princes, marquises, and great officials using bamboo slips, and for reading documents from all directions. The 'Rites of Ji' says that those who speak much are called historians. The official in charge of shamans says that male and female shamans perform songs and lamentations during great calamities. Thus, diviners and shamans all rely on speech. Nine Two is located between the upright and inverted Dui trigrams, hence 'flurry.' 'Flurry' refers to a state of confusion and disorder. Nine Two is in the central position, hence it is auspicious without fault. This meaning was unknown to previous scholars, except for Ru Dunhe, who said that the hidden Yin line of Xun at the beginning is the Zhen trigram, so using diviners and shamans to remove it. The term 'diviners and shamans' refers to the Dui trigram in the interacting trigrams. The meaning of the image becomes clear at this point. Unfortunately, Ru still did not understand that the lines from the first to the third form the inverted Dui trigram, so he could not explain the term 'flurry.' The 'Small Image Commentary' says that the auspicious result from numerous prayers and rituals is due to being in the central position. Nine Two has no corresponding line, is out of position, and is in conflict with Nine Three, yet it harmonizes with the Yin line of the first line below and is in the central position, hence it is auspicious.

九三，頻巽，吝。王弼云：頻，頻蹙不樂。按玉篇顰下云：易本作頻。是頻即古文顰字。三居巽上，雖當位而下撓，故頻蹙不安而吝也。象曰：頻巽之吝，志窮也。巽為心志，上無應，下乘陽，故曰志窮。六四，悔亡，田獲三品。當位承陽，故悔亡。伏震為田獵，兌羊離牛巽豕，故田獲三品，離卦數三也。凡陰遇重陽多吉。象曰：田獲三品，有功也。有所獲，故有功。

Nine Three: He frowns repeatedly and submitswith difficultyly, feeling regret. Wang Bi says: "Freq" means furrowing the brows and being unhappy in heart. The "Pin" character in the "Yu Pian" says that the original text of the "Zhou Yi" uses "Pin," showing that "Pin" is the ancient form of "Pin." Nine Three is above the lower Xun, although it is in the proper position, but it is disturbed by the Yin line below, so it frowns anxiously and feels regret. The "Small Image Commentary" says that frequent frowning and submissive behavior lead to regret, indicating a state of mental distress. Xun represents the mind, and Nine Three has no corresponding line above, and is below a Yang line, so it is said "the mind is exhausted." Six Four: Regret disappears, hunting yields three types of game. Six Four is in the proper position and above Nine Five's Yang, so regret is gone. The hidden Zhen trigram represents hunting, Dui represents sheep, Li represents cattle, and Xun represents pigs, so it is said "hunting yields three kinds of game," with Li representing the number three. Generally, when a Yin line meets two Yang lines, it is usually auspicious. The "Small Image Commentary" says that hunting yields three kinds of game, indicating effectiveness. There is a harvest, so it is said to have merit.

九五，貞吉，悔亡，無不利，無初有終，先庚三日，後度三日，吉。九五得位，下孚於陰，故貞吉悔亡。巽為利，故無不利。震巽相反覆，無初者，言巽之初為震，震納庚，一爻當一日，故曰先庚三日。今震究為龔，故無初。有終者，言巽之究仍為震，終即後也，故曰後庚三日。以其終為震，故曰有終。震陽復故吉。先庚三日，言巽之先；後庚三日，言巽之究。與蠱之先甲三日、後甲三日義同；無初有終，與蠱之終則有始義亦同。象曰：九五之吉，位正中也。九五既中且正，故吉。

Nine Five: Maintaining correctness brings good fortune, regret disappears, there is no disadvantage, initially not smooth but ultimately successful. Three days before the day of Geng and three days after the day of Geng are auspicious. Nine Five is in the correct position, and it harmonizes with the yin line below, so 'Zhen Ji Hui Wang' (the divination is auspicious and regret disappears). Wind is favorable, so 'wu bu li' (there is no disadvantage). Thunder and Wind are reciprocal trigrams: 'wu chu' (no beginning) refers to the initial state of Wind being Thunder. Thunder in the system of Najia is paired with Geng, and one line corresponds to one day, so it is said 'xian Geng san ri' (three days before Geng). Now that Thunder has been transformed into Wind, it is said 'wu chu'. 'You zhong' (has an end) refers to Wind ultimately returning to Thunder. 'Zhong' means 'after', so it is said 'hou Geng san ri' (three days after Geng). Because it ultimately returns to Thunder, it is said 'you zhong'. Thunder's yang energy returns, so it is auspicious. 'Xian Geng san ri' refers to before Wind, 'hou Geng san ri' refers to the ultimate state of Wind. This is similar to the meaning in the 'Gǔ' hexagram of 'xian jia san ri, hou jia san ri'. 'Wu chu you zhong' is similar in meaning to the 'Commentary on the Judgment' of the 'Gǔ' hexagram 'zhong ze you shi'. The 'Small Image Commentary' says: Nine Five is auspicious because it is both in the correct position and in the center. Nine Five is both in the center and in the correct position, so it is auspicious.

上九，巽在床下，喪其資斧，貞凶。巽，順也，謂四。巽在床下，言順我者在下。上九失其輔助，故曰喪其資斧。斧、輔通用，兌為斧亦為輔，上卦兌覆，故曰喪失也。說詳旅卦。象曰：巽在床下，上窮也；喪其資斧，正手凶也。九窮於上而下撓，故貞凶。象仍釋貞為正，其義不協。

Upper Nine: It is in a position of compliance hidden beneath the bed, losing wealth and the axe. To hold to this is ominous. "Xun" means compliance, here referring to Six in the Fourth. "Xun in the bed below" indicates that those who are compliant are beneath me. Upper Nine has lost its support, hence it is said "to lose wealth and the axe." "Ax" and "support" were used interchangeably in ancient times. The trigram "Dui" represents both the axe and support. Since the upper trigram is an inverted "Dui," it is said "to lose." This interpretation was already explained in the Upper Nine of the "Travel" hexagram. The "Small Image Commentary" says: compliance hidden beneath the bed indicates being at the top and reaching the extreme; losing wealth and the axe, it is ominous for the correct position. Nine is at the top and has reached the extreme, while below it is disturbed by yin lines, hence "upright omen is ominous." The "Small Image" still interprets "Zhen" as "correct," which is inconsistent with the meaning.

兌。亨牙貞。兌，悅也。兌何以悅？以一陰見於二陽之上，陽得陰而悅也。剛中柔外，與泰義合，故亨。陰陽相遇，故利貞。彖曰：兌，說也。剛中而柔外，說以利，是以順乎天而應乎人。說以先民，民忘其勞；說以犯難，民志其死。說之大，民功矣哉。

The hexagram of Dui is favorable, beneficial for maintaining the correct path (the original text says "hen ya zhen," where "ya" is a mistake for "li"). Dui represents joy. Why does Dui represent joy? Because a yin line appears above two yang lines, and when yang receives yin, joy is generated. The strong is within and the flexible is outside, which aligns with the meaning of the hexagram Tai, hence it is favorable. The meeting of yin and yang makes it beneficial to maintain the correct path. The Commentary on the Judgment says: Dui is joy. The strong is in the center and the flexible is outside, achieving benefit through joy, so above it follows the heavenly way and below it responds to human hearts. Leading the people with the way of joy, the people forget their toil; facing danger with the way of joy, the people forget death. The way of joy is indeed great, and the people are thus encouraged.

陰陽相遇故悅，悅故利貞，所謂保合太和、各正性命也。五天位，上順之，故日順乎天，互巽為順也。三人位，巽於二，故日應乎人，互巽為應也。三至上大坎，坎為民、為勞、為險難、為棺郭（左木），故為死。而三至上正反兌，坎民來往，皆在兌說之中，故役之而忘勞，犯難而不知死也。兌見在上，故曰先民。先民說，先使民悅也，故民勸。

Yin and yang meeting brings joy, and joy brings benefit to maintaining the right path, which is what the Commentary on the Judgment of the Qian hexagram says: "Preserve the great harmony, and each establishes its own destiny." The number five represents the heavenly position, and the upper sixth line follows it, so it is said "following heaven." The interacting lines form the hexagram Xun, which signifies following. The number three represents the human position, and the sixth line in the third position is humble and follows the ninth line in the second position, so it is said "responding to humanity." The interacting lines also form Xun, which signifies response. The third line to the top line forms a great Kan, which represents the people, labor, difficulties, and coffins, so it also represents death. The third to the top line also forms a great Dui and an inverted Dui, with Kan representing the people moving in and out, entirely within the joy of Dui. Thus, employing them makes them forget their labor, and sending them to face difficulties makes them disregard life and death. Dui appears at the top, so it is said "the people before." "First making the people joyful" means first making the people happy, and the people are thus encouraged.

象曰：麗澤兌，君子以朋友講習。玉篇：麗，偶也。周禮夏官校人「麗馬一口（內辛）」，注：麗，耦也。又士冠禮「主人酬賓，束帛儷皮」，注：儷皮，兩鹿皮。古文儷作離，離傳云「離，而也」，是麗一儷通，仍耦也。重兌故曰麗澤，猶重巽日隨風。其以互離為義者，非也。

The Great Image Commentary says: Two lakes connected, this is the Hexagram of Dui; the gentleman thus studies and discusses with friends. The "Yu Pian" says "Li, evenness." The "Rites of Zhou · Summer Officials · Xiao Ren" mentions "Li Ma Yi Yu," and Zheng's commentary explains "Li, couple." The "Rites of the Youth · The Ceremony of the Adult Rite" states "the host presents a bundle of silk and two deer hides," and the commentary explains "Li Pi" refers to two deer hides. In ancient texts, "Li" was written as "Lv." The "Commentary on the Judgment" of the Hexagram of Li says "Li, evenness" — this shows that "Li" and "Lv" are synonymous, both meaning paired or even. Since both upper and lower parts are Dui, it is called "Li Ze," just as both upper and lower parts are Xun and it is called "Sui Feng." Some people use the mutual trigrams of Li to explain "Li," which is incorrect.

陰陽相遇相悅為朋友，兌口故曰購習。初至五正反兌相對，正朋友互相講習之象，故君子法之。虞翻謂兌二陽同類為朋。夫陽遇陽，陰遇陰，則為害為敵，昆與中孚皆言之，豈得為朋友？又云伏艮為友，蓋取義於損六三「一人行則得其友」。豈知艮之為友，以一陽上行，遇二陰為友，與兌之以一陰下降，遇二陽為朋友同，皆取義於陰陽相遇。朋友之詁既誤，於是卦無艮兌而言朋者，必百計變動以求兌象，甚至用參同契納甲之法，謂八日兌象月見了，以解坤彖之得朋，凡易之言朋者，無不誤矣。

When yin and yang meet and harmonize, that is called "friendship." The trigram Dui represents mouth, so it is said "to speak and study." The first line to the fifth line, the trigram Dui and its inverted form are opposite to each other, which symbolizes friends discussing and studying with each other. Therefore, the gentleman takes this as a model. Yu Fan said that the two yang lines in Dui are of the same type and are called "friends." However, yang meeting yang and yin meeting yin only cause harm and conflict. Both the trigram Gen and the hexagram Zhongfū mention this. How can they be called friends? He also said that the hidden Gen trigram is "friend," probably taking the meaning from the line statement of the hexagram Shen, line six three, "if one person travels, he will find his friend." But he did not realize that the reason Gen is called "friend" is because a yang line rises and meets two yin lines. This is similar to the reason Dui is called "friend," which is because a yin line descends and meets two yang lines. Both are based on the meeting of yin and yang. If the explanation of "friend" is wrong, then whenever a line statement mentions "friend" in a hexagram that does not contain Gen or Dui, commentators will try every means to adjust the hexagram and its lines to fit the image of Dui. They even resort to the method of Najia from the "Cantongqi," saying that on the eighth day of the first month, the image of Dui appears at the position of Ding, to explain the line statement of the hexagram Kun, "to gain a friend." In this way, all instances of "friend" in the "Zhouyi" are made correct.

初丸，和兌，與二並行，故曰和。當位故吉。初與二本為敵，卦以兌說為義，和以處之，自然吉矣。象曰：和花之吉，行未疑也。初得敵，故疑於二；和以處之，故行不疑。損三云「三則疑也」，易於陽遇陽相疑相忌之故，言之至為明白矣，乃失傳何哉。

Initial Nine: It is joyful to get along harmoniously (the original text says 'initial丸' which should be 'initial Nine'). Initial Nine and Nine Two walk together, so it is said 'harmonious'; Initial Nine is in the proper position, so it is auspicious. Initially, Initial Nine and Nine Two were both yang lines and thus opposed, but this hexagram establishes its meaning through the joy of the trigram Dui (Lake). By approaching each other with harmonious and gentle attitudes, it naturally becomes auspicious. The Small Image Commentary says: Joyful harmony brings auspiciousness, indicating no doubts in action. Initial Nine meets an opponent, so there is doubt towards Nine Two; by using harmonious interaction, there is no doubt in action. In the hexagram 'Loss', the Small Image Commentary says 'Three is doubtful', and the Zhou Changes clearly explain the principle that when two yang lines meet, they are suspicious and jealous of each other. How could this principle have been lost in later generations?

九二，孚兌吉，悔亡。孚於三，陽遇陰故吉；得中，故悔亡。象曰：孚兌之吉，信志也。陽遇陰故志得伸。巽為志，三巽主爻，二遇之，故信志。六三，來兌凶。在內稱來，來就二陽以為悅，行為不正則有之，無所謂凶。但三本多凶，又不當位，來而不正遂不宜矣。象曰：來兌之凶，位不當也。來而不當位，故凶。

Nine Two: By being sincere and trustworthy, one finds joy, and regret disappears. Nine Two above is in harmony with Six Three, and since a yang line meets a yin line, it is auspicious. Also, since it is in the central position, regret vanishes. The Small Image Commentary says: Being sincere and trustworthy brings joy, because the heart's aspirations are fulfilled. When a yang line meets a yin line, the heart's aspirations are fulfilled. Xun represents the heart's aspirations, and Six Three is the main line of the Xun trigram. Nine Two meets it, so it is said 'trustworthy aspirations'. Six Three: Coming to seek joy, it is凶. Within the inner trigram, this is called 'coming'. Six Three comes down to be close to the two yang lines in order to seek joy, but its actions are not proper. It would not naturally be凶. However, the third line is usually凶, and Six Three, being yin in a yang position, is not in the right place. Coming to seek joy but acting improperly, thus it is not appropriate. The Small Image Commentary says: Coming to seek joy leads to凶, because it is not in the right position. Coming but not in the right position, thus it is凶.

九四，商兌未寧，介疾有喜。四不當位，無應，前又遇陽，似不吉。然而有喜者，以下履陰也。小畜九五曰有孚，履九四曰志行，皆以下遇陰而吉，此與之同。商，量度也。商兌者，以初至五正反兌相對，而四若與下對語者，故曰商兌，講習之象亦以此也。三至五巽，進退不果，故未寧。互大坎為疾，乃四獨履陰，志行，是疾去也。介，助也，詩以介眉壽是也。介疾有喜者，言助疾使愈，兌悅故有喜也。象曰：九四之喜，有慶也。九四獨履陰，履陰故有喜，故曰有慶。

Nine in the Fourth: It repeatedly deliberates on whom to please but remains unsettled; it assists the sick and brings joy. Nine in the Fourth is a yang line in a yin place, thus not in the right position, and has no responding line. Moreover, it is preceded by Nine in the Fifth, a yang line, which seems unfavorable. Yet it still brings joy, because it is below Six in the Third, a yin line. The Nine in the Fifth of the hexagram Xiao Xu says 'having sincerity,' and the Nine in the Fourth of the hexagram Li says 'will is carried out,' both because they meet a yin line below and thus achieve good fortune. This line is similar in principle. 'Shang' means deliberation and consideration. 'Shang Dui' refers to the fact that the first line to the fifth line forms two pairs of the hexagram Dui (Lake) and its reverse, and Nine in the Fourth seems to be conversing with the line below, hence 'Shang Dui.' The meaning of 'talking and learning' in the Great Image also comes from this. The lines three to five form the trigram Xun (Wind), which is indecisive in advancing and retreating, hence 'not settled.' The mutual trigram is Great Kan (Water), which represents illness, but Nine in the Fourth alone is below a yin line, thus its will is fulfilled, which means the illness departs. 'Jie' means assistance. The 'Jie' in the Book of Poetry, as in 'Jie Mei Shou,' means this. 'Jie Ji You Xi' means assisting the sick to recover, and Dui (Lake) represents joy, hence there is joy. The Small Image Commentary says: the joy of Nine in the Fourth brings good fortune. Nine in the Fourth alone is below a yin line, thus it steps on yin and brings joy, hence it is said 'there is celebration.'

九五，孚于剝，有厲。陽遇陰則通，故二五皆孚於三上。然吉凶不同者，兌為秋，六三當正秋，萬物成熟，故二孚之而吉。若上六則為季秋，其辰在戌，其卦為剝，雜卦云「剝，爛也」，當此時萬物荒落，陽氣為陰所剝將盡矣，九五若再享於是，必為所剝無疑也，故曰有厲。象曰：孚于剝，位正當也。以人事言，上六處悅之極，是小人佞悻之尤；九五當人君之位，而見近此等小人，其為禍有不可勝言者。象曰位正當，言正當人君之位，不可與上六近也。上六，引兌。引，開弓視的也。伏艮為手，故引兌，言上六來就五陽以為悅，猶射者之志於的也。象曰：上六引兌，未光也。兌門（內音）昧，故未光。

Nine Five: Trusting in the upper sixth, which is about to fall away, brings danger. Yang meets Yin and they should be in harmony, so Nine Two and Nine Five each connect with Six Three and Upper Six respectively, yet their outcomes differ. Dui represents autumn, and Six Three is at the middle of autumn when all things are mature, so Nine Two connects with it and gains good fortune. Upper Six, however, corresponds to late autumn, with its stem being Xu and its hexagram being "Pei," which the "Zaguan Zhuan" says means "decaying." At this time, all things wither, and Yang energy is nearly completely eroded by Yin. If Nine Five still trusts Upper Six, it will certainly be harmed, hence the warning of "danger." The "Xiaoxiang Zhuan" says: Trusting in something that is decaying is because the position is appropriate. In terms of human affairs, Upper Six is at the peak of joy and is the most cunning and deceitful of small people. Nine Five, who holds the position of a ruler, yet draws near such a person, will face incalculable misfortune. The "Xiaoxiang Zhuan" says "position is appropriate," meaning that Nine Five is in the proper position of a ruler and should not be close to Upper Six. Upper Six: Drawing joy. "Drawing" means drawing a bow and aiming at the target. Hidden Gen represents the hand, so "drawing Dui" means that Upper Six comes down to approach the five Yang lines in order to gain joy, like a bowman focusing entirely on the target. The "Xiaoxiang Zhuan" says: Upper Six draws joy, but its way is not broad. Dui represents darkness, hence "not bright."

渙。亨，王假有廟，利涉大川，利貞。舊解皆以風行水上，渙散為說。然如渙王居、渙其躬等爻辭，散義皆不通。按太玄擬渙為文，司馬光云：揚子蓋讀渙為煥。案渙即有文義。淮南子說山訓「夫玉潤澤而有光，渙乎其有似也」，注：文采似君子也。後漢書延篤傳「渙爛其溢目」，注：渙爛，文章貌。是渙本有文義，故歸藏作奐。禮檀弓「美哉奐焉」，釋文：奐本亦作煥。是揚子之讀，與古訓合。卦坎為赤，震為玄黃，巽為白，而風行水上，文理爛然，故為文也。為文則於爻辭無扦格矣。震為王，艮為廟，假，至也，言王有事於宗廟。震為舟，在水上，故利涉，皆中爻象。

The Hexagram of Dispersal is smooth, the king personally goes to the ancestral temple, it is favorable to cross a great river, and favorable to maintain the right path. Old interpretations all use "wind moving on water, dispersing" to explain this hexagram, but phrases like "the king resides in dispersal" and "his body disperses" do not make sense if taken to mean "disperse." According to Yang Xiong's "Ta Xuan," he took "Huan" as "Huan," meaning brilliance. The character "Huan" originally contains the meaning of literary brilliance. The "Huainanzi · Shuo Shan Xun" says, "The jade is moist and lustrous, like Huan, which resembles it," and the annotation says that "Huan" refers to the literary brilliance of a gentleman. The "Later Han Shu · Yan Du Zhuan" says, "Huan lan its overflowing eyes," and the annotation says "Huan lan" means the literary brilliance shining brightly. This shows that "Huan" originally had the meaning of literary brilliance, so the "Gui Cang" hexagram uses "Huan." The "Liji · Tan Gong" says, "Beautiful is Huan," and the "Classic Xisheng" says "Huan" is also written as "Huan." This shows that Yang Xiong's reading agrees with ancient interpretations. In terms of the hexagram's image, Kan represents red, the interacting Zhen represents black and yellow, and Xun represents white, while wind moving on water creates bright ripples, hence "literary brilliance." Interpreting it as "literary brilliance" makes all the line statements make sense. Zhen represents the king, Gen represents the temple, "ji" means to arrive, meaning the king personally goes to the ancestral temple for worship; Zhen represents a boat, which moves on water, hence "favorable to cross a great river" — these are all derived from the images of the middle lines.

彖曰：渙亨，剛來而不窮，柔得位乎外而上同。王假有廟，王乃在中也。利涉大川，乘木有功也。剛來居二，臨一陰則陷，二陰則通，故曰不窮。四當位，上承一陽固吉，承二陽尤吉。上同者，與小畜六四、升初六之上合志同也，言孚於五上也。震為舟，古刳木為舟，五乘之，故曰乘木，乘木即乘舟。

The Commentary on the Judgment says: The hexagram "Dispersing" is smooth because the yang lines descend to the second position without reaching a state of hardship, and the yin lines in the outer trigram are in proper positions and align with the superior trigram. "The king comes to the temple" means the king is in the central position. "It is advantageous to cross a great river" means riding on a wooden boat and achieving success. A yang line descending to the second position, if only adjacent to one yin line, would be in danger, but if adjacent to two yin lines, it becomes smooth, hence it is said "not exhausted." The line six in the fourth is in a proper position; it is auspicious to support one yang line above, and even more auspicious to support two yang lines. The term "upper harmony" refers to the same concept as "upper alignment of will" mentioned in the small image of the hexagram "Small Accumulation" line six and the hexagram "Ascending" line one. It means to be sincere and in harmony with the nine in the fifth and the nine at the top. Zhen represents a boat; ancient people carved large wood into boats, and the nine in the fifth rides on it, hence "riding on wood," which means "riding on a boat."

象曰：風行水上，渙。先王以享于帝立廟。亨帝則禮儀繁盛，立廟則楹桷巍煥，皆屬於文，正釋卦義也。初六，用拯馬壯吉。震為馬，初承之，故曰拯馬。鄭云拯承也。拯馬即承陽，震健故壯吉。此與明夷六二象同，故辭同，故象傳皆以順釋之，拯順也。象曰：初六之吉，順也。言陰順陽，以順釋拯義也。

The Great Image Commentary says: Wind moves upon the surface of water, which is the meaning of the hexagram "Dispersing." The ancient kings used this principle to worship the heavenly deities and establish ancestral temples. Worshiping the heavenly deities involves elaborate rituals, and establishing ancestral temples involves lofty and bright beams, both of which belong to "culture" or "civilization," thus explaining the meaning of the hexagram's name. The line statement for the first line says: A strong horse used for rescue is auspicious. Zhen represents a horse, and the first line is above Zhen, so it is called "rescue horse." Zheng Xuan says "rescue" means "to support." "Rescue horse" refers to supporting the yang. Zhen is characterized by strength and vigor, so it is called "strong and auspicious." This line shares the same symbolic meaning as line two of the hexagram "Darkness over the Sun," so the line statement is the same. Both the Small Image Commentaries use "smoothness" to explain it, and "rescue" is interpreted as "smoothness." The Small Image Commentary says: The first line is auspicious because it is smooth. This refers to the yin following the yang, using "smoothness" to explain the meaning of the character "rescue."

九二，渙奔其機，悔亡。焦循云：漢百官公卿表虎賁郎注「賁讀與奔同」，據是奔賁古通，奔其機即賁其機。按機即几筵之幾，廟中所用物；賁，文飾也。艮為幾，震為玄黃，故賁其機。得中，遇陰，故侮亡。象曰：渙奔其機，得願也。陽遇重陰志行，故曰得願，舊解無有知其故者。六三，渙其躬，無悔。艮為躬，渙其躬，即行有文也。得陽應，故渙其躬無悔。象曰：渙其躬，志在外也。巽為志，應在上，故志在外。

Nine in the Second: He decorates his table, and regret disappears. Zhao Xuan said: The annotation of "Huaben Lang" in the "Book of Han" states that "Ben" is read the same as "Ben." Therefore, the characters "Ben" and "Ben" were interchangeable in ancient times. "Ben its machine" is equivalent to "Ben its machine." "Machine" refers to the "ji" in "ji yan," which is an object used in ancestral temples. "Ben" means decoration. Gen represents the table, and Zhen represents the colors of dark yellow and dark blue, so it is said that he decorates his table. Nine in the Second is in the center and meets a yin line, so regret disappears. The Small Image Commentary says: Decorating the table is fulfilling his wish. A yang line meeting two yin lines allows his aspirations to be realized, so it is said "he gets his wish"; none of the old annotations understood the reason. Six in the Third: He decorates himself, and there is no regret. Gen represents the body, and "Huan its body" means acting with elegance. Six in the Third receives the yang line from Upper Nine, so he decorates himself without regret. The Small Image Commentary says: Decorating himself means his aspirations are external. Xun represents aspirations, and Six in the Third corresponds to Upper Line, so it is said "aspirations are external."

六四，渙其群，元吉，渙有丘，匪夷所思。坎為眾為群，四體艮，艮為光明，在坎上，故渙其群。承陽故元吉。艮為丘，丘陵所以設險，今去坎險而復遇山險，故曰匪夷所思。夷，平也、常也，言為恆常所不料也。象曰：渙其群元吉，光大也。遇陽故光大。按象曰光大，亦釋渙為文。

Six Four: It brings the people to be radiant with culture, resulting in great good fortune; within this radiance there are hills and ridges, which is not something ordinary people can imagine. Kan represents the people and the crowd, and Six Four belongs to the structure of Gen, which represents brightness. It is located above the water of Kan, so it is said 'to disperse the crowd'; Six Four is supported by the yang of Nine Five, so it is said 'original good fortune'. Gen also represents hills, and hills and ridges are used to set up barriers and dangers. Now that it has just left the danger of Kan water, it encounters the danger of mountain ridges, so it is said 'not something ordinary people can imagine'. 'Yi' means level and ordinary, meaning this is not something that can be predicted in the ordinary way. The Small Image Commentary says: making the people radiant and achieving great good fortune is because of the great brightness. Six Four meets yang, so it is great and bright. The Small Image says 'great and bright', which also interprets 'huan' as cultural brilliance.

九五，渙汗其大號，渙王居，無咎。吳先生曰：汗，連綿字。愚按上林賦「采色皓（左水）汗」，注：玉石符采映耀也。渙汗益與汗同，與渙爛亦同。巽為號令，渙汗其大號，即頒佈光顯其號令，如風之無不屆也。艮為居，五君位，故曰王居。渙王居，言工居巍煥也。五履萬民之上，故光大如此也。得中故無咎。象曰：王居無咎，正位也。五位中正，故曰正位。五無應，然無咎者，以得中也。

Nine Five: The great decree is issued clearly and brilliantly, the king's dwelling shines brightly, and there is no fault. Wu said: "Huanhan" is a compound word. I follow the "Shanglin Fu" which mentions "caise hao han," with a note explaining that it refers to the interplay of the colors of jade; "huanhan" has the same meaning as "hao han," and also the same meaning as the previously cited "huan lan." Xun represents commands, so "huanhan qi da hao" means issuing the decree with brilliance and clarity, like wind that reaches everywhere. Gen represents dwelling, and five is the king's position, so it is said "wang ju" (the king's dwelling); "huan wang ju" means the king's dwelling is lofty and brilliant. Nine Five is high above the people, so it shines so greatly. Nine Five is in the center, so there is no fault. The Small Image Commentary says that the king's dwelling has no fault because the position is correct. Nine Five is in the central and upright position, so it is said "zheng wei" (correct position). Nine Five originally has no responding line, yet still has no fault, because it is in the center.

上九，渙其血去逖出，無咎。血古文恤字，逖與惕音同通用。小畜六四「血去惕出」，與此同也。詁選為遠者非。應在三，坎為憂惕。王國維云：古易狄同字，山海大荒東經井竹書皆云王亥乇（左言）於有易，而楚辭天問作有狄；又簡狄古今表作簡遏。按漢書王商傳「車無怵愁憂」，師古云：狄（下心），古惕字。故虞翻注云：逖，憂也。與小畜六四詁惕為憂同，是虞即以邀惕同字。

Upper Nine: The brightness is clear, the concern and anxiety depart, and there is no fault. "Blood" is an ancient form of "xu" meaning concern; "ti" is homophonous and interchangeable with "ti." In "Xiao Xu" Six Four, "xue qu ti chu" is used in the same way. The interpretation of "ti" as "far" is incorrect. Upper Nine should correspond to Six Three, where Kan represents anxiety and vigilance. Wang Guowei said: In ancient times, "Yi" and "Di" were the same character. Both "Shanhai Jing·Dahuang Dong Jing" and "Zhu Shu Ji Nian" say "Wang Hai tuo yu you yi," while "Chu Ci·Tian Wen" writes it as "you di." Also, "Jian Di" in "Jin Gu Ren Biao" is written as "Jian E." In "Han Shu·Wang Shang Zhuan," there is "che wu chu ti you," and Yan Shiguan said "xi" is an ancient form of "ti." Therefore, Yu Fan's commentary says "ti, worry," which is the same as interpreting "ti" as worry in "Xiao Xu" Six Four. This shows that Yu Fan also regarded "ti" and "ti" as the same character. Wang Guowei cited these different texts to prove that the ancient pronunciations of "Yi," "Di," and "Ti" were close and interchangeable. Therefore, the "ti" in this line should be read as "ti," referring to inner vigilance, not the meaning of "far."

上九應在三，三坎為憂惕，而上九高出卦上，去坎險即遠，又不為互艮所止，與大畜上九義同。渙，其光明貌。渙其恤去惕出，言光明在上，憂患自免也。句法與論語渙乎其有文章同。象曰：渙其血，遠害也。坎為害，上去三遠，故曰遠害。

The upper ninth line corresponds to the sixth line in the third position. The sixth line in the third position belongs to Kan, representing worry, fear, and vigilance. However, the upper ninth line is at the top of the entire hexagram, far away from the danger of Li and Kan, and is not obstructed by the interacting element Gen. This is similar to the meaning of the upper ninth line in the hexagram Da Xu. "Huan" means radiance or brilliance. "Huan qi xu qu ti chu" means that when there is radiance above, worries and fears naturally disappear. This sentence structure is similar to the phrase "Huan hu qi you wen zhang" in the Analects. The Small Image Commentary says: bright and the worries depart, indicating the removal of harm. Kan represents harm, and since the upper ninth line is far from the sixth line in the third position, it is said "far from harm."

節。亨，苦節不可貞。坎居西方，兌又居西，合為一處，故曰節。節，信也。古剖竹為符，合以取信，故說文云：節，竹約也。序卦云：物不可以終離，故受之以節。節之用在合，故與離對文。又曰節而信之，是序卦即以節為符信也。凡卦名皆從卦象生，震為竹，而二至五正反震，兩竹相合，則信成矣，而坎為信也。

The hexagram "Jie" (Restraint) is smooth and unimpeded. Excessive and harsh restraint should not be adhered to. The trigram Kan (Water) is located in the west, and the trigram Dui (Lake) also resides in the west; both are combined in one place, hence the hexagram is named "Jie." "Jie" refers to a symbol of trust. In ancient times, people would split bamboo into two parts as a symbol, and the two halves would be joined together to signify trust, as stated in the "Shuo Wen Jie Zi" ("Explanation of Characters") which says, "Jie, bamboo tied together." The "Xu Gua Zhuan" ("Sequence of Hexagrams") says, "Things cannot remain separated forever, hence it is followed by Jie." The function of Jie is "to join," so it is paired with Li (Fire) as its opposite. The "Xu Gua Zhuan" also says, "Jie and trust," indicating that the "Xu Gua Zhuan" indeed treats Jie as a symbol of trust. All hexagram names arise from their trigrams: Zhen (Thunder) represents bamboo. In this hexagram, the second line to the fifth line form a correct Zhen trigram and an inverted Zhen trigram, which are two bamboo symbols joined together, thus establishing the symbol of trust. Additionally, Kan itself has the image of trust.

苦節向無通詁。虞翻命三變成離，火炎上作苦，以說苦節，而後儒多從之，誠以詁苦為甚為過，皆不安也。按周禮考工記「辨其苦良」，史紀五帝紀「舜陶於河濱，器皆不苦窳」，皆以苦為惡。節所以取信，苦窳則以持久，不能符合，故曰苦節不可貞。自先天象失傳，節字失詁，於是苦節之義，遂亦失矣。又坎為破，兌毀折，按卦象節易苦窳，戒之所以慎始也。

The terms "苦节" have never been adequately explained. Yu Fan interpreted the third line as changing into Li (Fire), using the idea of fire rising upward to produce a bitter taste to explain "苦节." Later scholars mostly followed his interpretation because interpreting "苦" as "very" or "excessive" seemed unstable. According to the "Zhou Li · Kao Gong Ji," there is a mention of "辨其苦良," and in the "Shi Ji · Wu Di Ben Ji," it says "Shun made pottery by the riverbank, and all the vessels were not coarse or bad," both using "苦" to mean coarse or poor quality. The purpose of a seal is to establish trust; if the seal is coarse or poor, it is difficult to last, and the two halves cannot fit together, hence the saying "苦节不可贞." Since the earlier heaven's卦位 (positions) have been lost, the meaning of "节" has been lost, and so has the meaning of "苦节." Moreover, Kan represents breaking, and Dui represents destruction, so according to the卦象 (images of the hexagrams), seals are inherently prone to damage and coarseness, hence the warning to be cautious from the beginning.

象曰：不出戶庭，知通塞也。初應在坎，坎為通；二遇敵，不能應四，故曰塞。知其塞不出戶庭，以求通，故曰知通塞。吳先生曰：易以陽在前為塞，陰在前為通。初之不出，以九二在前，故曰知通塞。二則可出而不出，故有失時之凶也。

The Small Image Commentary says: Not going out of the gate or courtyard is understanding the difference between openness and blockage. Initially, the first line is in the坎 (water) trigram, which represents openness; the second line is of the same type and opposes it, preventing it from corresponding with the fourth line, so it is called "blockage." The first line knows that the path is blocked, so it stays within the gate and courtyard waiting for the time of openness, hence it is said "knowing openness and blockage." Master Wu said: The Zhou Changes take a yang line in front as blockage and a yin line in front as openness. The first line does not go out because the second line is blocking the way, so it is called "knowing openness and blockage"; the second line is able to go out but does not, hence there is the danger of missing the right time.

九二，不出門庭，凶。互艮為門庭，二比重陰，陽遇陰則通，通則利往，乃竟不出，是失時也，故凶。象曰：不出門庭凶，失時權也。艮為時，極，中也。說文極棟也，棟居屋脊，當屋之中，故極為中。失時極，即失時之中也。

Nine in the Second: Not going out the door, ominous. The mutual trigrams form Gen, which represents the door and courtyard. Nine in the Second is adjacent to both Six at the Beginning and Six in the Third, which are yin lines. Yang meets yin and thus communication is possible; when communication is possible, it is appropriate to go out. However, it does not go out, thus missing the opportunity, hence ominous. The Small Image Commentary says: Not going out the door and being ominous is missing the proper timing. The original text says 'losing the time authority,' where 'authority' should be 'extreme.' Gen represents time; 'extreme' means center. The Shuo Wen Jie Zi says 'extreme means the beam,' the beam is at the ridge of the roof, exactly in the center of the house, so 'extreme' has the meaning of 'center.' 'Losing the time extreme' means missing the proper measure of timing.

六三，不節若，則嗟若，無咎。三失位無應，故曰不節。震為笑，震反為艮則嗟矣。離九三云「不鼓缶而歌，則大耋之嗟」，與此象義並同也。王弼云：若，辭也，語助辭也。順二故無咎。象曰：不節之嗟，又誰咎也。言其咎在己。六四，安節亨。得位有應，上承九五，艮止為安，故安節亨。象曰：安節之亨，承上道也。言能承上不失其道。

Six Three: Inability to regulate leads to lamentation, but there is no blame. Six Three is a yin line in a yang position and is out of place, and also has no responding line, so it is said 'not regulating'. Zhen represents laughter, and when Zhen is reversed to become Gen, laughter becomes lamentation. The Li hexagram's Nine Three says 'without drumming on a jar and singing, there is the lamentation of old age', the symbolic representation and meaning are the same as this line. Wang Bi says: 'If' is a particle used for speech, a mere auxiliary word. Six Three follows and supports Nine Two, so there is no blame. The Small Image Commentary says: Inability to regulate leading to lamentation, who can blame? It means the fault lies with oneself. Six Four: Being at ease with regulation, it is smooth and prosperous. Six Four is in a proper position and has a responding line, it supports Nine Five, Gen represents stillness and is called 'ease', so it is said 'being at ease with regulation is smooth'. The Small Image Commentary says: Being at ease with regulation and being smooth, it is the way of following and supporting the superior. It means being able to follow the superior without losing the correct path.

九五，甘節吉，往有尚。說文：甘，美也；美，甘也。而坎為美脊，故坎有美象，甘節即美節也。節而美善，方可用以取信，與下苦節為對文。五當位居中，下乘重陰，正位居體，故甘節吉。爻在外為往，往得尊位，居之不疑，故曰往有尚。虞氏強命二變應五，以釋往字，豈知爻在外即曰往，泰否之大小往來可證也。象曰：甘節之吉，居位中也。艮為居，五中位。上六，苦節貞凶，悔亡。甘為美則苦為惡，坎為破，故曰苦節。節為信約，窳惡則不能符合，故貞凶。得位故無悔。象曰：若節貞凶，其道窮也。在上無應故窮。

Nine in the Fifth: Sweet restraint is auspicious; going forward is esteemed. The "Shuo Wen" says, "Gan means beauty," and "Mei means sweet." The trigram Kan represents beauty, indicating that Kan has the image of "sweet." "Sweet restraint" refers to beautiful restraint. Restraining oneself in a beautiful way can be used to establish trust, contrasting with the "bitter restraint" of the Sixth at the Top. Nine in the Fifth is in the central position, below two yin lines, occupying the correct position and the central part of the hexagram, hence "sweet restraint is auspicious." When a line is in the outer trigram, it is called "going forward." Going forward and occupying a noble position, living in peace without doubt, thus it is said "going forward is esteemed." Yu Fan forced the second line to change to correspond with the fifth, using this to explain the word "going forward." But he did not realize that when a line is in the outer trigram, it is called "going forward." The clear evidence is the "small going and great coming" and "great going and small coming" in the hexagrams Tai and Po. The "Small Image Commentary" says: "Sweet restraint is auspicious because it is in the central position." The trigram Gen represents dwelling, and the fifth line is the central position. Sixth at the Top: Bitter restraint, if held fast, is ominous, and regret disappears. "Sweet" is beauty, "bitter" is evil. Kan represents breaking, hence "bitter restraint." Restriction is a pledge, and a broken seal cannot be matched, hence "贞凶" (maintaining fidelity is ominous). Sixth at the Top is a yin line in a yin position, hence no regret. The "Small Image Commentary" says: "Bitter restraint held fast is ominous, because its path has reached its end." Sixth at the Top is at the extreme of the hexagram and has no corresponding line, hence it is at the end.

中孚。豚魚吉，利涉大川，利貞。上卦節，節信也。節何以為信？以中爻兩震竹相合。中孚初至五象與節同，仍兩竹相合，而在中四爻，故曰中孚。孚，信也。歸藏曰大明，大明者，離日晉順而麗乎大明是也。是以小過為坎，大明為離，取義與周易微異也。

The卦 of Zhongfu indicates that offering small pigs and fish, which are light offerings, is auspicious, and it is favorable for crossing a great river and maintaining uprightness. The previous卦 is Jie, which means "regulation" or "symbol of trust." Why does the卦 of Jie signify trust? Because the middle lines of Jie form two Zhen (Thunder) trigrams, which resemble bamboo symbols joined together. The卦 of Zhongfu, from its first line to fifth line, also takes the same symbolic form as Jie, with two bamboo symbols joined together, but the joining occurs at the fourth line, hence it is called Zhongfu, meaning "central trust." "Fu" means trust. The Gui藏易 refers to this卦 as "Daming," meaning "great brightness," which refers to the image of the Li (Fire) trigram, the sun. TheCommentary on the Judgment of the卦 of Jin says, "smooth and bright with the great brightness," referring to Li. This shows that the Gui藏易 takes the卦 of Xiao Guo as Kan (Water) and this卦 as Daming, which is Li, with a meaning slightly different from the Zhou易.

巽為豚為魚，魚象人知之，豚即失傳。豈知後初云「贏豕孚滴（左足）躅」，即以巽為豕。易林在有之後「牝豕無假（左犬）」，旅之遁「彭生為為豕」，皆以巽為豕。蓋坎為豕以其隱伏，巽為伏，故亦為京。而中孚正覆巽，豚魚合居於中，故吉。

The trigram Xun can represent both a pig and a fish. The image of a fish is well known to everyone, but the image of a pig has been lost. In fact, the line "a weak pig with faithfulness and restless movement" in the first line of the Gou hexagram uses Xun to represent a pig. In "Jiao's Forest of Changes," the hexagram Da You changing into Gou says "a female pig without a boar," and the hexagram Lu changing into Dun says "Peng Sheng becomes a pig," both using Xun to represent a pig. Probably, the reason Kan represents a pig is because it takes its meaning from concealment. Xun is precisely "concealed," so it also represents a pig. The Zhong Fu hexagram has Xun above and below, so the images of both the pig and the fish are combined in the hexagram, hence it is auspicious.

坤為大川，震為舟為虛為木，五履重陰，乘震舟之上，故曰利涉大川。傳釋曰乘木舟虛。按渙傳云「乘木有功」，乘木即乘舟；又益傳云「木道乃行」，木亦謂舟。據王應麟所輯鄭注云：舟謂集板如今船（原作自，阮校詩谷風正義云：自當為船），空大木為之曰虛，即古又名曰虛，總名皆曰舟。據鄭注木舟虛三者，平列為義，皆船也。利貞，傳釋為應乎天。五天位，三四皆陰爻，陽得陰則通，陰順陽故曰應乎天。

The hexagram K'un represents a great river, and Zhen represents a boat, emptiness, and wood; the Nine in the Fifth is directly above two yao of the阴 type, which is precisely on top of Zhen, the boat. Therefore, it is said, "It is advantageous to cross the great river." The Commentary on the Judgment explains this as "riding on a wooden boat and emptiness." The Commentary on the Judgment of the hexagram Huan says, "riding on wood brings merit," where "riding on wood" refers to riding on a boat. The Commentary on the Judgment of the hexagram Yi says, "the way of wood is then carried out," where "wood" also refers to a boat. According to Wang Yinglin's compilation of Zheng Xuan's annotations, a boat is made by joining wooden planks, similar to today's ships (the original text mistakenly wrote "self" instead of "ship," as noted by Ruan Yuan in his commentary on the "Poetry · Valley Wind"正义, which states that "self" should be "ship"). A large piece of wood hollowed out is called "xu," and in ancient times it was also known as "xu"; all these are collectively referred to as "boat." Thus, in Zheng's annotations, the terms "wood," "boat," and "xu" are used in parallel, all referring to a boat. Shang's extensive citation of Zheng's annotations is because the phrase "riding on wood boat xu" in the Commentary on the Judgment has traditionally been interpreted as riding on an empty wooden boat, but actually these three terms are parallel names for different types of boats and do not imply emptiness. As for "li zhen," the Commentary on the Judgment explains it as "responding to heaven": the number five is the position of heaven, and the numbers three and four are both yin lines. Yang gaining yin leads to communication, and yin following yang, so it is said, "responding to heaven."

彖曰：中孚，柔在內而剛得中，說而巽，孚乃化邦也。豚魚吉，信及豚魚也。利涉大川，乘木舟虛也。中孚以利貞，乃應乎天也。中爻艮為邦，艮邦震舟震象皆失傳，詳焦氏易詁。象曰：澤上有風，中孚君子以議獄緩死。玉篇獄謂之牢，又謂圜土。中爻艮止為獄，兩艮相合，則圜獄也。震為言故議獄，兌為毀折，故曰死。議獄緩死，欲孚及罪人而向善也。

The Commentary on the Judgment says: The hexagram of Zhongfu, has flexible lines in the inner trigrams and strong lines in the middle, with the lower trigram representing joy and the upper trigram representing yielding, thus enabling sincerity to influence the state. "A pig and fish are auspicious" indicates that sincerity extends even to small creatures like pigs and fish. "It is advantageous to cross great rivers" refers to traveling on a wooden raft. The hexagram of Zhongfu is advantageous for maintaining correctness because it corresponds to the heavenly way. The middle trigrams form a mutual Geng trigram, representing the state; the images of Geng representing the state and Zhen representing a boat have been lost, see Jiao's Glosses on the Changes. The Great Image says: Wind over a marsh, this is Zhongfu; the gentleman uses this to review cases and commute capital punishment. The Zuyuan says: prison is also called lao and yuan tu. The mutual Geng trigram in the middle represents stopping, thus representing prison; two Geng trigrams combined form a circular prison. Zhen represents speech, thus "reviewing cases"; Dui represents destruction, thus "death". Reviewing cases and commuting capital punishment is to hope that sincerity can reach criminals, enabling them to change their ways and become virtuous.

初九，虞吉，有它不燕。儀禮士虞禮注，釋虞為安。初陽遇陽不宜動，與節初同。節初九不出戶庭無咎，即謂安吉也。它謂四，四巽為隕落。有它謂不安於初，不顧二阻，而它往應四，則不燕也。燕與宴通，亦安也。兌為燕，四巽兌覆，故曰不燕。易林小畜之兌隨之革，皆曰燕雀銜茅，則皆以兌為燕。除易林外，他無用者，故易林為易象數（上草）。象曰：初九虞吉，志未變也。巽為志，志未變，言安於初而不應四。

Initial line nine: Being in a stable position brings good fortune, but if one moves elsewhere, it will lead to unrest. The Zheng annotation of the "Yili · Shi Yu Li" interprets "yu" as meaning stability. Initial line nine is a yang line, and there is another yang line before it, so it is not suitable for reckless movement. This is similar to the initial line nine of the "Jie" hexagram, which says, "Not leaving the gate or courtyard, no blame," meaning that stability brings good fortune. "It" refers to line six four. Line six four belongs to the structure of Xun and has an image of falling. "Having it" means not being content with the initial position, and disregarding the obstruction of line nine two, and moving upward to respond to line six four, which will lead to unrest. "Yan" and "yan" are interchangeable, both meaning stability. Dui represents "yan," and line six four, which is in the Xun structure, is an inverted Dui, so it is said "not yaning." Both "Xiao Xu" and "Zhi Ji" in the "Jiao Shi Yi Lin" mention "yanque xian mao," using Dui to represent "yan." Apart from the "Yi Lin," no one else uses this image, so the "Yi Lin" is the source of the imagery and numerical patterns of the "Zhou Yi." The "Xiao Xiang Zhuan" says: Initial line nine is stable and brings good fortune, indicating that the mind has not changed. Xun represents the mind, and "the mind has not changed" means staying in the initial position and not responding to line four.

九二，鳴鶴在陰，其子和之。我有好爵，吾與爾靡之。震為鶴，為鳴，為子。陰，山陰。二至五正反震，下震鶴鳴于山陰，三至五震反，如聲回答，若相和然，故曰其子和之。其子謂覆震，非互震，判然二物也。易林大有之屯云「嗟嗟所言」，嗟嗟，對語也，屯初至五亦正覆震相對，與中孚同。又同人之中孚云「衣裳顛倒」，震為衣，三至五震覆，故曰顛倒。渙之中孚云「聞言不信」，震言，三至五震覆，故不信。不信取其相反，子和取其相對，仍同也。

Nine Two: A crane is calling in the north of the mountain, and its young ones respond in harmony. I have fine wine, and I wish to share it with you. Zhen represents a crane, a call, and a child; "yin" refers to the north side of the mountain. The second line to the fifth line forms a correct Zhen on top of an inverted Zhen: the lower Zhen represents the crane calling on the north side of the mountain; the Zhen from the third to the fifth lines is inverted, like a response echoing back, as if they are singing in harmony, so it is said, "its young ones respond." Here, "its young ones" refers to the inverted Zhen, not the mutual Zhen, and the two are clearly distinct. In "The Forest of Changes" from Jiao's commentary on the Great Possession and the Obstruction, it says, "Alas, what is spoken," where "alas" indicates mutual conversation; the first to fifth lines of the Obstruction also form a correct Zhen and an inverted Zhen facing each other, similar to the Zhongfu. Again, in Zhongfu of Tongren, it says, "clothing is upside down," where Zhen represents clothing, and the Zhen from the third to fifth lines is inverted, hence "upside down"; in Hun of Zhongfu, it says, "not believing what is heard," where Zhen represents speech, and the Zhen from the third to fifth lines is inverted, hence "not believing." "Not believing" takes its meaning from the opposite, while "responding in harmony" takes its meaning from the mutual, and the principles of taking images remain consistent.

而二至五亦正反艮，艮納丙為山陽，下二至四艮覆，則山陰矣，而二正當其處，故曰鳴鶴在陰。易林頤之中孚云「熊羆豺狼，在山陰陽」，正覆良故既曰熊羆，又曰豺狼。上艮為山陽，下覆艮為山陰也，故曰在山陰陽。易林釋此語，可謂明白矣。

Furthermore, the lines from the second to the fifth also form a correct stack of the mountain trigram (Geng) and its inverted version: the mountain trigram is paired with Bing in the Najia system, representing the southern side of the mountain; the inverted mountain trigram below represents the northern side of the mountain, and the Nine in the Second line is precisely in this position, hence the phrase 'the cry of a crane in the shade.' The 'Forest of Changes' by Jiao mentions in the Zhongfu hexagram that 'brown bears, jackals, and wolves are in the mountain's yin and yang'—because both the upright and inverted mountain trigrams are present, it refers to both bears and jackals; the upper mountain trigram represents the southern side of the mountain, while the inverted mountain trigram below represents the northern side, hence the phrase 'in the mountain's yin and yang.' The explanation given by the 'Forest of Changes' for this statement is as clear as day.

山陰之義，知者甚鮮，後獨茹敦和以陰為山陰，而取義於兌。兌者艮之反，艮山陽，兌山陰，義不本易林，而取義與易林同。故夫有清一代之易家，主張自己，不隨聲附和者，莫茹氏若也。爵，說文飲器，酒尊也。震為尊為爵為嘉，故曰好爵。正覆震相對，故曰吾與爾靡之。孟喜云：靡，共也。貞我悔彼，爾謂五，言二五共此爵也。象曰：其子和之，中心願也。巽為心志，鳴和全在中四爻，故曰中心願。

The concept of "mountain shade" is understood by very few. Later, only Ru Dunhe interpreted "shade" as the north side of the mountain, but he derived his meaning from the trigram Dui. Dui is the opposite trigram of Gen, which represents the south side of the mountain, while Dui represents the north side. His interpretation does not originate from the Yi Lin, but coincides with its meaning. Among the scholars of the Yi during the Qing dynasty, none showed more independent thinking and did not follow the crowd as Ru did. "Jue" is said in Shuowen to be a vessel for drinking and holding wine. Zhen represents a vessel, a cup, and beauty, so it is said "good cup." The upright Zhen and inverted Zhen face each other, so it is said "I share this cup with you." Meng Xi said "mi means to share." In divination, the inner trigram represents "Zhen" (the self), and the outer trigram represents "Hui" (the other). "Er" refers to the line nine in the fifth position, meaning that line nine in the second position shares this cup with line nine in the fifth. The Small Image Commentary says: young birds respond to it, expressing a sincere wish. Xun represents the mind, and the sounds of calling and responding are all in the middle four lines, so it is said "sincere wish."

六三，得敵，或鼓或罷，或泣或歌。子夏傳三與四為敵，故曰得敵。荀爽曰：三四俱陰，故稱敵也。中四爻艮相反覆，震為鼓，艮止故罷。罷疲通，音婆，下與歌葉，諸家或作罷音非也。震為歌，震反則泣矣，與艮為山陽、艮反為山陰義同也。蓋三不當位而遇敵，故不常如此也。得敵與頤二之失類，艮之敵應，為易義之根本，所關甚大。乃得敵韓子夏與苟知之，失類則無知者，致陰遇陰陽遇陽之處皆失解，可喟也。象曰：或鼓或罷，位不當也。義見前。

Six in the Third: encountering an enemy of the same kind, sometimes beating drums and advancing, sometimes becoming weary and resting, sometimes weeping, sometimes singing. The *Zi Xia Transmission* says: Three and Four are enemies, so it says 'meeting an enemy.' Xun Shuang says: Three and Four are both yin lines, so they are called 'enemy.' The fourth line is the reverse of the *Gen* trigram, which represents mountain, so it is 'resting.' 'Resting' and 'weary' are similar in meaning, and is pronounced 'po,' which rhymes with the following 'song.' Different scholars have read it as the original character's pronunciation, which is incorrect. The *Zhen* trigram represents song, and when *Zhen* is reversed, it becomes weeping. This is similar to the *Gen* trigram, which represents mountain south and mountain north when reversed. Therefore, the meaning is the same. Probably because Six in the Third is not in the proper position and meets an enemy, its behavior is so inconsistent. 'Meeting an enemy' relates to the *Yi* hexagram's Six in the Second 'losing the category,' and the *Gen* hexagram's 'enemy response,' which are fundamental principles of the *Zhou Yi.* However, 'meeting an enemy' is known by Zi Xia and Xun Shuang, but 'losing the category' is not understood by anyone, leading to confusion in all instances where yin meets yin or yang meets yang. This is truly regrettable. The *Small Image Commentary* says: sometimes beating drums and sometimes resting, indicates being in an improper position. The meaning is explained above.

六四，月既望，馬匹亡，無咎。兌為月，十五日日月望，乾象月盈甲。十六日平明，巽象月退辛。六四巽主，故曰既望。既王弼作幾，孟荀皆作既，孟云十六日也，作既於巽象方切。震為馬，四匹在初，馬匹亡，言不應初而承上也。承陽故無咎。象曰：馬匹亡，絕類上也。陰陽相遇方為類，舊解皆以陰遇陰為類，故全易類宇皆失詁。絕者決也，言四遇三敵，不能應初；類上即承上也。九五，有孚攣如，無咎。五下乘重陰，得類，故曰有孚，言孚於二陰也。攣繫也，戀也，前書李夫人傳「攣攣顧念我」。有孚攣如者，言繫攣三四也。五得位，故無咎。象曰：有孕攣如，位正當也。五既中且正。

Six Four: The moon has passed the fifteenth, the full moon, and the horse has lost its mate, with no fault. The trigram Dui represents the moon, and on the fifteenth day the sun and moon are in opposition. According to the method of Najia, the trigram Qian represents the moon at its fullest on the first day (Jia). On the sixteenth day, at dawn, the trigram Xun represents the moon waning on the eighth day (Xin). Six Four is the main trigram of Xun, so it is said to be 'after the full moon.' The character 'ji' in Wang Bi's version is 'ji,' while Meng Xi and Xun Shuang both use 'ji,' with Meng Xi saying it refers to the sixteenth day. Using 'ji' in the context of the Xun trigram is more appropriate. The trigram Zhen represents a horse, and the mate of Six Four is at the beginning (Chu Ji). 'The horse has lost its mate' means it does not respond to Chu Ji but instead ascends to support Wu Five. Supporting the yang is why there is no fault. The Small Image Commentary says: the horse losing its mate means it has cut off its connection with the lower trigrams and ascends. Yin and yang meeting is called 'class,' but old annotations have taken yin meeting yin as 'class,' so the word 'class' in the entire Zhou Yi has lost its correct meaning. 'Cut off' means decision, referring to Six Four encountering Six Three, a similar trigram, and being unable to respond to Chu Ji. 'Class above' means ascending to support Wu Five. Nine Five: Having sincerity and not letting go, there is no fault. Nine Five is below two yin trigrams and has found its mate, so it is said 'having sincerity,' referring to harmonizing with trigrams Three and Four. 'Luan' means to tie or to be attached. The Han Shu, Li Fu Shen Zhuan, has 'luan luann gu nian wo.' 'Having sincerity and being attached' means it is tied to trigrams Three and Four. Nine Five is in the proper position, so there is no fault. The Small Image Commentary says: having sincerity and not letting go is because the position is proper. Nine Five is both in the center and in the proper position.

上九，翰音登于天，貞凶。曲禮曰：雞曰翰音。巽為雞，為高，居翼卜又居卦之極上，故曰翰音登于天。上應在三，三震為翰為音也。巽下隕，故貞凶。王注翰高飛也。飛音者，音飛而實不至之謂也。居卦之上，華美外揚，虛聲無實，故不可久長。象曰：翰青登於天，何可長也。窮上失位，下虛，故不長。翰音取象皆在應，非只巽雞。易無一字不由象生，觀此益信矣。震翰象失傳，詳焦氏易詁。

The topmost line, Nine at the Top: The crowing of a chicken soars high into the heavens, but if it remains fixed in place, it will be ominous. The "Rites of the Rituals" says that during sacrifices, a chicken is referred to as "Han sound." The trigram Xun represents a chicken and also signifies elevation. Nine at the Top is located within the trigram Xun and occupies the highest position in the hexagram, hence it is said "Han sound ascends to heaven." Nine at the Top corresponds to line Six in the Third, which belongs to the trigram Zhen. Zhen represents "Han" and "sound." However, the nature of Xun is to descend, hence "uprightness brings misfortune." Wang Bi's commentary says "Han" refers to high flight; "flying sound" means the sound rises but the physical form does not follow. Being at the top of a hexagram, it is ornate and outwardly prominent, yet it has only empty sound without substance, so it cannot endure. The "Small Image Commentary" says: How can a sound that soars high into the heavens last long? Nine at the Top is at the extreme end of the hexagram and is out of position, with the lower part empty, hence it cannot last long. The imagery of "Han sound" is found in the responding line, not only in Xun representing a chicken. Every character in the "Zhou Changes" arises from imagery, and observing this line further confirms this. The imagery of Zhen as "Han" has been lost, as detailed in "Jiao's Glosses on the Changes."

小過。亨利貞，可小事，不可大事。飛鳥遺之音，不宜上，宜下，大吉。過之為義，彖傳即不明釋，故訖無定解。後儒於是有以經過為說者，端木國瑚謂兌巽過乾之左右，故曰大過；艮震過坤之左右，故曰小過。有以過越為說者，朱震謂大過陽過陰，大者過越也；小過四陰二陽，小者過越也。前一說人只見於端木氏，後一說則易家多從之。

The hexagram Xiao Guo is favorable and beneficial for maintaining the correct path, suitable for small matters but not for great ones. A flying bird leaves its sound; it is not suitable to go upward, but suitable to go downward, resulting in great good fortune. The meaning of the word "over" remains unclear, as the Commentary on the Judgment does not explicitly explain it, leading to no definitive interpretation throughout history. Later scholars have offered various interpretations, some using "passing through": Du Mu Guo Hu said that Dui and Xun pass through the left and right of Qian, hence the hexagram is called Da Guo; while Gen and Zhen pass through the left and right of Kun, hence the hexagram is called Xiao Guo. Others use "exceeding": Zhu Zhen said that Da Guo refers to yang exceeding yin, a great exceeding; while Xiao Guo has four yins and two yangs, a small exceeding. The first interpretation is found only in Du Mu's view, while the second interpretation is followed by most Yi scholars. Du Mu Guo Hu was a Qing dynasty Yi scholar, and Zhu Zhen was a Song dynasty Yi scholar; Shang氏 first presented these two old interpretations thoroughly in order to lay the foundation for the subsequent critical analysis and the establishment of a new interpretation.

然尚有五陽五陰之卦，何以不言過？且漢人以大過為死卦，陽過盛而反死，又何說乎？如謂四陽為上下二陰所束縛故死，則小過四陰包二陽，胡以不謂之死乎？又四陽在中為大過，四陰在中何以不謂為小過，而必以四陰在外者為小過乎？是皆可疑，而先儒無言者。

But the I Ching also contains hexagrams with five yang lines and one yin line, and five yin lines and one yang line. Why are these not called "excess"? Moreover, Han dynasty scholars regarded the hexagram of Great Excess as a death hexagram, stating that excessive yang leads to death. How should this be explained? If it is said that four yang lines are bound by the two yin lines above and below, leading to death, then why is the hexagram of Small Excess, which has four yin lines enclosing two yang lines, not called a death hexagram? Furthermore, if four yang lines in the middle are called Great Excess, then why is the hexagram with four yin lines in the middle not called Small Excess, but instead the hexagram with four yin lines outside is called Small Excess? These points are questionable, yet no previous scholars of the classics have mentioned them.

按太玄擬大玄過為失，云「陰大作賊，陽不能得」，言陽為阻賊，而失其用也。擬小過為羨為差，云「陽氣贊幽，推包羨爽，未得正行」，言震陽本可直出，乃為上下四陰所包，推排曲抑，仍有羨爽。羨，邪曲；爽，差也。蓋大過按卦氣時當小雪，窮陰極寒，故陽氣極衰；小過時當立春，陽氣闢，本可無阻，乃為陰氣所包，仍不免小有回曲。大小過純以卦義言，不以陰陽多少言也。

According to Yang Xiong's "Ta Xuan," the hexagram "Da Guo" is introduced with the term "shi," meaning "loss," which describes how yin obstructs yang, causing yang to lose its function. The hexagram "Xiao Guo" is introduced with the terms "xian" and "cha," meaning "excess" and "difference," which describe how yang energy is suppressed by the four yin lines above and below, leading to a deviation from the correct path. "Xian" refers to deviation, while "cha" refers to error. According to the theory of hexagram qi, "Da Guo" corresponds to the solar term Xiaoxue, when yin is at its peak and cold is extreme, so yang energy is at its weakest. "Xiao Guo" corresponds to the solar term Lichun, when yang energy begins to emerge, but is still constrained by yin, resulting in slight deviations. This shows that "Da Guo" and "Xiao Guo" are named based on their hexagram meanings, not on the number of yin and yang lines. Yang Xiong's approach of aligning hexagrams with seasonal changes clearly explains the concept of "guo" (excess) through the sequence of yin and yang changes, which is exactly what Shang氏 considers the most accurate interpretation of the original meaning.

卦二五陰得中，二陰承重陽故亨，陰牝陽故利貞。陰得中故可小事，陽失位而不中，故不可大事。左傳昭五年筮遇明夷之謙曰「日之謙當鳥」，日之謙即離變艮，變艮而曰當鳥，是以艮為鳥。易林本之，以艮為黔啄為鳥，詳焦氏易詁。小過下艮故曰鳥，上震故曰飛鳥，而震為覆艮，是上下皆鳥，故傳曰有飛鳥之象焉。

In this hexagram, the two yao (lines) at positions six-two and six-five, which are yin lines, each occupy the central position, and the two yin lines support the two yang lines in the middle, hence achieving smoothness and success. Yin follows yang, so it is advantageous to maintain correctness. Since the yin lines are in the central position, it is said "it is suitable for minor matters"; however, the yang lines are not in their proper positions and also not in the center, hence it is said "it is not suitable for major matters." The "Zuo Zhuan" records in the fifth year of Duke Zhao that a divination resulted in the hexagram "Mingyi" changing to "Qian," stating "the sun's humility corresponds to the bird" — "the sun's humility" refers to the transformation of Li into Gen, and the transformation into Gen is described as "corresponding to the bird," indicating that Gen is taken as representing a bird. "Jiao's Forest of Changes" follows this reasoning, taking Gen as representing a black-beaked bird or a bird, as detailed in "Jiao's Glosses on the Changes." The lower trigram of "Xiao Guo" is Gen, hence it is said "bird"; the upper trigram is Zhen, hence it is said "flying bird"; and Zhen is the inverted Gen, so both upper and lower trigrams represent birds, hence the "Commentary on the Judgment" states "there is an image of a flying bird."

宋衷謂二陽在內，上下各二陰，有似飛鳥舒翮之象。虞翻則用卦變，雲小過從晉來，晉上離為鳥。惠士奇謂古飛非通用，小過即非字象，故曰飛鳥。愈演愈寄，皆艮鳥象失傳之過也。遺，送也。震為音。茹敦和云：下艮為反震，口向下若送音於人者，故飛鳥遺之音。上謂五，五失位而乘陽；正謂二，二當位而承陽，故上不宜而下大吉也。

Song Zhong said that two yang lines are inside and there are two yin lines above and below, resembling the image of a flying bird spreading its wings. Yu Fan, however, used the concept of changing hexagrams, stating that the hexagram of Xiao Guo comes from Jin. The upper trigram of Jin is Li, representing a bird. Hui Shiqi said that in ancient times, "fei" and "fei" were used interchangeably. The shape of the hexagram of Xiao Guo resembles the character "fei," hence the phrase "flying bird." The interpretations become increasingly forced, all due to the loss of the lost image of Gen representing a bird. "Yi" means to send, and Zhen represents sound. Ru Dunhe said: the lower trigram Gen is inverted Zhen, with the mouth facing downward, resembling sending sound to others, hence "flying bird sending its sound." "Shang" refers to line six in the fifth position, which is out of place and overpowers a yang line; "Xia" refers to line six in the second position, which is in the correct position and supports a yang line. Therefore, upward movement is not advisable, but downward movement is highly auspicious.

彖曰：小過，小者過而亨也。過以利貞，與時行也。柔得中，是以小事吉也。剛失位而不中，是以不可大事也。有飛鳥之象焉，飛鳥道之音，不宜上宜下，大、，上邊而下順也。艮為時。剛失位指四，不中指三。有飛鳥之象，謂上下卦皆艮也，非如宋衷之解。艮為鳥，上艮覆故曰逆，下反是故順。又五乘剛故逆，二承陽故順。

The Commentary on the Judgment says: The hexagram "Small Crossing" refers to a small thing that oversteps and yet achieves success. To overstep while being favorable to upholding the right path is to move in harmony with the times. The yao that are flexible and in the center bring good fortune for small matters; the yao that are strong but out of position and not in the center are not suitable for great matters. The hexagram contains the image of a flying bird, which leaves its sound behind. It is not favorable to go upward but favorable to go downward, resulting in great good fortune. Going upward is against the trend, while going downward is in harmony with it. The trigram艮 represents time. "Strong yao out of position" refers to the nine in the fourth line, and "not in the center" refers to the nine in the third line. The phrase "there is the image of a flying bird" means that both the upper and lower trigrams are艮, and this is not as interpreted by Song Zhong. The trigram艮 represents a bird, and the upper trigram艮 is inverted, hence it is "against the trend"; the lower trigram is not inverted, hence it is "in harmony with the trend." Furthermore, the six in the fifth line is riding over a strong yao, hence it is against the trend, while the six in the second line supports a yang yao, hence it is in harmony with the trend.

象曰：山上有雷，小過。君子以行過乎恭，喪過乎哀，用過乎儉。震為行，恭或為艮象。兌毀折故曰喪，震為樂，震反為艮，故為哀。儉亦或為艮止象。舊解皆用卦變，無確詁，姑測其義如此。又三者皆過之微，即治小過之義也。初六，飛鳥以凶。艮為鳥，四雖有應，二得敵，應予阻格，又失位，故凶。象曰：飛鳥以凶，不可如何也。言應困難。

The Great Image Commentary says: Mountains with thunder, this is the hexagram of Small Excess; the gentleman thus behaves with slight excess in reverence, in mourning with slight excess in sorrow, and in expenditure with slight excess in frugality. Zhen represents movement; "reverence" may take the image of Gen. Dui governs destruction, hence "mourning"; Zhen represents joy, and when inverted it becomes Gen, hence sorrow; "frugality" may also take the image of Gen's stillness. Old interpretations all use changes of the hexagram to explain, but they lack precise explanations, so I make this tentative interpretation. Moreover, reverence, sorrow, and frugality are all only slight excesses, which is precisely the way to deal with "small excess." Initial Six: A flying bird thus incurs misfortune. Gen represents birds. Initial Six, although it has a corresponding line with Nine Four, is opposed by Six Two, which is of the same type, thus its path is blocked, and since it is in an improper position, it incurs misfortune. The Small Image Commentary says: A flying bird thus incurs misfortune, because it is unavoidable. This means the path of seeking correspondence is difficult.

六二，過其祖，遇其妣，不及其君，遇其臣，無咎。艮為祖，二承三故過其祖。巽為妣，二當巽初，故遇其妣。爾雅母曰妣，妣謂二，祖謂三。二應在五，五震為君，乃五不應，故不及其君。良為臣，三艮主爻，二承之，故遇其臣。艮為祖，翼為母，震君艮臣象皆失傳，故舊解無通者，義詳焦氏易詁。象曰：不及其君，臣不可過也。傳義未詳，舊說或崑崙，或浮泛，皆不安。

Six in the Second: It passed over the grandfather and encountered the grandmother; it did not reach the sovereign, yet encountered the subject, without fault.艮 represents the grandfather, and Six in the Second is above Nine in the Third, so it is said 'passed over its grandfather'.巽 represents the grandmother, and Six in the Second is in the initial position of the body of巽, so it is said 'encountered its grandmother'. The Er Ya says 'mother is called妣'. Here, '妣' refers to Six in the Second itself, and 'grandfather' refers to Nine in the Third. Six in the Second should originally correspond to Six in the Fifth, which belongs to Zhen representing the sovereign. However, since Six in the Fifth is also a yao of the yin type and does not correspond, it is said 'did not reach the sovereign'.艮 represents the subject, and Nine in the Third is the main yao of the body of艮, with Six in the Second serving it, so it is said 'encountered its subject'. The images of艮 as grandfather,巽 as mother, and Zhen as sovereign, and艮 as subject have all been lost, so none of the old interpretations are coherent. The meaning is detailed in Jiao's Glosses on the Changes. The Small Image Commentary says: not reaching the sovereign, is because the subject should not surpass. The meaning of this commentary is not clearly explained, old interpretations are either vague or superficial and not accurate, none of them are stable.

九三，弗過防之，從或戕之，凶。四遇敵故弗過。艮為守為堅，下有群陰承之，利於防守，故曰防之，與漸九三、蒙上九利禦寇義同也。三應在上，戕害也。從或戕之者，言三若應上，則四或害之也。艮為刀劍，四艮反向下，故戕之。首回防之，所以戒也。象曰：從或戕之，凶何如也。極言其凶。

Nine in the Third: Not to cross over but to guard against it, if going forward to follow perhaps will be harmed, which is凶. Nine in the Fourth and Nine in the Third are both yang lines opposing each other, so 'not to cross over.' Gen represents guarding and firmness, and below there are many yin lines supporting it, which is favorable for defense, so it says 'guard against it'; this is similar in meaning to the 'favorable for defense against invaders' in the lines of the卦 Zhan's Nine in the Third and the卦 Meng's Upper Six. Nine in the Third corresponds to Upper Six. 'Qiang' means harm. 'From or be harmed' means that if Nine in the Third corresponds to Upper Six, Nine in the Fourth might harm it. Gen represents weapons, and the Gen at the position of Nine in the Fourth is inverted downward, so it can cause harm. The line statement first says 'guard against it,' which is precisely a warning. The Small Image Commentary says: going forward to follow or being harmed, how can the danger be any less? This is emphasizing the extreme danger.

九四，無咎，弗過遇之，往厲必戒，匆用水貞。四臨重阻，利往，故無咎。四應在初，遇謂遇三也，三為四敵，故戒以弗過，然而遇之。往厲者，謂往應初而厲也。往應初，則三戕之，故厲。厲則宜有所戒，勿用而貞定自守可也。無咎指上行，弗過指下行。昔賢皆泥於往外為往，豈知需上云「三人來」，是往外而日來；睽上云「往遇雨」，是來內而曰往，易團於往來不執定例也。象曰：弗過遇之，位不當也。往厲必戒，終不可長也。言之初仍勿用為宜，終不可長。

Nine in the Fourth: There is no fault, do not cross over to meet it, going forward is dangerous, one must be cautious and not act rashly, it is appropriate to maintain firmness. Nine in the Fourth is below two yin lines, so it is appropriate to go forward, hence there is no fault. Nine in the Fourth corresponds to Six at the Beginning; 'meeting' refers to encountering Nine in the Third. Nine in the Third is a like enemy of Nine in the Fourth, so it warns Nine in the Fourth not to cross over. However, it still meets Nine in the Third. 'Going forward is dangerous and must be cautious' refers to going forward to meet Six at the Beginning, which would result in danger, because Nine in the Third would harm it. Since there is danger, one should be cautious and not act rashly, and maintain firmness. 'No fault' refers to going upward, while 'not crossing over' refers to going downward. Previous scholars were rigid in considering 'going' as only referring to the outer trigram. But they did not realize that in the sixth line of the Need hexagram, it says 'three people come', which refers to the outer trigram yet uses 'come'; in the sixth line of the Kui hexagram, it says 'meeting rain', which refers to the inner trigram yet uses 'go'. The Zhou Changes do not strictly adhere to fixed rules regarding going and coming. The Small Image Commentary says: not crossing over to meet it is due to improper position; going forward is dangerous and must be cautious, ultimately it is not sustainable. This means that even if one goes to meet Six at the Beginning, it is still better not to act rashly, and ultimately it is not sustainable.

六五，密雲不雨，自我西郊，公弋取彼在穴。文言以坤為雲，五上重陰，故曰密雲。兌為雨，風火在下，故不雨。兌西震東，言此密雲起自西郊，而東行也。震為公為射，故曰公弋。七者繫繩於矢以射鳥，乃不射身而以上取彼在穴之艮狐，胡能得乎？

Six in the Fifth: Thick clouds are gathering but no rain is falling; the clouds are coming from the western outskirts. The king uses a bow with a rope to shoot at the hidden prey in the cave. The "Wenyan Zhuan" takes the Earth element as clouds, and since the sixth line in the fifth position and the top line are both yin lines, it says "thick clouds." The trigram Dui represents rain, but since wind and fire are below, there is no rain. Dui is in the west and Zhen is in the east, indicating that the thick clouds rise from the western outskirts and move eastward. Zhen represents the king and shooting, so it says "the king shoots." "Shi" refers to shooting birds with a bow that has a rope. However, the fifth line does not shoot birds, but instead uses the bow to hunt the hidden Gen fox in the cave. How could it be possible to hunt it?

蓋五應在二，二巽為繩，艮為矢，以繩繫矢，七象也。而艮為穴為孤，艮手為取，穴居之物，豈能弋取？言二不應五，有如此也。凡易取象，不於本變必於應。應爻有應予，如明夷初交應在四震，則曰飛，曰翼，曰攸往，曰主人有言，全取震象，而直言之。應爻無應予，亦往往取其象而明其不應，如歸妹上六應在三兌，則曰女承筐，曰士圭（右刀）羊，女與羊皆兌象，而三不應上，故又曰無實無血，及此爻皆是也。舊解不知此例，見象無著，則用卦變以當之，於是易義遂亡於講說矣。象曰：密雲不雨，已上也。巳上與小畜之上往同義。

The line six in the fifth position corresponds to the line six in the second. The line six in the second belongs to the trigram Xun (wind), which represents a rope, and the trigram Gen (mountain), which represents an arrow. Using a rope to tie an arrow is the image of 'yi' (to shoot with a bow and arrow). Moreover, Gen also represents a cave and a fox, and since Gen represents a hand, it also signifies 'taking'. However, creatures that live in caves cannot be hunted with arrows tied with ropes. This is precisely the meaning that the line six in the second does not respond to the line six in the fifth. Generally, in the Zhou Yi, images are taken either from the line itself or from the responding line. If the responding line corresponds, as in the line one of Mingyi (Darkness) which corresponds to the line four of Zhen (thunder), the line statement refers to 'flying', 'wings', 'moving forward', and 'the master speaks', all directly using the image of Zhen. If the responding line does not correspond, it often points out the non-correspondence by using its image, as in the line six of Guimei (Marriage by Capture) which corresponds to the line three of Dui (lake), the line statement says 'a woman carries a basket' and 'a man cuts a sheep', both of which are images of Dui. However, the line three does not correspond to the line six, so it also says 'no fruit' and 'no blood'—this line is of this kind. Old commentaries did not understand this principle. When they saw the image without a clear reference, they resorted to changing the hexagram, thus causing the meaning of the Zhou Yi to be lost in interpretation. The Small Image Commentary says: thick clouds without rain, indicating that the yin energy has already ascended. 'Already ascending' is the same meaning as 'still moving forward' in the Xiao Xu (Small Overcoming) hexagram.

上六，弗遇過之，飛鳥離之，凶，是謂災音。弗遇言為五所格，應三難也，乃竟過之，是無心相值，不虞之禍。蓋艮為鳥，上卦艮覆，鳥首向下有墜象，而艮為刀兵，正墜兵刃之上。離罹通，道也。遭此意外之禍，故凶也。三巽體，巽為疾病，故為災眚。是謂災眚者，言禍非由己，致無妄之災，不可如何也。

Upper Six: Without meeting yet crossing over it, a flying bird meets a net, resulting in misfortune. This is called calamity. "Not meeting" refers to being blocked by Six in the Fifth, making it difficult to respond to Nine in the Third below; yet it crosses over it, which is an accidental and unexpected misfortune. Gen represents birds, and the upper trigram Gen is inverted, with the bird's head downward, indicating a falling. Gen also represents weapons, so the bird falls exactly onto the weapon. "Li" and "li" are homophones, meaning to encounter. Meeting such an unexpected misfortune leads to misfortune. Nine in the Third belongs to the trigram Xun, which represents illness, hence it is referred to as calamity. "This is called calamity" means the misfortune is not self-inflicted, but an unforeseen disaster, which is unavoidable.

象曰：弗遇過之，巳亢也。虞翻云：飛下稱亢。按說文，亢人頸，或從頁，是亢即頏，古通為一字。詩邶風「頜之頏之」，毛傳：飛而上曰頡，飛而下回頏。故前書揚雄傳解嘲「鄒行以頡亢而取世資」，頏即作亢。師古云：頡亢，上下不定也。亦訓亢為下。上卦艮鳥覆有墜象，故曰亢。已亢者，言飛鳥離災而下也。

The Small Image Commentary says: Without meeting yet crossing over it, is already flying downward. Yu Fan says: Flying downward is called "kang." According to the Shuo Wen, "kang" refers to the human neck, or written with the radical page as "han"; this shows that "kang" is the same as "han," and they were used interchangeably in ancient times. The Shijing · Bei Feng says "jie zhi hang zhi," and Mao's Commentary explains: flying upward is called "jie," and flying downward is called "hang." Therefore, in the Han Shu · Yang Xiong Zhuan, the text "Zou Yan yi jie kang er qu shi zi" uses "kang" for "hang." Yan Shigǔ says: "Jie kang" means flying up and down unpredictably. This also interprets "kang" as flying downward. The upper trigram Gen represents a bird that is inverted, symbolizing a falling down, so it is said "kang." "Already kang" means the bird is suffering a disaster and falling downward.

李道平云：陽言亢，陰不言亢，故虞不從俗說。聞見錄云：唐張師為贊皇尉，夢白鳥飛翔墜於雲際，召黃賀筮之，遇小過，曰：雷震山上，鳥墜雲間，聲跡兩銷，不可復見，委心順命可也。是亦以艮為鳥，艮覆故曰鳥墜，互大坎故曰云間，震為聲跡，坎隱伏，故曰聲道兩銷，不可復見。是亢之為下，再見於唐人所釋；以艮覆為鳥墜，黃賀獨知也。

Li Daoping said: A yang line alone can be called "kang," while a yin line does not mention "kang," so Yu Fan did not adopt the common interpretation. The "Wenjian Lu" records: In the Tang dynasty, Zhang Shiren, the county magistrate of Zhanhuang, dreamed of a white bird flying and falling between the clouds. He summoned Huang He for divination, and the hexagram obtained was "Xiao Guo." Huang He said: Thunder moves on the mountain, the bird falls between the clouds, its sound and trace both disappear, and it cannot be seen again; one can only accept fate calmly. This also uses Gen as the bird: Gen is inverted, so it is said "the bird falls"; the mutual hexagram is Da Kan, so it is said "between the clouds"; Zhen represents sound and trace, and Kan signifies concealment, so it is said that both sound and trace vanish and cannot be seen again. It is evident that interpreting "kang" as downward again appeared in Tang dynasty interpretations; and using inverted Gen to represent the bird falling is known only to Huang He.