The Trigram of Cultivation

艮為君子，震為言為食，正反震言語相背，有相訟意，慎則訟息。飲食者人之所欲，震為口，正反艮手相對，有爭意，節則飲食平。慎與節皆艮止象，此易用覆象，最為神妙之語。舊說，惟《易林》能闡其義，說詳《焦氏易詁》。

The original text finishes the hexagram of "Great Accumulation" at the line "Nine at the Top" and directly proceeds to this section, omitting the hexagram statement of "Reverence" which includes "Zhen Ji, Guan Yi, Zi Qiu Kou Shi," the Commentary on the Judgment, and the "Great Image" statement "Mountain below Thunder, Reverence; the君子 should be cautious in speech and regulate their diet." Only Shang Binghe's annotation on the "Great Image" remains. Now, following the original text accurately, I do not substitute with the commonly used version. The upper trigram is艮 (Gèn), representing the君子 (junzi), and the lower trigram is震 (Zhèn), representing speech and food. The upright image of震 (Zhèn) is opposite to its inverted image, implying mutual contention, and caution brings an end to disputes. Food is desired by all;震 (Zhèn) represents the mouth. The upright艮 (Gèn) and inverted艮 (Gèn) hands facing each other imply contention, but with restraint, food is shared equally. "Cautious" and "regulate" both take the image of艮 (Gèn) as stopping. This is the most profound aspect of the Book of Changes using inverted images—taking the meaning of a hexagram when it is turned upside down. Among old interpretations, only Jiao's Forest of Changes explains this meaning, and a detailed discussion can be found in Jiao's Glosses on the Changes.

初九：舍爾靈龜，觀我朵頤，凶。離為龜，以剛在外，艮亦剛在外，故《頤》《損》《益》皆以艮為龜，此其義唯《易林》知之。《屯之震》云「龜鱉列市」，以震互艮為龜；《泰之節》云「龜厭河海」，以節互艮為龜。虞翻用卦變，以晉離為龜，易取象無此迂曲也。

The line statement for the first line (Initial Nine) says: Abandon your own turtle, but stare at me and open your mouth to eat, which is凶 (dangerous). The trigram Li represents the turtle, because its yang line is on the outside and the yin line is inside, resembling the turtle's shell. The trigram Gen also has a yang line on the outside, so the trigrams Yi, Sun, and Yi all use Gen to represent the turtle. This principle is understood only by Jiao's Forest of Changes. In the Forest of Changes, under the trigram Zun changing to Zhen, it says "turtles and tortoises are lined up in the market," using the trigram Gen in the mutual trigrams of Zhen as the turtle. In the Forest of Changes, under the trigram Tai changing to Jie, it says "the turtle is tired of the river and sea," using the trigram Gen in the mutual trigrams of Jie as the turtle. Yu Fan instead uses the changing trigrams, saying that the trigram Jin's Li is the turtle. The Book of Changes does not use such a roundabout way of taking symbols.

初爻艮覆，故曰舍爾靈龜。朵，《釋文》云動也，人食物則頤動。初應在四，四當頤中，故曰觀我朵頤。言初當位，擁有群陰，貞靜自養斯亦足矣，乃舍其自有之靈寶，而闡觀他人之寵祿，四艮體，艮為貴為官，則躁竟貽譏，而殃咎或至，故曰凶。按初當位有應，前臨重陰，陽遇陰則通，本無凶理，《隨》初「出門有功」，《益》初「利用為大作」，其證也。此則凶者，以艮震相反覆，內動外止，故宜靜不宜動，《屯》初云「利居貞」是其義也。屯初至五亦頤也。

The initial line, initial nine, is located at the lower trigram, which is the reverse of the mountain trigram, forming a reversed mountain image. The turtle's shell is turned upside down, so it is said, "abandoning your spiritual turtle." The word "朵" is explained in the *Shi Wen* as movement, referring to the movement of the cheeks when eating. The responding line of initial nine is line six four, which corresponds to the mouth of the *Yi* hexagram, so it is said, "observing my movement of the cheeks." Shang Binghe elaborates on this meaning: initial nine is in the correct position, and above it is a yin line, which originally allows for quiet self-cultivation, which would be sufficient. However, it abandons its own spiritual treasure and looks up to others' favor and status. Since line six four belongs to the mountain trigram, which represents nobility and officialdom, rushing forward and competing will invite criticism and possible misfortune, hence the statement "misfortune." Shang Binghe explains further: initial nine is in the correct position and has a proper responding line. In front of it is a yin line, and yang meeting yin is harmonious, so there should be no misfortune. This is evidenced by the initial line of the *Sui* hexagram, which says, "going out to meet people brings success," and the initial line of the *Yi* hexagram, which says, "it is advantageous to make great efforts." The reason for misfortune here is that the *Yi* hexagram has the mountain and thunder trigrams alternating, with the inner trigram being thunder (movement) and the outer trigram being mountain (stillness), so stillness is more appropriate than movement. The initial line of the *Zun* hexagram says, "it is advantageous to stay in a firm position," which conveys the same meaning. From the initial line to the fifth line of the *Zun* hexagram, they also form the image of the *Yi* hexagram.

由此悟《隨》初有功者以外兌，兌悅震喜；《益》初利用為大作者以外巽，同聲相應，故皆動而吉；獨《屯》初利居貞，以外坎無為險難，故宜貞定：其故全在外卦。頤外艮，又止故不宜動。舊解皆不詳凶之故何在，則易理失傳，不能觀其會通也。象曰：觀我朵頤，亦不足貴也。言初本可貴，反因妄動而不足貴也。

From this we can understand that the reason why the initial line of the "Following" hexagram (随) has merit is because the outer trigram is Dui, which represents joy, while the inner trigram Zhen represents joyfulness. The reason why the initial line of the "Increase" hexagram (益) is said to "be beneficial for great action" is because the outer trigram is Xun, which resonates with the inner trigram Zhen, so both are in motion and thus achieve good fortune. Only in the "Obstruction" hexagram (屯), the initial line is said to "be beneficial to stay and be steadfast," because the outer trigram is Kan, which represents danger and difficulty. Therefore, it is appropriate to be steadfast. The reason for all these lies entirely in the outer trigram. The outer trigram of the "Nourishment" hexagram (颐) is Gen, which represents stillness, so it is not appropriate to act recklessly. Old interpretations fail to clearly explain why the initial line is "unfavorable," showing that the principles of the Book of Changes have been lost and cannot be fully understood. The "Image Commentary" says: "Observing my delicious food, it is also not valuable." This means that the initial line was originally valuable, but because of reckless action, it becomes insignificant.

六二：顛頤，拂經，于丘頤，征凶。顛與闡（內真）通。《和玉藻》「盛氣顛寶」，注：顛讀為間（內真）。而聞（內真）與穴（下真）通，《前漢·遊俠傳》「人無賢不肖門（內真）門」，注：門（內真）與穴（下真）字同。穴（下真），塞也。三四五皆陰，故曰穴（下真）頤。丘，《前漢·息夫躬傳》「寄宿丘亭」，師古云：丘，空也。經，常；拂，違也。丘頤，空頤也。蓋頤以空為用，今乃穴（下真）塞，違頤之常，故曰穴（下真）頤、拂經于丘頤。前得敵故征凶。其以顛頤拂經為句，或以拂經於丘為句者，非。

Line six-two statement: Reversing the order to seek sustenance, going against the norm, seeking sustenance upward to a hill, going forward leads to misfortune. Shang Binghe says that "颠" and "闐" are homophones. In the "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" under "Yue Zao," it says "sheng qi tian shi" (source text says "he yu zao," "tian bao"), and the annotation says "tian" is read as "tian." "Tian" is also homophone with "tian," as seen in the "Book of the Former Han" under "You Xia Zhuan," where it says "ren wu xian bu xiao tian men," and the annotation says "tian" and "tian" are the same character. "Tian" means filling up. In the "Yi" hexagram, lines three, four, and five are all yin lines, resulting in obstruction in the middle, so it is called "tian yi" — the mouth of the "Yi" hexagram is filled up. The character "qiu" is explained in the "Book of the Former Han" under "Xi Fu Gong Zhuan" as "ji xu qiu ting," and Yan Shigushu's annotation says "qiu means empty." "Jing" means regular, "fu" means against. "Qiu yi" refers to an empty mouth of the "Yi" hexagram. The mouth of the "Yi" hexagram is naturally empty to function, but now it is filled up, going against the regular state of the "Yi" hexagram, so it is said "tian yi, fu jing yu qiu yi." Line six-two encounters an enemy of the same yin line in front, so it says "zheng xiong." Some people divide "tian yi fu jing" into one sentence, or "fu jing yu qiu" into one sentence, which is incorrect.

象曰：六二征凶，行失類也。二無應，前遇重陰，陰遇陰則窒，故曰征凶。陰陽相遇方為類，今六二不遇陽，故曰失類。象義如此明白，乃二千年易家皆以陰遇陰為類，於是《文言》之「各從其類」、《坤》彖傳之「乃與類行」、《繫辭》之「方以類聚」，及此皆失解，與朋友同，說詳《焦氏易詁》。六三：拂頤，貞凶，十年勿用，無攸利。吳先生曰：拂頤猶不可口也。貞，占也。坤為十年，三不當位，承乘皆陰，故十年不用，無攸利也。按三有應，陰得陽應多吉，此獨不吉者，以四五得敵，應上甚難，故曰無攸利。

The Image Commentary says: "Six in the Second, going forward brings danger, because it loses its kind." Six in the Second has no proper response, and ahead there are several yin lines. Yin meeting yin causes obstruction, hence it says "going forward brings danger." Only when yin and yang meet is it called "kind." Now, Six in the Second cannot meet yang, hence it says "loses its kind." The meaning of the Small Image Commentary is originally clear. However, for two thousand years, commentators have regarded yin meeting yin as being of the same kind, thus making the statements in the "Words of the King" in the Qian hexagram, "each follows its kind," the "Commentary on the Judgment" in the Kun hexagram, "and follows its kind," and the "Great Treatise" saying "things are gathered by their kind," all become incoherent. This is similar to the confusion regarding the character "peng." For details, see Jiao's Glosses on the Changes. The line statement for Six in the Third says: "defying the nourishment, the divination shows danger, for ten years there will be no action, and there is no benefit." Mr. Wu says: "Fufu" is like saying something that is not to one's taste. "Zhen" means divination. The Kun hexagram consists of four yin lines in the middle, which can be regarded as ten years. Six in the Third, being a yin line in a yang position, is not in the correct place. Moreover, both the one above and the one below are yin lines, hence for ten years there will be no action, and there is no benefit. Shang Binghe notes: Originally, Six in the Third has a proper response with Upper Nine. Usually, a yin line responding to a yang line is mostly auspicious. However, here it is inauspicious because Six in the Fourth and Six in the Fifth, being of the same kind, are in opposition, making it extremely difficult for Six in the Third to respond to Upper Nine, hence "there is no benefit."

象曰：十年勿用，道大孛？也。艮震皆為道路，乃艮震上下象皆相反，故日道大孛（左心）。《玉篇》：孛（左心），逆也。言艮震皆有覆象相逆也。艮震皆為道，乃上卦覆震，與下震相逆；下卦覆艮，與上艮相逆。象下一孛（左心）字，尋味無窮。

The Image Commentary says: "For ten years, do not use it; the path is greatly reversed" (the original character is missing, and the text after it is marked with "孛 (left heart)" for "悖"). Both艮 (Gen) and震 (Zhen) represent paths, and the upper and lower trigrams of the 颐 (Yi) hexagram, which are Gen and Zhen, exactly reverse each other, hence the statement "the path is greatly reversed." The "Zhu Yi" says: "Reversed" means opposite. This means that both Gen and Zhen have a reversed image that is opposite to them: the upper Gen reversed becomes Zhen, which is opposite to the lower Zhen; the lower Zhen reversed becomes Gen, which is opposite to the upper Gen. The single character "悖" in the Small Image Commentary is intriguing and full of meaning.

六四：顛頤，吉，虎視眈眈，其欲逐逐，無咎。六二無應，以陰穴（下真）頤，故凶；六四有應，穴（下真）頤以陽，故吉。艮為虎為視，眈眈視貌，《說文》云視近志遠。坤為欲，逐逐言所欲在初，乃為二三所阻，不能遽遂其欲，故逐逐不已。象曰：顛顧之吉，上施光也。初陽應四，故曰上施光。三有應不當位，故凶；四當位有應，故吉。然四雖有應，為二三所隔，難以下施，故須初上施而吉也。六五：拂經，居貞吉，不可涉大川。拂經，王注作拂頤，五不當位，故拂頤。居，安也，安居五位，順上承陽，故貞吉。若下涉坤水，陰遇陰則窒，故不可也。象曰：居貞之吉，順以從上也。上陽，故當順從。

The fourth line statement says: turning upside down to seek sustenance, it is auspicious; like a tiger staring intently, desire follows persistently without fault. The second line has no proper response, using a yin line to block the mouth, hence it is inauspicious; the fourth line has a proper response, using a yang line to block the mouth, hence it is auspicious. The trigram Gen represents a tiger and sight, "dān dān" means looking intently, as explained in the "Shuo Wen" as looking near but with a distant intent. The trigram Kun represents desire; "zhu zhu" means the desired object is at the first line, but is blocked by the second and third lines, so it continues to pursue. The "Image Commentary" says: turning the mouth upwards brings auspiciousness, because the superior line shines above (the original text "dian gu" is interpreted as "dian yi"). The first line's yang line corresponds with the fourth line, so it is said "the superior line shines above." The third line has a correspondence but is not in the correct position, hence it is inauspicious; the fourth line is in the correct position and has a correspondence, hence it is auspicious. However, although the fourth line has a correspondence, it is blocked by the second and third lines, making it difficult to give downward, so it relies on the first line shining upward to achieve auspiciousness. The fifth line statement says: going against the norm, staying in a proper position brings auspiciousness, but crossing a great river is not advisable. "Fú jīng" is interpreted by Wang Bi as "fú yí"; the fifth line, being yin in a yang position, is "fú yí." "Jū" means to stay, staying in the fifth position, being compliant and supporting the superior line's yang, hence "zhēn jí." If going downward to cross the great river symbolized by Kun, yin meeting yin causes obstruction, hence "not advisable." The "Image Commentary" says: staying in a proper position brings auspiciousness, because it is compliant and follows the superior. The superior line is yang, so it should comply with it.

上九：由顧，厲吉，利涉大川。由，自得也，義詳《豫》九四。九四下乘重陰，故曰由豫；此亦下乘重陰，放曰由頤。然高居萬民之上，恐逸豫隨之，故振厲方吉也。坤為大川，陽遇陰則通，故利涉大川。此與五爻舊解所以全誤者：一由坤水象失傳，必用虞翻再三變之法，始得坎為大川；二由類字失詁，故不知和涉、不利涉之故何在也。象曰：由頤厲吉，大有慶也。大有慶，謂上九乘重陰。

The line statement for the top yang line (Upper Nine): The world is sustained by others, and if one maintains vigilance and caution, it will be auspicious, and it is favorable to cross a great river (the original text says "by looking back" which refers to "by sustenance"). "By" means self-satisfaction, and the meaning is detailed in the line statement of the fourth line of the hexagram "Yü." In the fourth line of "Yü," a yang line is overshadowed by a yin line below, hence "by Yü"; this line is also overshadowed by many yin lines, hence "by sustenance." However, being at the highest position above all people, one fears that ease and indulgence will follow, so one must be vigorous and cautious to be auspicious. The hexagram "Kun" represents a great river, and when a yang line meets a yin line, it becomes smooth, hence "favorable to cross a great river." The old interpretations of the lines six five and upper nine are entirely wrong for two reasons: first, the image of "Kun as water" has been lost, and only by using Yu Fan's method of changing lines can one勉强 derive the image of "Kan as a great river"; second, the meaning of the character "class" has been lost, so one does not understand why it is favorable to cross a river in one place and not in another. The "Image Commentary" says: "By sustenance, danger and auspiciousness, great joy." "Great joy" refers to the upper nine overshadowing many yin lines.

大過。棟撓，利有攸往，亨。過，失也，謂中四陽隱於陰中，失其用也。《說文》：棟，極也。《爾雅》：棟謂之俘（左木）。郭璞云：屋脊也。《易林》以坎為棟、為屋極，大過本大坎也。坎以中爻為棟，大過以三四為棟。橈，《釋文》云：由折也。兌毀折，巽隕落，故棟橈。

The Hexagram Daxue (Great Excess) Statement says: The beam bends, advantageous to go forward, and it is smooth. "Overpassing" refers to loss, meaning the four yang lines are enclosed by the two yin lines above and below, thus losing their function. The Shuowen explains "dong" as "extreme"; the Erya says "dong is called fu," and Guo Pu's commentary says it refers to the ridge of a roof. Jiao's Forest of Changes takes Kan as representing the beam and the roof's extreme point, and Daxue itself is a magnified Kan—two yin lines enclosing four yang lines, which is the same shape as Kan. Kan uses its central line as the beam, while Daxue uses the third and fourth lines as the beam. "Rao" is explained by Shiywen as bending. The upper trigram Dui signifies destruction, and the lower trigram Xun signifies falling, hence the beam bends.

以易理言，朋承陽則利。利有攸往，應指初。《升》初六曰允升，曰上合志，大過初與升初同，而四有應，故往利也。虞翻知陽爻無利往者，乃謂二變應五故利往。如虞說，傳云棟橈本末弱，本謂初，初亦失位可變也，尚何弱這有哉。乃自宋朱震以來即承其說，甚矣其不思也。

From the perspective of the principles of the Book of Changes, a yin line above a yang line is advantageous. "It is advantageous to go somewhere" refers to the first line, the initial six. In the hexagram of Ascending, the first line says "permitted ascent," and the small image says "coinciding with the will above." The first line of the hexagram of Great Excess is similar to that of Ascending, and since there is a nine in the fourth position above it as the correct corresponding line, going forward is advantageous. Yu Fan understood that a yang line does not have an example of being advantageous to go forward, so he said that the nine in the second position changes to correspond with the nine in the fifth position, thus making it advantageous to go forward. According to Yu Fan's interpretation, the Commentary on the Judgment says "the beam bends, because the beginning and the end are weak," where "beginning" refers to the first line. If the first line is also out of position and can change, then how can it be considered weak? However, since Zhu Zhen of the Song dynasty followed Yu Fan's interpretation, people have been too careless in thinking about it.

象曰：大過，大者過也。棟撓？？，本末弱也。剛過而中，巽而說行，利有攸往，乃亨。大過之時大矣哉。卦氣圖，大過十月卦，閉塞成冬，故曰大過時。大過過字，彖傳未明釋，後儒或以過往為說，先天位兌左巽右中過乾；或以過盛為說，此說尤不協，四陽五陽卦多矣，胡此獨盛，皆有可疑。

The Commentary on the Judgment says: The hexagram "Great Excess" refers to an excessive degree of greatness. The beam bends because the ends are weak and flexible. The strong lines are numerous but occupy the central positions, the flexible lines are gentle and joyful in their movement, thus it is advantageous to go forward and achieve success. The situation of the hexagram "Great Excess" is indeed significant. According to the diagram of the hexagram's seasonal influence, the hexagram "Great Excess" corresponds to the tenth month's hexagram, when heaven and earth close off and winter comes, hence it is called "the time of great excess." The character "over" in "Great Excess" is not explicitly explained by the Commentary on the Judgment. Later Confucian scholars have interpreted it in different ways. Some take it to mean "passing through," referring to the position of the hexagram in the Earlier Heaven arrangement, where the trigram Dui (Lake) is on the left, Xun (Wind) on the right, and passing through the position of Qian (Heaven) in the middle. Others take it to mean "excessiveness," but this interpretation seems particularly unsatisfactory, since there are many hexagrams with four or five strong lines, so why is this hexagram specifically called "excessive"? There are doubts about both interpretations.

愚按《太玄》擬大過為失，言四陽為陰所錮，失其用也，故漢人皆謂大過為死卦。《易林·明夷之大過》云「言笑未畢，憂來暴卒」，又《大壯之大過》云「道絕不通，商旅失意」，又《既濟之大過》云「身加檻纜，囚繫縛束」。《太玄》又擬為劇，劇，甚也，病也，皆謂陰大賊陽，陽失其用，與《易林》說合若符契。

Shang Binghe explained: Yang Xiong's "Tai Xuan" matches the eighty-one "shou" with the sixty-four hexagrams. Among them, the "shi" shou is used to correspond with the hexagram "Da Guo." This means that four yang lines are restrained by the yin lines above and below, thus losing their function. Therefore, Han dynasty commentators on the Book of Changes all regarded "Da Guo" as a death hexagram. This judgment is confirmed throughout the divinatory verses in the "Jiao's Forest of Changes": In "Ming Yi to Da Guo," it says, "Speech and laughter have not yet ended, but sorrow comes suddenly and leads to sudden death." In "Da Zhuang to Da Guo," it says, "The path is completely cut off, merchants lose their spirits." In "Ji Ji to Da Guo," it says, "The body is bound by restraints, imprisoned and tied up." The "Tai Xuan" also uses the "ju" shou to compare with "Da Guo." "Ju" means very severe or illness, referring to the excessive harm done by yin to yang, causing yang to lose its function. This aligns perfectly with the statements in the "Jiao's Forest of Changes."

象曰：澤滅木，大過。君子以獨立不懼，通世無悶。不曰澤中有木，而曰澤滅木，此漢人死卦之說所由來也。滅者人之所懼，君子則獨立不懼。巽為寡故曰獨，乾為惕故曰懼，兌悅故不懼。陽陷陰中，陰伏不出，故曰遁世。過世宜有憂矣，乃君子則適世無悶，以兌悅在終也。大象每反以見義，此亦其一也。

The Great Image Commentary says: A great marsh drowns the trees, which is the hexagram Great Excess; the gentleman takes inspiration from it, standing alone and fearless, retreating from the world without distress. It does not say "a marsh with trees" but rather "a marsh that drowns the trees," from which the Han scholars' idea of "death hexagram" originates. Drowning is something people fear, yet the gentleman remains independent and fearless. The lower trigram Xun signifies fewness, hence "standing alone"; the four yang lines emerging in the middle represent Qian, signifying vigilance, hence "fear"; the upper trigram Dui signifies joy, hence "not fearing." Yang is submerged in yin, and yin is concealed and does not emerge, hence "retreating from the world." Being in such an extreme situation should naturally cause worry, yet the gentleman retreats from the world without distress, because the joy of Dui is at the final position. The Great Image often finds meaning from the opposite side, and this is one such example.

初六：籍用白茅，無咎。藉，薦也，凡以物承物曰藉。《曲禮》「執玉，其有藉者則裼，無籍者則襲」，注：籍，藻也；疏：執玉必有藻以承玉。巽為伏，初在下，故曰籍；巽為白、為茅，茅柔物，初陰，故曰藉用白茅。又祭時籍茅於地，用以縮酒，而巽為漏，《井》九三「雍（下兀）敝漏」，於象尤切。象曰：藉用白茅，桑在下也。初柔在下，承陽故無咎。

The line statement for the first line (Initial Six): Use white reeds as a cushion, there is no fault. "Jie" means to serve as a cushion, any object used to support another is called jie. The "Rites of Zhou: Rules of Etiquette" says, "When holding jade, if there is a cushion, then wear a light outer garment; if there is no cushion, then wear a dark one," and the commentary explains that "jie" refers to a decorative cushion for jade, while the detailed explanation says that holding jade must always have a cushion. The trigram Xun represents concealment, and the first line is at the very bottom, so it is said "jie." Xun also represents white and reeds, and reeds are soft, and since the first line is a yin line, it is said "jie with white reeds." Furthermore, during sacrifices, reeds are spread on the ground to filter wine, and Xun has the image of leakage -- the third line of the Well hexagram, "the jar is broken and leaks," uses this image -- so this image is especially appropriate. The "Image Commentary" says: "Using white reeds as a cushion, softness is at the bottom" (the original text "sang" is a mistake for "rou"). The first line, being soft and at the bottom, supports the yang of the second line, so there is no fault.

九二：枯楊生梯，老夫得其女妻，無不利。巽為楊，為隕落，為枯。《易林·泰之威》云「老楊日衰，條多枯枝」，《噬嗑之否》云「朽根枯樹」，是以咸、否互巽為枯也。梯，鄭作美，木更生。按《詩·衛風》「手如柔荑」，傳云「如荑之新生」，然則荑為木新生之條。蓋弟（左禾）、荑同字，《莊子·知北遊》云「在荑稗」，《釋文》云「美本又作弟（左禾）」，是其證。

The line statement for the second line (Nine in the Second) says: A withered poplar tree regrows tender shoots, an old man marries a young wife, and there is no disadvantage. The original text says 'sheng ti' which refers to 'sheng ti' (the sprouting of new shoots). The trigram Xun represents the poplar tree, falling, and withering. In Jiao's Forest of Changes, under the hexagram Tai and Xian, it says 'old poplar trees gradually decline, with many withered branches'; in the hexagram Shihe and Pinyin, it says 'decaying roots and withered trees'. These both use the trigram Xun, which is derived from the mutual relationship between Xian and Shihe, to indicate withering. The character 'ti' is interpreted by Zheng Xuan as 'ti', referring to the new growth of trees. Shang Binghe comments: In the poem 'Wei Feng', it says 'hands like soft ti', and the Mao transmission says 'like the new growth of ti grass'. This shows that 'ti' refers to the new shoots of trees. The characters 'ti' and 'ti' are originally the same character. The Zhuangzi says 'in ti and bei', and the Shih Wen says 'ti is also written as ti', which is evidence of this.

乾為生，巽為木，巽柔，故曰枯楊生弟（左禾）。伏震為老夫，巽為女妻，女妻者，少妻。二下孚於陰，故無不利，巽為利也。《易林》遇震即曰老夫，遇巽即曰少齊、曰少姬，本此也，詳《焦氏易詁》。虞翻以乾老為枯，豈知乾實雖老不枯；又以乾老為老夫，兌為少女，創二應上、初應五之例，以圓其說，是貞悔不必拘，而應與常例可破也，乃清儒翕然從之，異已。

In the middle, four yang lines emerge, forming the trigram Qian (Heaven) which represents life, and Xun (Wind) which represents wood. However, Xun is characterized by softness, hence the saying "a withered poplar tree produces new sprouts." The trigram opposite to Xun (the hidden trigram) is Zhen (Thunder), which represents an old man. Xun itself represents a woman, a wife, which is a young wife. The line Nine in the Second moves downward to connect with the yin line Six at the Beginning, thus resulting in "no disadvantage," since Xun also signifies benefit. In Jiao's Forest of Changes, when encountering Zhen, it is said "old man," and when encountering Xun, it is said "young wife," and this is the basis for such interpretations, as detailed in Jiao's Glosses on the Changes. Yu Fan interprets the term "dry" as the old age of Qian, but he fails to recognize that although Qian is old, it is not dry. He also fabricates examples, such as the second line responding to the second line above and the first line responding to the fifth line, to support his interpretation, implying that the outer and inner trigrams need not adhere to the conventional rules of corresponding lines. It is strange that Qing scholars all followed this approach.

只俞樾以虞說為不通，知用旁通，打破二千年之謬誤，為功甚偉；特又以大過二五與頤二五相升降以取象，豈知巽即為少妻，兌即為老婦，《易林》有明徵，不必如是穿鑿也。故夫象一失傳，雖以俞氏之深識旁通，且洞明陽順陰逆之理，亦無如何也。象曰：老夫女妻，過以相與也。過以相與，言其不當，非謂初可過四應五、二可過五應上也。

Only Yu Yue realized that Yu Fan's interpretation was inconsistent and understood the need to use "parallel transmission" to explain the hexagram's image, thus breaking a two-thousand-year-old error, which was a great contribution. However, he used the second and fifth lines of the hexagram of "Great Excess" and the second and fifth lines of the hexagram of "Nourishment" to indicate mutual transformation, but he did not realize that the trigram Xun itself represents a young wife and the trigram Dui itself represents an old woman, as clearly stated in the "Forest of Changes" by Jiao. Therefore, such forced interpretations are unnecessary. Thus, once the hexagram images are lost, even someone like Yu Yue, who deeply understands parallel transmission and thoroughly knows the principle of yang moving in order and yin moving in reverse, would be helpless. The "Image Commentary" says: "An old man and a young woman, they are in an improper relationship." "Overlapping in mutual interaction" refers to this improper pairing, not that the first line can leap over the fourth line to respond to the fifth, or the second line can leap over the fifth line to respond to the top line.

九三：棟橈，凶。初爻本弱，故楝橈。上雖有應，然四五皆陽，得敵，九三不能應上，故曰不可以有輔。象曰：棟橈之凶，不可以有輔也。輔，佐助也。九四：棟隆，吉，有它吝。巽為高，四居巽上，故曰棟隆吉。有它吝者，言四應在初，四若它往應之，則為二三所忌而致吝矣。四與三不同，三與初同體，本弱無如何；若四只不與初應，則吉也。象曰：棟隆之吉，不橈乎下也。不橈乎下，即不應初。

The line statement for the third line says: The beam bends, which is ominous. The first line is originally weak, so the beam bends downward. Although the third line is in harmony with the sixth line at the top, the second and fifth lines are both yang lines, and like elements are in opposition. Therefore, the third line cannot respond to the sixth line. The Small Image Commentary says, "It is not advisable to have assistance." The Image Commentary says: The ominousness of the bent beam is because it is not advisable to have assistance. "Assistance" refers to helping and supporting. The line statement for the fourth line says: The beam rises, which is auspicious; but if it goes elsewhere, there will be regret. The trigram Xun represents elevation, and the fourth line is above the Xun trigram, so it is said, "The beam rises, which is auspicious." "Going elsewhere and causing regret" refers to the fourth line's responding line being the first line. If the fourth line goes to respond to the first line, it will be obstructed by the second and third lines, leading to regret. The fourth line is in a different situation from the third line: the third line and the first line are both in the lower trigram, and they are fundamentally weak and helpless. However, the fourth line is auspicious as long as it does not respond to the first line. The Image Commentary says: The auspiciousness of the rising beam is because it does not bend downward. "Not bending downward" means not responding to the first line.

九五：枯楊生華，老婦得其士夫，無咎無譽。兌為反巽，故仍曰枯楊。兌為華，《易林·否之成》云「華落實槁」，以咸上兌為華；《需之剝》云「老婦亡夫」，以剝伏兌為老婦；又《否之中孚》「老妾據機」，以中孚下兌為老妾。伏艮為士夫，故曰老婦得其士夫。五比陰志行故無咎，下無應故無譽。虞翻以五應初巽為老婦，易無此例也。

The line statement of the fifth line says: A withered elm tree produces flowers, an old woman marries a young husband, there is no fault and no praise. The trigram Dui is the reversed trigram Xun, so this line still refers to 'a withered elm tree'. Dui represents flowers: In Jiao's Forest of Changes, the hexagram Pu changing Xian says 'flowers fall and wither', using the upper trigram Dui as flowers; in the hexagram Xu changing Bie, it says 'an old woman loses her husband', using the hidden trigram Dui in Bie as the old woman; in the hexagram Pu changing Zhongfū, it says 'an old servant holds the loom', using the lower trigram Dui in Zhongfū as the old servant. The hidden trigram Gen in Dui represents a young man, so it says 'an old woman marries a young husband'. The fifth line nine interacts with the sixth line six, and the heart's will is realized, so there is 'no fault'; there is no proper response below, so there is 'no praise'. Yu Fan says that the fifth line nine should respond to the first line six, and uses Xun as the old woman. The Book of Changes does not have such an example.

蓋易有伏象，伏即旁通，即對象，人知之，而旁通之原理鮮能明之。《文言》云「旁通情也」，情者，感也，言陰陽不能相離也。故夫茅茹，坤象也，《泰》初爻亦言之；雲雨，坤坎象也，《小畜》亦言之。《否》初言茅茹，《小過》言雲雨，則用正象，《易林》本之，正、伏象常不分。

The Book of Changes contains hidden images, "hidden" meaning lateral communication, which refers to the image of a hexagram. Everyone knows this, but the principle of lateral communication is rarely explained. The Wenyan of the Qian hexagram says, "lateral communication expresses emotion," where "emotion" refers to feeling, meaning yin and yang cannot be separated from each other. Therefore, "pulling up the wild onion" originally belongs to the image of the Kun hexagram, and the first line of the Tai hexagram also uses it; "cloud and rain" originally belong to the images of Kun and Kan, and the Xiao Xu hexagram also uses them. The Po hexagram's first line mentions wild onion, and the Xiao Guo hexagram mentions cloud and rain, using the correct image. The Jiao's Forest of Changes follows this principle, often not distinguishing between the correct image and the hidden image.

略如見一男子，可推知其家必有婦；見一婦人，可推知其家必有夫也。然非以夫為婦、以婦為夫，使男女無別也。易繫辭取象可用伏，而義則正也。彼夫王引之譏虞翻用旁通，致陰陽無別，是皆於旁通情，情字失詁，故於易理隔閡如斯也。大過老夫、士夫皆在對象，而自荀、虞以來皆苦於本象求之，胡有得乎？

This is like seeing a man, from which one can infer that his family must have a wife; seeing a woman, one can infer that her family must have a husband. However, this does not mean treating a husband as a wife or a wife as a husband, thereby confusing the distinctions between men and women. The "Great Treatise" (Xici) of the "Book of Changes" (Yi) uses the hidden image (fu xiang) for taking symbolic meaning, but the meaning itself still relies on the primary image (zheng xiang). Wang Yinzhi criticized Yu Fan for using the method of mutual communication (pangtong), which led to the confusion of yin and yang, because he misunderstood the character "qing" in the phrase "pangtong qing ye," resulting in a misunderstanding of the principles of the Yi. The terms "old man" and "scholar" in the hexagram "Great Excess" (Dadu) are derived from the symbolic meaning of the hexagram itself, while those from Xun Shuang and Yu Fan onwards have been desperately searching for these meanings within the primary hexagram, which is impossible to find.

象曰：枯楊生華，何可久也。老婦士夫，亦可且也。匹配失宜，故可丑。上六：過涉滅頂，凶，無咎。乾為首，故為頂，澤水在上，故滅頂，與《比》之無首義同也。滅頂則死故凶。大過之為死卦在此。然上六當位有應，凶則有之，咎則無也，故象曰不可咎。象曰：過涉之凶，不可咎也。不可咎，言致命遂義，殺身成仁，屬於天者雖凶，而咎則未有也。頤大過四象在先天處四隅，而包滅地水火於其中。天地水火四正卦，上經首尾也，亦即離坎也，而即列於離坎之前，以結上經，最耐尋味。

The Image Commentary says: A withered elm tree produces flowers, how can this last long? An old woman marrying a young husband, how truly disgraceful (the original text "ke qie" is "ke chou"). The marriage is inappropriate, hence it is disgraceful. The line statement for the sixth line at the top says: To cross a river too deeply, drowning one's head, is dangerous, but without fault. The four yang lines in the middle mutually generate, with Qian (Heaven) leading, hence it is the top; the water of Dui (Lake) is above, hence drowning the head. This is similar to the image of "no head" in the卦 of "Bi" (Comparison). Drowning the head means death, hence it is dangerous - the卦 of "Da Guo" (Great Excess) is called the death卦, and this is the reason. However, the sixth line is in the proper position and has a correct response, so although danger exists, there is no fault, hence the Small Image says "not to blame." The Image Commentary says: The danger of crossing too far is not to blame. "Not to blame" means that this is sacrificing one's life to uphold righteousness, dying for the sake of benevolence. Although the part of heaven's mandate is dangerous, the fault does not exist. As for the pair of卦 "Yi" (Nourishment) and "Da Guo" (Great Excess), in the earlier heaven arrangement they are located in the four corners, while enclosing heaven, earth, water, and fire in the middle (the original text "bao mie di shui huoyan," "mie" is taken as "tian"). Heaven, earth, water, and fire are the four cardinal卦, forming the beginning and end of the upper section, that is, the卦 of "Li" (Fire) and "Kan" (Water). However, "Yi" and "Da Guo" are placed before "Li" and "Kan," used to conclude the upper section, which is most intriguing.

習坎。有孚，維心亨，行有尚。《歸藏》曰革。李過曰：牢（上草）者，勞也，以萬物勞於坎也。黃宗炎曰：物莫勞於牛，故從牛。按《說文》：牢（上草），駁牛也。坤為牛，陽人坤中，色不純，故曰牢（上草）；而牛為物之最勞者，故取於駁牛。周易名坎，則取於陷險二義。上耳坎故曰習。羅汝懷云：習當為折（左　）。《禮·玉藻》「帛為折（左　）」，注：衣有表裹而無著也。《急就篇》注：折（左　）謂重衣。皆重複之義。而折（左　）又假襲，《禮》「錫襲」，《書》「卜不襲吉」，故習當作襲。象曰重險，象曰水存（左水）至，即釋習坎之義。

The Hexagram of Kan: In the midst of repeated dangers and difficulties, one maintains sincerity, and only through inner harmony can one's actions be esteemed. In the Guicang Yi, this hexagram is named "Lu" (the original text says "Ge"). Li Guo said: "Lu" means to labor, because all things in the position of Kan are weary. Huang Zongyan said: among all things, none is more laborious than an ox, so this character includes the meaning of an ox. Shang Binghe remarked: The Shuowen Jiezi says "Lu" refers to a cow with mixed colors. The hexagram of Kūn represents a cow, and when one yang enters the Kūn, the color becomes mixed, hence it is called "Lu"; and since the ox is the most laborious animal, it is taken as a symbol. The Zhou Yi names it "Kan," taking the meanings of "trapping" and "danger." Both upper and lower parts are Kan, so it is called "Xi," meaning repetition. Luo Ruhuai said: "Xi" should be read as "Zhe." The Ziliao Ziyao says "Bo is Zhe," and the note explains that Zhe refers to clothing with an outer and inner layer but without filling; the Jijiu Pian note says Zhe is a double-layered garment: both contain the meaning of repetition. "Zhe" is also used as a variant for "Xi," and the Ziliao has "Xi Xi," while the Shangshu has "Bu Xi Ji," so "Xi" should be read as "Zhe." The Commentary on the Judgment says "repeated danger," and the Great Image Commentary says "water flowing repeatedly," which precisely explain the meaning of "Xi Kan."

自注有便習之說，後儒多從之。夫諳練於行事，此事理之常，豈有諸練於行險者哉？按羅說是也，彖傳、象傳皆有明釋，王注及正義詁為便習，此所以有野文之譏也。孚，信也。有孚謂二五居中遇陰，陽孚於上下陰也。舊解不知孚之故在陽遇陰，故說皆不當。坎為心，亨，通也，心亨亦謂二五，傳所謂剛中也。行有尚則專謂五，五往外得尊位，故曰有尚，曰有功。

Since Wang Bi's commentary, there has been the idea of "便习" meaning familiarity or habituation. Most later Confucian scholars followed this view. However, it is natural to be skilled in practical matters, so why would one specifically become skilled in taking risks? Shang Binghe comments: Luo Huai's interpretation is correct. Both the Commentary on the Judgment and the Great Image have clear explanations. Wang Bi's commentary and Kong Yingda's "Justice" interpret it as "便习," which is precisely why they were criticized for not understanding ancient meanings. "孚" means trust. "有孚" refers to the fact that the lines nine two and nine five are in the center and meet yin. Yang is in harmony with the yin above and below. Old commentaries did not understand that the reason for "孚" is the meeting of yang and yin, so their interpretations were inappropriate. Kan represents the heart, "亨" means to be smooth or pass through, and "心亨" also refers to the lines two and five, that is, the "strong and central" mentioned in the Commentary on the Judgment. As for "行有尚," this specifically refers to nine five: nine five moves outward and attains a noble position, so it is said "有尚," meaning there is honor, and also "有功," meaning there is achievement.

彖曰：習坎，重險也。水流而不盈，行險而不失其信。維心亨，乃以剛中也；行有尚，往有功也。天險，不可升也；地險，山川丘陵也。王公設險以守其國，險之時用大矣哉。水流若盈則非坎矣，既曰坎則不盈也。坎為失、為信，陽居中，故不失其信。五天位，居坎中，故曰天險，艮止故不可升；二地位，居坎中，故曰地險，艮為山為丘陵，坎為川，故曰山川丘陵也。震為王公，艮為國、為守、為時、為天。

The Commentary on the Judgment says: "To be in a difficult situation" refers to difficulties that are repeated. Water flows but does not overflow, moving through danger without losing its sincerity. "The mind is open and smooth" is because the strong line is in the center; "going forward there is success" is because going forward will surely bring results. The danger of heaven lies in its height that is difficult to reach; the danger of earth is mountains, rivers, and hills. Kings and princes set up obstacles to guard their countries; the use of danger is indeed great. Shang Binghe explains the image: if water were full it would not be Kan. Since it is called Kan, it does not overflow. Kan represents loss and sincerity. A strong line in the center leads to "not losing sincerity." The fifth line is the heavenly position, and also occupies the center of the Kan structure, so it is called "heavenly danger." The lines three to five form a mutual relationship with Gen, which represents stopping, so it is said "not able to ascend." The second line is the position of the earth, and also occupies the center of Kan, so it is called "earthly danger." Gen represents mountains and hills, and Kan represents rivers, so it is said "mountains, rivers, and hills." The lines two to four form a mutual relationship with Zhen, which represents kings and princes. Gen represents the country, defense, time, and heaven.

象曰：水存（左水）至，習坎。君子以常德行，習教事。存（左水），再也，重坎故曰再至。艮為君子，震為德行為言，故曰教。習則教不巳，而德行有常矣。初六：習坎入於坎頁（左九），凶。《說文》焰（左無上穴）：坎中更有坎。王肅云：坎底也。《字林》云：坎中小坎，一曰旁人。案王肅說是也。初居坎之最下，故人於坎底。象曰：習坎入坎，失道凶也。震為大塗，故曰道，初於震無應，故曰失道凶。九二：坎有險，求小得。二失位，故有險。陰為小，二居中，孚於上下陰，故曰求小得。象曰：求小得，未出中也。象曰未出中，言五無應，故曰未出；有應則上升五而當位，所得大矣。六三：來之坎坎，檢（從鄭向本）且枕，入於坎頁（左九），勿用。三居上下坎之間，來內為坎，之外亦坎，故曰來之坎坎。《孟子》「狗彘食人食而不知檢」，趙歧云：檢，斂也。又《釋名》云：枕，檢也，所以檢項也。然則枕與檢義同。

The Great Image says: Water flows repeatedly, which is the Hexagram of Kan; the gentleman takes it as a model, maintaining his virtue and repeatedly practicing the affairs of moral instruction. "Recurring" means again (the original text marks the character "洊" with "存 (left water)"), with upper and lower Kan overlapping, so it is said "again arriving." The trigrams between the third and fifth lines form Gen, which represents the gentleman; the trigrams between the second and fourth lines form Zhen, which represents virtue and speech, so it is said "instruction." Repeated practice means instruction never ceases, and virtue thus has a constant standard. The line statement of the first line: In a repeated danger, it falls into a deeper pit, which is凶 (misfortune). The Shuowen Jiezi says "窞" is a smaller Kan within Kan; Wang Su says it is the bottom of Kan; the Zilin says it is a small Kan within Kan, or a hole beside it. Shang's commentary says Wang Su's interpretation is correct. The first line is at the very bottom of Kan, so it falls into the bottom of Kan. The Image Commentary says: Practicing Kan again, entering Kan, losing the path, which brings misfortune. Zhen represents the great path, so it is said "path"; the first line has no correspondence with Zhen, so it is said "losing the path brings misfortune." The line statement of the second line: In a dangerous pit, there is only small gain. The second line, being a yang line in a yin place, is out of position, so there is "danger." Yin represents small, and the second line is in the middle of the lower trigram, corresponding with the yin lines above and below, so it is said "small gain." The Image Commentary says: Small gain, not yet having emerged from the center. What is meant by "not yet having emerged from the center" is that the fifth line is a yang line and does not correspond with it, so it is said "not yet having emerged"; if there were correspondence, it could rise to the fifth position and be in the right place, thus gaining much. The line statement of the sixth line: Coming and going are all dangerous, being restrained and pressed down, falling into the deeper pit, there is no action ("检" in the original text is noted as following Zheng Xuan and Xiang Xiu's editions, while the current edition reads "danger"). The sixth line is between the upper and lower Kan, returning to the inner trigram is Kan, moving to the outer trigram is also Kan, so it is said "coming into Kan again." The Mengzi says "dogs and pigs eat people's food without restraint," Zhao Qi's commentary says "restraint means to restrain"; the Ximing says "pillow means restraint, used to restrain the neck." This shows that "pillow" and "restraint" have the same meaning.

檢且枕，仍承來之坎坎言，言內外俱受檢制。既檢且枕，仍與初交之人坎焰（左無上穴）同。夫前檢後枕，來往既陷於險境，其不能用也必矣，故曰勿用。象曰：來之坎坎，終無功也。勿用故曰無功。艮為枕，《易林·需之大壯》云「婚姻配合，同枕共牢」，大壯通觀，以艮為枕，坤眾故同枕。六四：樽酒，簋貳用嶽，納約自牖，終無咎。坎為酒，震為尊，故曰尊酒。震為墓，簋，祭器，以盛黍稷，中交正覆震，故曰簋貳。貳、二同，《曲禮》「雖不貳辭」，注：貳謂重骰（？）。此簋貳與《損》之二簋同。擊，《說文》：瓦器。簋貳用擊者，言用瓦簋。《周禮》「施（右下瓦）人為簋」，疏：祭宗廟用木簋，今用瓦，祭天地尚質，器用陶匏。《郊特牲》亦云「器用陶匏，象天地之性」。王夫之謂缶，瓦也，與禮經合，得其義矣。

"Jian Qie Zhen" continues from "Lai Zhi Can Can," indicating that both internal and external aspects are constrained. Being restrained from above and pressed from below, the situation is the same as that of initial line six "Ru Yu Can Dan." There is restriction in front and pressure behind, so movement is trapped in danger, and thus it is said "Wu Yong." The "Image Commentary" says: "Lai Zhi Can Can, Zhong Wu Gong Ye." Since there is "Wu Yong," it is said there is no achievement. "Gen" is the image of a pillow, which is an unusual image not found in "Shuo Gua." "Jiao Shi Yi Lin · Xu Zhi Da Zhuang" says "Hun Yin Pei He, Tong Zhen Gong Lao." "Da Zhuang" and "Guan" are complementary, so "Guan" provides the image of "Gen" as a pillow. "Kun" represents the people, so it is said "Tong Zhen." The line statement for sixth line four: one cup of wine, two bowls of food, served in earthenware vessels, offered through the window as a covenant, ultimately without fault. "Cai" represents wine, and the lines two to four form a mutual "Zhen" trigram, "Zhen" represents a vessel (for wine), so it is said "Zun Jiu." "Zhen" also represents a tomb, and the image of sacrificial vessels arises from this. "Gui" is a sacrificial vessel used to hold millet and rice. The middle four lines contain both the original "Zhen" and inverted "Zhen" trigrams, so it is said "Gui Er," meaning two "Gui." "Er" is the same as "Two," as noted in "Qu Li" "Su Bi Er Ci," where the commentary says "Er" means repetition. Here "Gui Er" is the same as "Er Gui" in the "Sun" hexagram. "Fou" (source text says "Ji") is a character for "Fou," which according to "Shuo Wen" is a earthenware vessel. "Gui Er Yu Fou" means using a earthenware "Gui." "Zhou Li" says "Zhen Ren Wei Gui," and the commentary says that wooden "Gui" are used for ancestral worship, but here earthenware is used because worshiping heaven and earth values simplicity, and vessels are made of clay and gourds. "Li Ji · Jiao Te Sheng" also says "Qi Yong Tao Pao, Xiang Tian Di Zhi Xing." Wang Fu Zhi says "Fou" is an earthenware vessel, which agrees with the rites, and thus grasps the original meaning.

約，神約也。《周禮·秋官》司約掌六約，治神之約為上，治民之約次之。爻辭言尊簋，則祭神也，故知此約為神約，注：神約，命祀郊社群望及祖宗也。《漢書·高帝紀》「約先人關者」，注：約，要也。《呂覽·淫辭》「秦趙相與約」，注：約，盟也。艮為牖，震為言，故曰納約自牖，言詔明神而要誓，薦其盟祝之載辭於牖下也。又春官祖祝作盟祖之載辭，以敘國之信用，坎為信，故要誓於神也。承陽當位，故無咎；艮為終，故曰終無咎。酒、擊、牖、咎為韻。

"The term 'yue' refers to a covenant made with deities. The 'Rites of Zhou · Autumn Official' mentions six types of covenants, with 'covenant with deities' ranked first, followed by 'covenant with people.' Since the line statement mentions vessels such as zun and gui, this indicates a ritual for worshiping deities, thus identifying this 'yue' as a divine covenant. Zheng's commentary explains that 'divine covenant' refers to the rites of ancestral worship, including the worship of the heavenly mandate, the ancestral temples, and the spirits of the land and sea. In the 'Book of Han · Records of the Emperor Gao' the phrase 'yue xian ru guan zhe' is annotated as 'yue means to require or to agree.' In the 'Classic of the Warring States · Flattering Words,' the phrase 'Qin and Zhao mutually made a covenant' is annotated as 'yue means a treaty.' The lines three to five form a mutual trigram of Gen, which represents a window; Zhen represents speech, so the phrase 'na yue zi you' means to make a covenant with the bright deity through prayer, offering the words of the covenant beneath the window. Additionally, the 'Rites of Zhou · Spring Official' mentions that the curse and blessing official is responsible for composing the words of oaths and curses to affirm the state's credibility; Kan represents trust, so a covenant must be made before the deity. The line six four is above the line nine five, which is yang and in the correct position, thus 'no blame' is indicated; Gen represents the end, so 'always no blame' is stated. In terms of rhyme, the words jiu, fǒu, yǒu, and jiu rhyme with each other."

象曰：樽酒簋貳，剛柔際也。四承陽故曰剛柔際。際，《說文》：會也。九五：坎不盈，只既平，無咎。坎不盈，義見前。只，京、虞作提（左　），曰安也；鄭云當作坻，小丘也。按易字不能定者，當定之以象。鄭於復卦無只侮，訓只為病，茲又訓為坻，誠以坎不盈與只既平為對文，則只為實字無疑。

The Image Commentary says: "A cup of wine and a pair of bowls, indicating the meeting of the firm and the yielding." The sixth line in the fourth position is above the ninth line in the fifth, so the firm and the yielding are connected. "Interconnection" is explained in the Shuowen as "meeting." The line statement of the ninth line in the fifth position says: "The water in the Kan trigram has not yet filled up, and the small hill has been levelled, so there is no fault." The meaning of "Kan not full" has already been explained earlier. The character "zhi" is written as "ti" in the versions of Jing Fang and Yu Fan, meaning security; Zheng Xuan says it should be "chi," meaning a small hill. Shang Binghe comments: In the Book of Changes, when the character form is not certain, it should be determined by the hexagram image. Zheng Xuan interprets "zhi" as illness in the line "wu zhi hui" of the Fu hexagram, but here he interprets it as "chi," because "Kan not full" and "chi already levelled" are parallel expressions. Therefore, "zhi" is clearly a concrete word.

又五為艮主爻，艮山故曰抵。而坻與氏通，《說文》：氏，巴蜀名山岸協之堆，旁者（上竹）欲落惰（左土？）者曰氏，氏崩聲聞數百里。揚雄賦「晌若氏貴（左阜）」，而《文選·解嘲》作坻貴（左阜）。應劭云：天水有大　名曰隴坻。韋昭云：低音若是理之是。是坻與氏通。俞樾云：只既平，即氏貴（左阜）之氏，氏貴（左阜）即平矣，古本易蓋止作氏既乎，後人誤加示耳。案鄭詁為坻，蓋即疑只為氏，俞說正與鄭合，而韋昭音坻為是，由是證只、坻、提音皆由氏得，從氏者誤也。

The fifth line is the main line of the Gen hexagram, which represents a mountain. Therefore, it is said "dǐ" (the original text says "dǐ"). The character "dǐ" is homophonous with "shì": According to the Shuo Wen, "shì" refers to a pile of earth near a cliff in the Bashu region, which would collapse and be heard for hundreds of miles. In Yang Xiong's fu, there is a line "xiǎng ruò shì tuí," while the Wen Xuan·Jie Chao version reads "dǐ tuí." Ying Shao said: There is a large slope called Long Dǐ in the Tian Shui commandery (the original text lacks one character here). Wei Zhao said: The pronunciation of "dǐ" is similar to "shì li." The same word is written as "shì tuí" in one place and "dǐ tuí" in another, and both are pronounced as "shì," showing that "dǐ" and "shì" were originally homophones. Yu Yue said: "Zhi ji ping" (the "zhi" in this phrase) is the same as the "shì" in "shì tuí," since the collapse of a pile of earth would level it. The ancient version of the Book of Changes probably only had "shì ji ping," and later people mistakenly added the "shì" radical. Shang's note: Zheng Xuan interpreted it as "dǐ," which probably indicates his doubt that "zhi" is the same as "shì," and Yu Yue's view aligns with Zheng Xuan. Meanwhile, Wei Zhao's pronunciation of "dǐ" as "shì" proves that the pronunciations of "zhi," "dǐ," and "ti" all come from "shì." Writing it with the "di" radical is incorrect (the original text still uses "shì").

王引之謂鄭作宛在水中低之批為誤，豈知鄭並未作抵。坻，毛傳云小諸，《釋水》云「小洲曰渚」，茲曰小丘，明非渚也，以鄭作低與《解嘲》同，與《說文》同也。不然鄭豈不知仍詁為病，使前後一律哉。坎為平，故曰抵既平。坎不盈為一事，坻既平又為一事，上下對文。詁只為安者固非，仍詁為病，於象雖合，於義未安也。象曰：坎不盈，中未光大也。陽陷陰中，雖得中而未光大。

Wang Yinzhi said that Zheng Xuan took the character "坻" in the phrase "宛在水中坻" from the Book of Poetry to mean something else, which was wrong. But in fact, Zheng Xuan never took that meaning. The character "坻" is said by Mao's Commentary to mean a small islet, and the Er Ya says "a small island is called a zhu." However, Zheng Xuan interpreted it as a small hill, indicating that it is not a water island. The meaning of "坻" that Zheng Xuan adopted is the same as in the "Jie Chao" and the Shuo Wen. If not, why would Zheng Xuan not still explain it as "disease" to maintain consistency? The hexagram Kan represents flatness, so it says "the坻 is flat." "Kan does not overflow" is one matter, and "the坻 is flat" is another, forming a parallel structure in the two lines. Taking "只" as "peace" is incorrect; if it is still taken as "disease," although it makes sense in terms of the hexagram image, it is not appropriate in terms of the meaning of the text. The Image Commentary says: "Kan does not overflow, because the center is not yet great and bright." A yang line is trapped in the yin, although it is in the center, it still cannot become great and bright.

上六：繫用徽墨（左絲），真（上？）於叢棘，三歲不得，凶。劉表云：三股為徽，兩胎為墨（左絲），皆索名，以繫縛罪人。虞翻云：徽墨，黑索也。徽墨（左絲）之象，虞用卦變，以觀巽為繩，非也。蓋坎為矯揉（左車），物之能矯揉（左車）者莫過於繩，故以徽墨（左絲）取象。坎為棘，上坎下坎，故曰叢棘。

The line statement for the sixth line at the top says: Using a rope to bind, placing in a thorny bramble, unable to escape for three years, ominous. (The original text marks the character 纆 with 墨 (left silk) and 寘 with 真 (upper question mark)). Liu Biao said: Three strands twisted together are called huī, two strands twisted together are called mò, both are names for ropes used to bind criminals. Yu Fan said: Huī and mò are black ropes. As for the symbolic meaning of huī and mò, Yu Fan used the changing hexagram, taking the wind trigram from the Guan hexagram as the rope, which is incorrect. In fact, Kan represents bending and shaping, and nothing can be bent and shaped more than a rope, so the rope is used as a symbol. Kan also represents thorns, and both upper and lower trigrams are Kan, so it is said 'thorny bramble'.

真（上？）、示通，《周禮·朝士》鄭司農注及《轂（左下禾）梁》宣二年范寧注引，皆作示于叢棘；而《詩》「鹿嗚示我周行」，鄭則云示當作真（上？）。真（上？），置也。真（上？）於叢棘，舊解皆謂以黑索繫罪人，置於獄，或議於九棘之下也。三歲不得，言三年不得出也。茹敦和云：坎為三歲。象曰：上六失道，凶三歲也。上六應在三，三震為道，乃三不應上，故曰失道。

The characters "寘" and "示" are interchangeable in ancient texts; both appear in classical writings. In the commentary by Zheng Xuan on the "Zhou Li · Chao Shi" and the quotation from the "Gu Liang Zhuan" of the second year of Emperor Xuan of the State of Chu, this line of the hexagram is cited as "showing at the thorny thicket." Conversely, in the "Book of Poetry," the line "You you lu ming, shi wo zhou xing" is interpreted by Zheng Xuan as "placing" instead of "showing." "寘" means to place. Regarding "placing in the thorny thicket," traditional commentaries all interpret it as binding criminals with black ropes and imprisoning them, or holding trials under the nine thorn posts of the Zhou system. "Three years not being able to escape" refers to being imprisoned for three years. Ru Dunhe explains: "Kan represents three years—Kan is located in the north, and the number three corresponds to it, hence the image of three years." The "Image Commentary" states: "The upper sixth line loses the way, resulting in misfortune for three years." The responding line of the upper sixth line is the sixth line in the third position. The sixth line in the third position belongs to the trigram Zhen, which represents the way. However, since both the upper sixth line and the sixth line in the third position are yin lines and do not correspond, it is said that "the way is lost."

案上以叢棘為獄者，虞說也，虞謂獄外種棘，張惠言以不知所本而疑之矣。以《周禮·秋官·朝士》為本，使公卿議於九棘之下而定罪者，鄭說也，然不曰九棘而曰叢棘。文王演易之時仍殷制，殷是否有三槐九棘之制不可知，則亦可疑也。況爻詞曰三歲不得，不得者，不能遂其願也；象曰上六失道，失道者，言所為不當也，不當故不得，於人獄詞意皆不合。

Shang Binghe says: Taking the term 'cong ji' as referring to a prison is Yu Fan's view. He said that there are brambles planted outside the prison. Zhang Huiyan had already expressed doubt because he could not find the source. Using the "Zhou Li · Qiuan · Chao Shi" as the basis, saying that the ministers and high officials meet under the nine jis to decide on guilt, is Zheng Xuan's view. However, the line statement does not say 'jiu ji' but 'cong ji'. Moreover, when King Wen composed the Book of Changes, he still used the system of the Yin dynasty. It is unknown whether the Yin dynasty had the system of three hua and nine jis. This view is also questionable. Moreover, the line statement says 'san sui bu de', 'bu de' means unable to realize one's wishes. The 'Xiao Xiang' says 'Shang Liu shi dao', 'shi dao' means improper actions. Improper actions lead to inability to realize one's wishes. These do not correspond to the meaning of imprisonment.

按《列子·說符篇》「臣有所與共擔墨（左絲）薪菜者曰九方皋」，是徽墨（左絲）可以約薪菜；揚雄《酒箴》云「子猶瓶矣，居井之湄，不得左右，牽於墨（左絲）徽」，是徽墨（左絲）可為井索，胡為必束縛罪人？若以叢棘為疑，《詩》云「園有棘，其實之食」，又云「墓門有棘，斧以斯之」，是棘常生於墓門及園囿；《羽獵賦》「斬叢棘，夷野草」，《吳志·諸葛格（左　）傳》「升山赴險，抵突叢棘」，是叢棘常生於山林，安在必為獄？

Shang's commentary further states: First, consider whether "hui mo" can only be used to bind people. The "Lie Zi · Shu Fu" says, "A minister who shares a yoke and carries firewood and vegetables with someone is called Jiufanggao," which refers to using the mo rope to bundle firewood and carry it on a pole. Yang Xiong's "Jiu Zhen" says, "You are like a jar, living by the well's edge, unable to move left or right, bound by the mo and hui ropes," which refers to using the mo and hui ropes as the well rope for drawing water. Since the mo and hui ropes are commonly used in daily life, why must they necessarily refer to binding criminals? Now consider whether "cong ji" can only refer to a prison. The "Book of Songs" says, "There are thorns in the garden, their fruits are edible," and also says, "At the gate of the tomb there are thorns, which are cut with an axe," showing that thorns often grow by the tomb gate and in gardens. Yang Xiong's "Yu Lie Fu" says, "Cut through the thorny bushes, level the wild grass," and the "Wu Zhi · Zhuge Ke Zhuan" says, "Climb the mountain, face the danger, charge through the thorny bushes," showing that thorny bushes are more commonly found in mountain forests. So why must they necessarily refer to a prison?

故《易林·需之坎》云「鑿井求玉，非卞氏寶，名因身辱，勞無所得」，上二句謂所施不得地，釋真（上？）於叢棘及失道之義也；下二句謂徒勞無功，釋真（上？）於業棘、三歲不得之義也。依《易林》此釋，似言徽墨（左絲）所以繫物，然施於叢棘則權權刺激，難於施設，故久不得；不得之故，則由於所真（上？）失道也。如是則不得與失道之故，與上文皆協洽矣。徽墨（左絲）皆繩索名耳，繫物之用甚多，必謂專繫罪人，無及執乎？

Therefore, the "Jiao's Forest of Changes · Need to Kan" says, "Drilling a well to seek jade, not the treasure of Bian氏, name brought disgrace, labor without result." The first two lines indicate that the place chosen is inappropriate, explaining the meaning of "placed among thorny bushes" and "losing the way." The last two lines indicate futile effort, explaining the meaning of "placed among thorny bushes, three years without success." According to this interpretation in the "Forest of Changes," it seems to suggest that the "hui mei" was originally a rope used to bind objects, but when applied to thorny bushes, the branches and thorns pierced the hands, making it impossible to handle, thus failing to accomplish the task for a long time. The reason for failure lies in the improper placement, which is the meaning of "losing the way." In this way, the line statement "three years without success" and the "small image" statement "losing the way" are connected, and their causes are consistent with the previous text. This is exactly the typical approach used by Shang氏 to correct old interpretations: not preassuming the case of litigation, but following the images and the line statements of the "Forest of Changes" to restore the meaning of the words. "Hui mei" is merely the name of a rope; ropes are used for binding many things. To insist that it is specifically used to bind criminals seems too rigid.

離。利貞，亨，畜牝牛吉。乾交坤為坎，坤交乾為離，坎為隱而離則明矣，凡相對之卦，其義皆對。二五中正，故利貞；二五麗於陽中故亨。坤為牛，離得坤中爻，故亦為牛。俞云：《說文》牝，畜母也，牧牛即母牛。虞翻謂以離為牝牛為借說，豈知《左傳》昭五年明雲純離為牛，由是證虞翻未見左氏。象曰：離，麗也，日月麗乎天，百穀草木麗。

The Hexagram of Li says: It is advantageous to maintain the correct path, and there is smooth progress. If one raises a female ox, it will be auspicious. The middle line of Qian enters Kun to form Kan, and the middle line of Kun enters Qian to form Li. Kan represents concealment, while Li represents brightness. All pairs of opposite hexagrams have opposite meanings. Lines Six Two and Six Five are in the center and upright, so it is advantageous to maintain the correct path. These two yin lines are attached to yang lines, hence the smooth progress. Kun represents an ox, and since Li receives the middle line of Kun, Li also represents an ox. Yu Yue says: The Shuowen Jiezi states, "Pìn, the female animal, is the mother of livestock." Therefore, a female ox is a mother ox. Yu Fan said that using Li to represent a female ox is a metaphor, but he did not know that the Zuo Zhuan of the fifth year of King Zhao's reign clearly states, "Pure Li represents an ox," thereby proving that Yu Fan had not read the Zuo Zhuan. The Image Commentary says: Li is attachment; the sun and moon are attached to heaven, and all grains and grasses are attached to the earth... (the original text breaks off here, with "hu di" and the following text continuing in the next paragraph).

乎地，重明以麗乎正，及化成天下。柔麗乎中正，故亨，是以畜牝牛吉也。五為天位，離日兌月，象失傳，詳《焦氏易詁》，皆在五，故曰日月麗乎天。《禮·王制》：郵罰麗於事。注：麗，附也。言日月附於天也。二四互巽，為百穀，為草木，而二為地位，故曰麗乎地。從王肅不作土。兩象故重明。萬物得日以化成。

The hundred grains and grasses cling to the earth. Two lights are attached to the right path, thus producing and nurturing the world; the flexible line is attached to the central and upright position, so the hexagram statement says "smooth," and also says "it is auspicious to raise a mother cow." Shang Binghe explains: the fifth line is the heavenly position, "Li" represents the sun, and "Dui" represents the moon. These two images were lost in later times, and detailed discussions can be found in his own work, "Jiao's Glosses on the Changes." The images of the sun and moon both fall on the fifth line, so the commentary on the judgment says "the sun and moon shine upon the heaven." The "Rites of Zhou: The System of Government" mentions "punishments are attached to the matter," and Zheng Xuan's commentary says "attached" means clinging. This clearly refers to the sun and moon clinging to the heaven. The lines two through four form the trigram "Xun," which has the image of "hundred grains" and "grass and trees." The second line is the earth position, so it says "attached to the earth." Here, we follow Wang Su's version and do not use the character "earth." Both upper and lower trigrams are "Li," so they are stacked together, called "double brightness." All things can only be cultivated and grow under the illumination of the sun.

象曰：明兩作，離，大人以繼明照于四方。晌明而治，故曰大人；重明，故曰繼。初九：履錯然，敬之，句無咎。王注：錯然，敬慎之貌。處離之始，故宜慎所履，以敬為務，避其咎也。按初為震爻，震為履。錯然，蓋又有鄭重不苟之意，故曰敬。以「敬之」連「無咎」讀者非。象曰：履錯之敬，以辟咎也。

The Great Image Commentary says: Light rises twice, which is the Hexagram Li (Fire), and the Great Man takes it as a model, using continuous light to illuminate all directions. Shang's interpretation: Facing the light to govern the world, hence it is called the Great Man; the upper and lower parts both being Li, the light overlaps, hence it is called 'continuing'. The first line statement: The appearance of steps crossing,恭敬ly treating it -- 'respect it' forms a separate sentence -- there is no fault. Wang Bi's commentary: 'Crossing' refers to a respectful and cautious appearance; the first line is at the beginning of the Hexagram Li, so one should be cautious about the place one steps on, treating respect as a priority, to avoid calamity. Shang's note: The first line is the Zhen (Thunder) line, 'Zhen' has the image of 'walking', this is a Han dynasty lost image preserved in the 'Forest of Changes' by Jiao, not found in 'Sayings on the Hexagrams'. 'Crossing' also implies solemnity and seriousness, hence it is called 'respect'. Some people read 'respect it' together with 'no fault' as a single sentence, which is wrong. The Small Image Commentary says: Crossing steps while maintaining respect is used to avoid calamity.

六二：黃離，元吉。坤色黃，離得坤中爻，故曰黃離；得中故大吉。象曰：黃離元吉，得中道也。九三：日昃之離，不鼓擊而歌，則大耋之嗟，凶。三居離終，故曰日昃，故象曰不可久。此爻全用伏象：伏震為鼓、為缶、為歌，伏艮為堅，故《易林》常以艮為壽、為老，《釋言》耋，老也。蓋三居下卦之終，時已遲暮，故曰不鼓缶而歌。《詩》坎其繫擊，缶固古樂也。而三居互艮之初，艮為大老？？？，言不及時行樂，則將有衰老之嗟也。震為樂，震反為艮則嗟矣。此與《中孚》六三之或鼓或罷、或泣或歌，皆正覆象並用，與《雜卦》震起艮止、兌見巽伏之義同也。而能識此旨者，在古則《左傳》，在西漢則《易林》，後則無知者。象曰：日昃之離，何可久也。

The line statement for the second line says: yellow attachment, great good fortune. Shang's interpretation says: the color of the hexagram "Kun" is yellow, and the middle line of the hexagram "Li" comes from "Kun," so it is called "yellow Li"; being in the center and in the proper position, thus great good fortune. The small image commentary says: "Yellow Li" brings great good fortune because it holds to the middle path. The line statement for the third line says: attachment at sunset, if not drumming on a clay pot and singing, there will be lamentations of old age and decline, which is ominous. Shang's interpretation says: the third line is at the end of the hexagram "Li," so it is called "sunset." The small image commentary also says "how can it last long?" This line entirely uses the "hidden image," that is, the opposite hexagram hidden behind the primary hexagram: the hidden "Zhen" has the images of "drumming," "clay pot," and "singing," and the hidden "Gen" has the image of "firmness." Therefore, the "Jiao's Forest of Changes" often takes "Gen" as "longevity" and "old age," and the "Er Ya · Xiyán" says "die" means old age. The third line is at the end of the lower trigram, so time is near the end of life, hence the saying of not drumming on a clay pot and singing. The "Book of Songs" has the phrase "kan qi jifa," showing that the clay pot was originally an ancient musical instrument. The third line is also at the beginning of the interacting trigrams "Gen," and "Gen" represents old age, meaning if one does not enjoy life in its time, there will be lamentations of old age. "Zhen" represents joy, but when "Zhen" is reversed to become "Gen," it turns into sorrow. This is similar to the line "or drumming or stopping, or weeping or singing" in the line six three of "Zhongfu," both using the positive image and the reversed image, and is consistent with the meaning of the "Zagua Zhuan" that "Zhen" starts and "Gen" stops, "Dui" appears and "Xun" hides. Only the "Zuo Zhuan" in ancient times and the "Jiao's Forest of Changes" in the Western Han dynasty understood this meaning, and after that, no one else did. The small image commentary says: attachment at sunset, where can it last long?

九四：突如其來如，焚如，死如，棄如。九四雖失位，然其凶不至如此之甚。蓋此爻之義，仍取覆象，自覆象失傳，故說者皆莫明其故。離二至四巽，巽順；三至五巽覆，即不順矣。兌剛滷，故突如其來如。突與雲同，亦作充（下　？）。《說文》云：不順忽出也，從倒子，《易》曰突如其來如，不孝子突出不容於內也。雲亦作充（下　）者，《說文》充（下　）下云：或從倒古文子，即《易》突字。按古文子作災，倒之即為充（下　）。惠棟校《集解》，竟改為充（下　）。然《說文》明曰即《易》突字，是古本《易》作突與今同，改作災非也。

The line statement for the fourth line (Nine in the Fourth): It comes suddenly, like a burning fire, like death, like abandonment. Hui Dong's explanation says: Although Nine in the Fourth is out of its proper position, its danger is not so severe. The meaning of this line still comes from the concept of 'reversed image,' which refers to the image formed when the entire hexagram is reversed. Since the theory of reversed images has been lost, those who interpret the Zhou Changes have failed to understand the reason. The second to fourth lines of the Li hexagram form the structure of Xun, which represents following; however, the third to fifth lines form the reversed image of Xun, which is not following. Dui is characterized by being strong and rough, hence the sudden coming. The character 'tu' is the same as the ancient character for 'suddenly' which is written as another form (the original text lacks the stroke, only the shape is described). The Shuowen Jiezi says: 'Not following, but suddenly emerging,' the character is composed of the inverted 'zi.' The Zhou Changes say 'tupo' meaning suddenly appearing, referring to an unfilial son who suddenly appears and is not accepted within the family. The reason for saying it is written as another form is because the Shuowen Jiezi says that it may be composed of the inverted ancient character 'zi,' which is the 'tu' in the Zhou Changes. The ancient character 'zi' written in reverse is exactly that character. Hui Dong, when editing the Collected Explanations of the Zhou Changes, changed 'tu' to that character; however, the Shuowen Jiezi clearly states that it is the 'tu' in the Zhou Changes, indicating that the ancient version of the Zhou Changes used 'tu' and it is the same as the current version. Changing it to another character is incorrect.

巽覆故不順，子體倒故曰不孝子，不孝子無所容於世；體離故焚如，兌毀折故死如、棄如。《說文》：棄，損也，從充（下　）；充（下　），不孝子也。故《匈奴傳》王莽造焚如之刑，如淳云：焚如、死如、棄如者，謂不孝子也，不畜於父母，不容於朋友，故燒殺棄之。按如淳及許慎之說，皆與象傳無所容義合，蓋古義如此也。象曰：突如其來如，無所容也。

The trigram Xun is inverted, hence it is not smooth, and the character "zi" (son) written upside down is called "bu xiao zi" (unfilial son), an unfilial son is not accepted by the world. The fundamental nature is Li, which represents fire, so it is said "fen ru" (burning like fire). "Dui" represents destruction, so it is said "si ru" (dying like) and "qi ru" (discarded like). The "Shuo Wen" says: "qi" means to lose or discard, its character form is from the upside-down "zi" character, which exactly represents the meaning of an unfilial son. Therefore, the "Han Shu · Xiongnu Zhuan" records that Wang Mang created the punishment "fen ru", and Ru Chun explained that "fen ru", "si ru", and "qi ru" refer to unfilial sons, who are not supported by their parents and not accepted by friends, hence they are burned to death or discarded. Shang氏 notes: Ru Chun's and Xu Shen's interpretations are consistent with the small image commentary's meaning of "no place to be accepted", showing that the ancient meaning was originally so. The small image commentary says: suddenly coming, there is nowhere to be accepted.

六五：出涕淪若，戚嗟若，吉。目汁出曰涕。五離為目，兌為雨水，決（左無）九三往遇雨，《革》傳水火相息，水出自目，故曰涕淪。淪，《說文》水別流，言涕被面而支溢也。清儒皆以伏坎為涕，於卦象之神妙全失。兌口為嗟，若者語辭。象本不吉，然而云吉者，以麗於陽中也。象曰：六五之吉，麗王公也。乾為王為公，謂四上。

The Line Statement of the Fifth Line: The appearance of tears flowing, the appearance of sorrow and lamentation, it is auspicious. Shang's Interpretation: The fluid flowing from the eyes is called 'tears'. The Fifth Line is in the trigram Li, which represents the eye; 'Dui' represents rainwater. The Line Statement of the third line in the hexagram Guai says 'meeting rain', and the Commentary on the Judgment of the hexagram Ge says that water and fire extinguish each other, water flows out from the eyes, so it is said 'tears flow'. 'Flow' is explained in Shuowen as a branch or offshoot of water, meaning tears overflowing the face. Qing dynasty scholars all used the trigram Kan to explain tears, thus losing the subtle meaning of the hexagram. 'Dui' represents the mouth, so it is 'lamentation'; 'ruo' is a sentence-ending particle. The image of this line is originally not auspicious, yet it is said to be auspicious because it is attached to the upper and lower yang lines. The Small Image Commentary says: The Fifth Line is auspicious because it is attached to the King and the Duke. Shang's Interpretation: 'Qian' represents the King and the Duke, referring to the two yang lines, the fourth and the top.

上九：王用出征，有嘉，折首，獲匪其五，無咎。此與《大有》《鼎》上九義同也。《大有》上九云：自天有之，吉無不利；《鼎》上九云：大吉。蓋《大有》《鼎》中交皆不利，凡中爻不通利者，上九必利。《大畜》中爻為艮所畜，至上九忽亨，則以上九高出庶物，不為所言也。《大有》《鼎》《離》與《大畜》理同也。

The line statement for the top nine: The king uses military force to campaign, achieving a glorious merit, capturing enemy leaders, and capturing not only his followers but also without fault. Shang's interpretation: This is the same as the meaning of the top nine in the hexagrams of Great Possession and Cauldron. The top nine of Great Possession says "Supported by heaven, auspicious and beneficial in all matters," and the top nine of Cauldron says "Great auspiciousness." In the hexagrams of Great Possession and Cauldron, the middle lines are all disadvantageous. Whenever a hexagram has an unbeneficial middle line, the top nine will certainly be beneficial. In the hexagram of Great Accumulation, the middle line is blocked by Gen, but at the top nine it suddenly becomes smooth, because the top nine is above all things and is not restricted by the constraint of accumulation. The principles of Great Possession, Cauldron, Li, and Great Accumulation are the same.

茹敦和云：離有征伐象。《明夷》九三日南狩（左月），得其大首；《晉》上九日維有伐邑，皆為離上爻。蓋一陽突出兌說之上，而兌為斧鉞，離為甲兵，故曰王用出征。兌為毀折，乾為首，先儒皆謂坎折坤，則離亦折乾也，皆以中爻故離有殺象，《既濟》云東鄰殺牛是也。折首謂殺敵。于思泊云：虢季盤折首五百，執訊五十，不？（左其右上鳳右下女）股，女多禽折首、執訊，征之金文，皆謂殺敵，非謂魁首。按於說是也。

Ru Dunhe said: The Li hexagram has the image of military campaigns. The line Nine in the Third of Mingyi says "southern hunting, capturing the great leader," and the line Upper Nine of Jin says "using military force to attack the city," both appear in the Upper Line of the Li hexagram. This is because a Yang line is prominent above "Dui" (Joy), and "Dui" represents axes and weapons, while "Li" represents military forces. Therefore, the king uses military campaigns. "Dui" signifies destruction, "Qian" signifies the head, and previous scholars have said that Kan can break Kun. Thus, Li can also break Qian; this is due to the Middle Line. Therefore, Li has the image of killing and warfare. The Ji Ji hexagram says "the eastern neighbor sacrifices an ox," which is an example. "Breaking the head" refers to killing enemies. Yu Shengwu said: The inscription on the Guo Ji Zi Bai Pan mentions "breaking the heads of five hundred enemies, capturing fifty prisoners," and also says "many birds caught, breaking the heads and capturing prisoners." Using oracle bone inscriptions as evidence, "breaking the head" refers to killing enemies, not capturing the leader. Shang said: Yu's view is correct.

匪與分古通，《周禮·地官》凜（？）人以待國之匪頒，注：匪讀為分。獲匪其衛者，謂匪頒所獲丑擄於有功，以為奴隸也。象曰：王用出征，以正邦也。徵，正也。折首獲丑，皆正邦之事。邦象未詳，諸家皆以坤為邦。按三至五伏艮，艮為邦。

The terms "匪" and "fen" were considered interchangeable in ancient times. The "Rites of Zhou · Local Officials" mentions "the granary keeper provides for the country's匪颁," and Zheng Xuan explains that "匪" should be read as "fen." The phrase "obtaining匪its captives" refers to distributing the captives obtained through military campaigns as slaves to those who have rendered meritorious service. The Small Image Commentary states that a king's military campaign is to correct the states. Shang's interpretation says: "zheng" means "correcting." Beheading enemies and capturing prisoners are all matters of correcting the states. The symbolic representation of "邦" has not been explained by previous scholars; all schools take "Kun" as "邦." Shang notes: the lines three to five conceal "Gen," and "Gen" is the proper symbol for "邦," which is also an ancient symbolic representation preserved in the "Jiao's Forest of Changes."