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Takashima Ekidan · hexagram readings
Takashima Ekidan · Hexagram 23 Mountain over Earth, Stripping: It is unfavorable to have somewhere to go.
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Mountain over Earth, Stripping: It is unfavorable to have somewhere to go.
23 Mountain over Earth, Stripping
The character “Bo” [106] is composed of the knife radical and “lu” as its phonetic component. In Shuowen Jiezi, “lu” means “to carve wood”; in Guicang, it is written as two knives, composed of two knife radicals. The hexagram has Gen above and Kun below: Gen is the mountain and Kun is the earth, hence “the mountain is attached to the earth.” Its hexagram structure consists of five yin lines and one yang line, with the one yang line above and the five yin lines below. What is called a mountain is also merely ornamentation; yin is flourishing and yang is weak, presenting the image of the mountain collapsing and becoming earth. The Commentary on the Image does not say “the mountain is above the earth,” but says “the mountain is attached to the earth.” “Attached” means relying upon something, so it is already difficult to preserve secure stillness without movement. Daily erosion and daily stripping are inevitable; therefore this hexagram is named Bo, Stripping. Bo follows Bi, Adornment: when adornment reaches its extreme, it reverses into stripping. Li changes into Kun, fire is transformed into earth, the earth becomes vast and the mountain diminishes. What began as a small earthen mound is easily stripped away; this signifies that petty people are numerous while noble persons are isolated. The opposite hexagram is Guai, Breakthrough: its five yang lines flourish and grow, decisively removing one yin line, hence “it is favorable to have somewhere to go.” In Bo, the five yin lines flourish and grow, stripping away one yang line, hence “it is not favorable to have somewhere to go.”
Bo: It is not favorable to have somewhere to go.
▲ Seal-script form of Bo
▲ Seal-script form of Bo
The Tuan Commentary says: Bo means stripping away; the yielding changes the firm. It is not favorable to have somewhere to go because petty people are growing. Yielding and stopping: this is the observable image. The noble person values waxing and waning, fullness and emptiness; this is the movement of Heaven.
The Tuan Commentary says: “Bo means stripping away.” The Sequence Commentary says: “Bo means exhaustion.” The Miscellaneous Commentary says: “Bo means decay.” It may also mean shedding, falling, divesting, rending, or striking; all these take their meaning from diminution and disappearance. Bo is one of the twelve hexagrams expressing the waxing and waning of yin and yang. In the time of Qian, one yin first arises below, forming Gou, then Dun. Yin softness continues to grow while yang firmness gradually fades; firmness changes into softness, until only the one yang at the top remains. Now that one yang is also about to disappear completely, the hexagram is named Bo. Yang represents the noble man and yin the petty man. Five yin extinguishing one yang means “the petty man’s way grows while the noble man’s way declines,” hence “it is not beneficial to have somewhere to go; petty people are growing.” Kun represents compliance and Gen represents stopping. Seeing this image, the noble man should embody Kun’s compliance and follow Gen’s stopping: comply to keep to his station, avoiding contests over merit with petty people; stop to await the proper time, avoiding competition with petty people for advancement. “Increase and decrease, fullness and emptiness” accord with Heaven’s movement. Only then can he silently preserve his allotted fortunes and await the return of one yang. During this period of stripping and disorder, the noble man withdraws to a place without office, follows his proper share, and restrains himself, preserving the opportunity for the great fruit to bring about a change. The existence of such a noble man is precisely what is needed. Thus when the one yin of Guai is exhausted, the one yin of Gou is immediately born below; when the one yang of Bo is exhausted, the one yang of Fu is immediately born below. This is “increase and decrease, fullness and emptiness”—the cyclical movement of Heaven.
Applied to human affairs, this hexagram encompasses the opening and obstruction of one’s fate, the prosperity and decline of the household, as well as wealth and honor, poverty and low status, longevity and early death, and illness. In truth, none of these lies outside the waxing and waning of yin and yang. In human beings, yin and yang distinguish right from wrong; in the mind, principle from desire; in affairs, public from private. When malicious people are numerous, upright people are isolated; when selfish desire burns fiercely, moral principle perishes; when private interests flourish, public affairs fail. The household consequently declines, one’s fate becomes blocked, and danger becomes extreme. At such a time, a person can only yield and stop, letting Heaven’s movement follow its natural course. If one insists on forcing ahead, there will surely be much misfortune. The harm of Bo comes from below and approaches by gradual stripping: first the feet of the bed are stripped, then the bed frame, and finally a person’s skin. Yang keeps diminishing and yin keeps growing. Although the third line provides a response and the fifth provides protection, the great fruit remains attached yet useless. A great building is about to collapse, supported by a single log; a huge boat is about to capsize, held by one cord. Something remains, but though this is called human action, is it not also Heaven’s decree? When a household declines and later prospers again, when blocked fortune becomes open again, this one yang is always hidden there as the turning point. How could one fail to guard this solitary surviving yang with the utmost care?
Applied to the state, this hexagram explains the source of disorder and order in states throughout history. Great turmoil does not begin at the moment it becomes visible; by the time disorder reaches its extreme, the calamity can no longer be forcibly reversed. At the height of chaos, petty people fill the court, loyal ministers are executed, and men of resolve perish. The yielding changes the firm, and firm yang is almost completely stripped away. Like Longfeng in Xia and Bigan and Jizi in Yin, those whose loyal devotion moved straight forward were repeatedly met with disaster; this is what “it is not favorable to have somewhere to go” means. Only figures such as Weizi, who left Yin, Taigong, who avoided Zhou, and our country’s Kan Ukyo, who was demoted, were able to yield and stop. In a narrow sense this is called preserving oneself through wisdom; in a broader sense it means awaiting the proper time to assist the turning of fortune. The top line of Bo says “the great fruit is not eaten,” referring precisely to the noble person who assists the turning of fortune. Even among petty people who cooperate in wrongdoing, are there not some who understand a little of their proper distinctions and cherish loyal and worthy people? Thus, line Six in the third place can respond to Nine at the top, and line Six in the fifth place can restrain the group of yin lines. Because the yielding line occupies a yang place, it can suppress yin and support yang. This is the opportunity within the hexagram for one yang to return, the omen that the state may pass from danger back to safety. The cycle of Heaven moves this way. For a state, if it is unfortunate enough to live in a time of stripping and disorder, it should rather yield and stop, and must not “have somewhere to go”; that is the proper course.
Viewed as a whole, this hexagram shows yin flourishing and stripping yang away. It is the hexagram of the ninth month, carrying the atmosphere of autumnal killing and the image of all things falling away. The waxing and waning of yin and yang is the movement of Heaven; the order and disorder, prosperity and decline of society are the fortune of the age. In the principles of creation, when ornament outshines substance, decline must follow; flowers blooming in the morning fall by evening. That is why Bo follows Bi. Disaster begins in what is slight and regret arises at the end. If one forcibly struggles against it, calamity will surely result; if one remains secure and guards oneself, one can preserve the beginning. This is why the Book of Changes warns against going forth and encourages yielding and stopping. The first line is the beginning of disaster, the gradual stripping of Bo; the second is more ominous; the third knows to follow what is right and thereby becomes isolated; the fourth, though stripping has reached the skin, faces disaster close at hand; the fifth occupies the honored position and alone can adjust the feelings of the multitude, winning them through kindness. Women and petty people each settle into their proper place and follow yang together, so they do not advance to strip the top line. The great fruit in the top line survives through this. Those good at changing circumstances turn disaster into fortune; those poor at changing circumstances turn good fortune into disaster. Thus Bo begins ominously but ends without calamity.
The Great Image says: “A mountain attached to the earth: Bo. Thus the ruler thickens what is below and secures his dwelling.”
The thickness of the earth is enough to carry a mountain, and the weight of the mountain is enough to stabilize the earth. Since earth is below, the image takes breadth and thickness; since mountain is above, it takes security and stability. “A mountain attached to the earth” is like something merely lodging upon it, so the mountain seems almost to sway and can no longer remain securely still. “The ruler above” means the sovereign. When a mountain is attached to the earth, it is like saying that the ruler depends on the people; then the ruler too is in danger. At such a time, the ruler should thicken what is below to preserve the security of his dwelling. The upper trigram is Gen and the lower trigram Kun. The stripping of Bo begins from below, so it says to thicken what is below. When the base below is thick, what is above is secure—just as thick earth makes the mountain secure. The lines mention a bed, a carriage, and a hut, mostly taking images from things within a dwelling. The Image says “secure the dwelling,” following this same category.
[Divination]
○ Asking about current fortune: The fortune is not very favorable. It is advisable to settle down and guard oneself; there will be no blame.
○ Asking about commerce: One must strengthen one’s capital, accumulate goods, and ship them overseas attached to a transport operation; profit will certainly be gained. Merchants profit by stripping others of their wealth, so this is auspicious.
○ Asking about a residence: If it is a rented or borrowed residence, one may finance its purchase and make it one’s own; one’s own residence, by contrast, is unfavorable.
○ Asking about warfare: Guard against enemy attack; it is advisable to strengthen one’s forces.
○ Asking about illness: The soul is not attached to the body; this is feared to be inauspicious.
○ Asking about a traveler: If the traveler goes along with companions, he can return home.
○ Asking about pregnancy: A girl will be born; there is danger at first but safety afterward.
○ Asking about a lost object: It can be found, but it is feared to be damaged or incomplete.
The character “Bo” [106] is composed of the knife radical and “lu” as its phonetic component. In Shuowen Jiezi, “lu” means “to carve wood”; in Guicang, it is written as two knives, composed of two knife radicals. The hexagram has Gen above and Kun below: Gen is the mountain and Kun is the earth, hence “the mountain is attached to the earth.” Its hexagram structure consists of five yin lines and one yang line, with the one yang line above and the five yin lines below. What is called a mountain is also merely ornamentation; yin is flourishing and yang is weak, presenting the image of the mountain collapsing and becoming earth. The Commentary on the Image does not say “the mountain is above the earth,” but says “the mountain is attached to the earth.” “Attached” means relying upon something, so it is already difficult to preserve secure stillness without movement. Daily erosion and daily stripping are inevitable; therefore this hexagram is named Bo, Stripping. Bo follows Bi, Adornment: when adornment reaches its extreme, it reverses into stripping. Li changes into Kun, fire is transformed into earth, the earth becomes vast and the mountain diminishes. What began as a small earthen mound is easily stripped away; this signifies that petty people are numerous while noble persons are isolated. The opposite hexagram is Guai, Breakthrough: its five yang lines flourish and grow, decisively removing one yin line, hence “it is favorable to have somewhere to go.” In Bo, the five yin lines flourish and grow, stripping away one yang line, hence “it is not favorable to have somewhere to go.”
Bo: It is not favorable to have somewhere to go.
▲ Seal-script form of Bo
▲ Seal-script form of Bo
The Tuan Commentary says: Bo means stripping away; the yielding changes the firm. It is not favorable to have somewhere to go because petty people are growing. Yielding and stopping: this is the observable image. The noble person values waxing and waning, fullness and emptiness; this is the movement of Heaven.
The Tuan Commentary says: “Bo means stripping away.” The Sequence Commentary says: “Bo means exhaustion.” The Miscellaneous Commentary says: “Bo means decay.” It may also mean shedding, falling, divesting, rending, or striking; all these take their meaning from diminution and disappearance. Bo is one of the twelve hexagrams expressing the waxing and waning of yin and yang. In the time of Qian, one yin first arises below, forming Gou, then Dun. Yin softness continues to grow while yang firmness gradually fades; firmness changes into softness, until only the one yang at the top remains. Now that one yang is also about to disappear completely, the hexagram is named Bo. Yang represents the noble man and yin the petty man. Five yin extinguishing one yang means “the petty man’s way grows while the noble man’s way declines,” hence “it is not beneficial to have somewhere to go; petty people are growing.” Kun represents compliance and Gen represents stopping. Seeing this image, the noble man should embody Kun’s compliance and follow Gen’s stopping: comply to keep to his station, avoiding contests over merit with petty people; stop to await the proper time, avoiding competition with petty people for advancement. “Increase and decrease, fullness and emptiness” accord with Heaven’s movement. Only then can he silently preserve his allotted fortunes and await the return of one yang. During this period of stripping and disorder, the noble man withdraws to a place without office, follows his proper share, and restrains himself, preserving the opportunity for the great fruit to bring about a change. The existence of such a noble man is precisely what is needed. Thus when the one yin of Guai is exhausted, the one yin of Gou is immediately born below; when the one yang of Bo is exhausted, the one yang of Fu is immediately born below. This is “increase and decrease, fullness and emptiness”—the cyclical movement of Heaven.
Applied to human affairs, this hexagram encompasses the opening and obstruction of one’s fate, the prosperity and decline of the household, as well as wealth and honor, poverty and low status, longevity and early death, and illness. In truth, none of these lies outside the waxing and waning of yin and yang. In human beings, yin and yang distinguish right from wrong; in the mind, principle from desire; in affairs, public from private. When malicious people are numerous, upright people are isolated; when selfish desire burns fiercely, moral principle perishes; when private interests flourish, public affairs fail. The household consequently declines, one’s fate becomes blocked, and danger becomes extreme. At such a time, a person can only yield and stop, letting Heaven’s movement follow its natural course. If one insists on forcing ahead, there will surely be much misfortune. The harm of Bo comes from below and approaches by gradual stripping: first the feet of the bed are stripped, then the bed frame, and finally a person’s skin. Yang keeps diminishing and yin keeps growing. Although the third line provides a response and the fifth provides protection, the great fruit remains attached yet useless. A great building is about to collapse, supported by a single log; a huge boat is about to capsize, held by one cord. Something remains, but though this is called human action, is it not also Heaven’s decree? When a household declines and later prospers again, when blocked fortune becomes open again, this one yang is always hidden there as the turning point. How could one fail to guard this solitary surviving yang with the utmost care?
Applied to the state, this hexagram explains the source of disorder and order in states throughout history. Great turmoil does not begin at the moment it becomes visible; by the time disorder reaches its extreme, the calamity can no longer be forcibly reversed. At the height of chaos, petty people fill the court, loyal ministers are executed, and men of resolve perish. The yielding changes the firm, and firm yang is almost completely stripped away. Like Longfeng in Xia and Bigan and Jizi in Yin, those whose loyal devotion moved straight forward were repeatedly met with disaster; this is what “it is not favorable to have somewhere to go” means. Only figures such as Weizi, who left Yin, Taigong, who avoided Zhou, and our country’s Kan Ukyo, who was demoted, were able to yield and stop. In a narrow sense this is called preserving oneself through wisdom; in a broader sense it means awaiting the proper time to assist the turning of fortune. The top line of Bo says “the great fruit is not eaten,” referring precisely to the noble person who assists the turning of fortune. Even among petty people who cooperate in wrongdoing, are there not some who understand a little of their proper distinctions and cherish loyal and worthy people? Thus, line Six in the third place can respond to Nine at the top, and line Six in the fifth place can restrain the group of yin lines. Because the yielding line occupies a yang place, it can suppress yin and support yang. This is the opportunity within the hexagram for one yang to return, the omen that the state may pass from danger back to safety. The cycle of Heaven moves this way. For a state, if it is unfortunate enough to live in a time of stripping and disorder, it should rather yield and stop, and must not “have somewhere to go”; that is the proper course.
Viewed as a whole, this hexagram shows yin flourishing and stripping yang away. It is the hexagram of the ninth month, carrying the atmosphere of autumnal killing and the image of all things falling away. The waxing and waning of yin and yang is the movement of Heaven; the order and disorder, prosperity and decline of society are the fortune of the age. In the principles of creation, when ornament outshines substance, decline must follow; flowers blooming in the morning fall by evening. That is why Bo follows Bi. Disaster begins in what is slight and regret arises at the end. If one forcibly struggles against it, calamity will surely result; if one remains secure and guards oneself, one can preserve the beginning. This is why the Book of Changes warns against going forth and encourages yielding and stopping. The first line is the beginning of disaster, the gradual stripping of Bo; the second is more ominous; the third knows to follow what is right and thereby becomes isolated; the fourth, though stripping has reached the skin, faces disaster close at hand; the fifth occupies the honored position and alone can adjust the feelings of the multitude, winning them through kindness. Women and petty people each settle into their proper place and follow yang together, so they do not advance to strip the top line. The great fruit in the top line survives through this. Those good at changing circumstances turn disaster into fortune; those poor at changing circumstances turn good fortune into disaster. Thus Bo begins ominously but ends without calamity.
The Great Image says: “A mountain attached to the earth: Bo. Thus the ruler thickens what is below and secures his dwelling.”
The thickness of the earth is enough to carry a mountain, and the weight of the mountain is enough to stabilize the earth. Since earth is below, the image takes breadth and thickness; since mountain is above, it takes security and stability. “A mountain attached to the earth” is like something merely lodging upon it, so the mountain seems almost to sway and can no longer remain securely still. “The ruler above” means the sovereign. When a mountain is attached to the earth, it is like saying that the ruler depends on the people; then the ruler too is in danger. At such a time, the ruler should thicken what is below to preserve the security of his dwelling. The upper trigram is Gen and the lower trigram Kun. The stripping of Bo begins from below, so it says to thicken what is below. When the base below is thick, what is above is secure—just as thick earth makes the mountain secure. The lines mention a bed, a carriage, and a hut, mostly taking images from things within a dwelling. The Image says “secure the dwelling,” following this same category.
[Divination]
○ Asking about current fortune: The fortune is not very favorable. It is advisable to settle down and guard oneself; there will be no blame.
○ Asking about commerce: One must strengthen one’s capital, accumulate goods, and ship them overseas attached to a transport operation; profit will certainly be gained. Merchants profit by stripping others of their wealth, so this is auspicious.
○ Asking about a residence: If it is a rented or borrowed residence, one may finance its purchase and make it one’s own; one’s own residence, by contrast, is unfavorable.
○ Asking about warfare: Guard against enemy attack; it is advisable to strengthen one’s forces.
○ Asking about illness: The soul is not attached to the body; this is feared to be inauspicious.
○ Asking about a traveler: If the traveler goes along with companions, he can return home.
○ Asking about pregnancy: A girl will be born; there is danger at first but safety afterward.
○ Asking about a lost object: It can be found, but it is feared to be damaged or incomplete.
Six in the first place: Stripping the bed at the feet. Destroying the true and upright: misfortune.
Six in the first place: Stripping the bed at the feet. Destroying the true and upright: misfortune.
The Commentary on the Image says: “Stripping the bed at the feet: this is destroying what is below.”
A bed is where people sit and lie down. This hexagram is solid above and hollow below, as is a bed, so its image is taken from it. Yin strips yang from below upward. The first line is at the bottom, symbolizing the bed’s feet, so stripping begins at the feet. A bed stands on its feet; strip them and it topples, hence misfortune. “Destroy” means annihilate, and “upright” means correctness. Yin stripping yang is evil destroying what is right, the harm of petty people to noble people; hence “destroying the upright is misfortune.” The Image says “destroying what is below”: in terms of a bed, the feet are below; in terms of the line, the first line is also below. Thus it marks the beginning of stripping. One interpretation takes “upright” as the bed’s supporting frame, as Cheng Yi explains “frame”; this makes it another possible reading. Yu takes “stripping the bed at the feet, destroying” as one phrase, meaning that rigidly holding fast without disorder is good, while changing is ominous; this is yet another interpretation.
[Divination]
○ Asking about current fortune: At present, one’s fortune is undergoing stripping and decline; beware of an ailment in the feet.
○ Asking about commerce: For stacked goods, beware of decay at the bottom. If shipped overseas, the bottom of the vessel may take in water and be damaged.
○ Asking about a residence: Beware of damage to the pillar bases and thresholds; the structure may be about to collapse.
○ Asking about warfare: Beware of an enemy attack through tunnels.
○ Asking about a traveler: The traveler has an ailment in the feet and cannot return.
○ Asking about illness: This is an illness of the lesser yin channel of the foot; upright forces cannot overcome evil, so it is ominous.
【Case】 In the winter of Meiji 17, a certain foreign-silver merchant whom I knew came and asked for a divination about his fortune. The resulting hexagrams were Bo changing to Yi.
The judgment said: Bo strips from below upward; “stripping the bed at the feet” means the lower destroying the upper, an image of servants destroying their master. Since the first line was obtained, it is clear that you have employed people improperly below you. Beware that those below may fail to observe their proper place, flaunt their strength, and despise their master. Since the line image is like this, you should pay attention.
He thanked me and left. Later I heard that his household employed several dozen people. Since many were ineffective, the master planned to reduce their pay. The servants, each harboring resentment, formed a faction and plundered the master’s wealth, leaving the household trapped. Everything corresponded with the line image.
The Commentary on the Image says: “Stripping the bed at the feet: this is destroying what is below.”
A bed is where people sit and lie down. This hexagram is solid above and hollow below, as is a bed, so its image is taken from it. Yin strips yang from below upward. The first line is at the bottom, symbolizing the bed’s feet, so stripping begins at the feet. A bed stands on its feet; strip them and it topples, hence misfortune. “Destroy” means annihilate, and “upright” means correctness. Yin stripping yang is evil destroying what is right, the harm of petty people to noble people; hence “destroying the upright is misfortune.” The Image says “destroying what is below”: in terms of a bed, the feet are below; in terms of the line, the first line is also below. Thus it marks the beginning of stripping. One interpretation takes “upright” as the bed’s supporting frame, as Cheng Yi explains “frame”; this makes it another possible reading. Yu takes “stripping the bed at the feet, destroying” as one phrase, meaning that rigidly holding fast without disorder is good, while changing is ominous; this is yet another interpretation.
[Divination]
○ Asking about current fortune: At present, one’s fortune is undergoing stripping and decline; beware of an ailment in the feet.
○ Asking about commerce: For stacked goods, beware of decay at the bottom. If shipped overseas, the bottom of the vessel may take in water and be damaged.
○ Asking about a residence: Beware of damage to the pillar bases and thresholds; the structure may be about to collapse.
○ Asking about warfare: Beware of an enemy attack through tunnels.
○ Asking about a traveler: The traveler has an ailment in the feet and cannot return.
○ Asking about illness: This is an illness of the lesser yin channel of the foot; upright forces cannot overcome evil, so it is ominous.
【Case】 In the winter of Meiji 17, a certain foreign-silver merchant whom I knew came and asked for a divination about his fortune. The resulting hexagrams were Bo changing to Yi.
The judgment said: Bo strips from below upward; “stripping the bed at the feet” means the lower destroying the upper, an image of servants destroying their master. Since the first line was obtained, it is clear that you have employed people improperly below you. Beware that those below may fail to observe their proper place, flaunt their strength, and despise their master. Since the line image is like this, you should pay attention.
He thanked me and left. Later I heard that his household employed several dozen people. Since many were ineffective, the master planned to reduce their pay. The servants, each harboring resentment, formed a faction and plundered the master’s wealth, leaving the household trapped. Everything corresponded with the line image.
Six in the second place: Stripping the bed at the frame. Destroying the upright: misfortune.
Six in the second place: Stripping the bed at the frame. Destroying the upright: misfortune.
The Commentary on the Image says: “Stripping the bed at the frame: there is as yet no one to join it.”
“Frame” is explained in Cheng’s commentary as “the bed’s frame”: it lies above the feet and below the bed surface, the dividing part. First the feet are stripped, then the frame; yin is gradually advancing. Once stripping reaches the frame, the bed is even more dangerous. Evil flourishes and destroys the upright, so the misfortune is the same as in the first line. “There is as yet no one to join it” refers to Nine at the top: the second and first lines cooperate in evil and plot against Nine at the top, while the solitary yang at the top has no responding ally. The Image is warning Nine at the top.
[Divination]
○ Asking about current fortune: Since last year, things have gradually declined; one is being stripped by others and cannot make oneself understood. Ominous.
○ Asking about commerce: After goods are acquired, their price gradually falls and no profit can be made. Ominous.
○ Asking about a residence: “Frame” can also be read as “change.” The residence should be changed promptly; only then can misfortune be avoided.
○ Asking about a traveler: Once preparations are made, the traveler will return.
○ Asking about warfare: There are no troops ready to respond and receive the attack; one must not move. If one moves, it is ominous.
○ Asking about illness: The patient is already bedridden and has no good physician; beware that the illness may be incurable. Ominous.
○ Asking about pregnancy: A girl will be born and will be difficult to raise.
○ Asking about a lost object: It cannot yet be recovered.
【Case】 A gentleman came and asked for a divination about his fortune. The resulting hexagrams were Bo changing to Meng.
The judgment said: This hexagram has five yin lines stripping one yang, hence it is called Bo. In the second place, yin occupies a yin position and should correspond with the fifth, wishing to join in stripping the top line. The fifth line, however, is yielding in a yang position and is also adjacent to the top line, so it no longer strips the top; instead, the second line will join in stripping the fifth. “Frame” is the bed’s frame, the two sides of the bed. Thus line two shows a desire to strip both sides: caring nothing for morality, but only knowing how to strip others for personal gain. Yet stripping in this manner cannot avoid misfortune. Therefore the Commentary on the Image says, “There is as yet no one to join it,” meaning that people of this sort can never have a good relationship with others.
The gentleman listened, seemingly moved, and left. Later I heard that he had lent his relatives an enormous sum of money, but instead of thinking of gratitude, he wanted to destroy and obliterate them. This was utterly unrighteous. The principles of the I Ching can secretly expose his treachery; its spiritual manifestness is frightening.
The Commentary on the Image says: “Stripping the bed at the frame: there is as yet no one to join it.”
“Frame” is explained in Cheng’s commentary as “the bed’s frame”: it lies above the feet and below the bed surface, the dividing part. First the feet are stripped, then the frame; yin is gradually advancing. Once stripping reaches the frame, the bed is even more dangerous. Evil flourishes and destroys the upright, so the misfortune is the same as in the first line. “There is as yet no one to join it” refers to Nine at the top: the second and first lines cooperate in evil and plot against Nine at the top, while the solitary yang at the top has no responding ally. The Image is warning Nine at the top.
[Divination]
○ Asking about current fortune: Since last year, things have gradually declined; one is being stripped by others and cannot make oneself understood. Ominous.
○ Asking about commerce: After goods are acquired, their price gradually falls and no profit can be made. Ominous.
○ Asking about a residence: “Frame” can also be read as “change.” The residence should be changed promptly; only then can misfortune be avoided.
○ Asking about a traveler: Once preparations are made, the traveler will return.
○ Asking about warfare: There are no troops ready to respond and receive the attack; one must not move. If one moves, it is ominous.
○ Asking about illness: The patient is already bedridden and has no good physician; beware that the illness may be incurable. Ominous.
○ Asking about pregnancy: A girl will be born and will be difficult to raise.
○ Asking about a lost object: It cannot yet be recovered.
【Case】 A gentleman came and asked for a divination about his fortune. The resulting hexagrams were Bo changing to Meng.
The judgment said: This hexagram has five yin lines stripping one yang, hence it is called Bo. In the second place, yin occupies a yin position and should correspond with the fifth, wishing to join in stripping the top line. The fifth line, however, is yielding in a yang position and is also adjacent to the top line, so it no longer strips the top; instead, the second line will join in stripping the fifth. “Frame” is the bed’s frame, the two sides of the bed. Thus line two shows a desire to strip both sides: caring nothing for morality, but only knowing how to strip others for personal gain. Yet stripping in this manner cannot avoid misfortune. Therefore the Commentary on the Image says, “There is as yet no one to join it,” meaning that people of this sort can never have a good relationship with others.
The gentleman listened, seemingly moved, and left. Later I heard that he had lent his relatives an enormous sum of money, but instead of thinking of gratitude, he wanted to destroy and obliterate them. This was utterly unrighteous. The principles of the I Ching can secretly expose his treachery; its spiritual manifestness is frightening.
Six in the third place: Stripping away; no blame.
Six in the third place: Stripping away; no blame.
The Commentary on the Image says: “Stripping away, no blame: it loses those above and below.”
Yin occupies a yang position and corresponds with the top line. Though belonging to the yin group, its heart is set on helping yang. When the group of yin is stripping yang, the third line alone responds to firmness. Thus it is one who, while being a petty person, preserves a noble person, and is granted “no blame,” so its good is not ignored. The Image says “it loses those above and below,” meaning that although it is among the yin lines above and below, it alone can abandon the faction and follow what is right; it loses its party, hence “it loses those above and below.”
[Divination]
○ Asking about current fortune: Although the fortune is not upright, one can reverse one’s conduct and thereby avoid blame.
○ Asking about commerce: The entire business group expects high prices, but you alone secretly proceed to sell and escape. Although you lose the group’s goodwill, you alone gain a profit.
○ Asking about a residence: Remove the rafters and tiles, level the foundation, strip away and rebuild; there will be no blame.
○ Asking about warfare: This is the person with the best strategy in the army. Although not coordinating with the other forces, attacking independently can bring victory. No blame.
○ Asking about illness: A dispersing, digestive, or attacking medicine is advisable; taking it will bring recovery.
【Case】 In the winter of Meiji 17, a certain foreign-silver merchant from Yokohama came and asked for a divination about his fortune. The resulting hexagrams were Bo changing to Gen.
The judgment said: Bo is the hexagram of a mountain collapsing into earth, hence it is called Bo. The five yin lines are gradually growing and will strip away the one yang; to strip means to deprive and reduce. Since the third line was obtained, and it is yin in a yang position and corresponds with the single yang above, it belongs to the group of yin but is not of the same mind as them, hence “no blame.” In practical terms, although engaging in the same buying and selling, one can devise an independent approach: buy what others discard and take what they abandon, and great profit will certainly be gained. In terms of the Bo hexagram, the mountain changes into earth, suggesting that prices currently as high as a mountain may suddenly fall as low as the earth. The diviner should take note.
Later, someone came to thank me, saying: “On this occasion, because of the Korean affair, foreign silver rose sharply in value. I trusted what the I Ching divination indicated and sold it at a high price, making several hundred thousand yen in one moment. The divination of the I Ching is so subtle and profound that it is beyond measurement. I am deeply impressed, deeply impressed!”
The Commentary on the Image says: “Stripping away, no blame: it loses those above and below.”
Yin occupies a yang position and corresponds with the top line. Though belonging to the yin group, its heart is set on helping yang. When the group of yin is stripping yang, the third line alone responds to firmness. Thus it is one who, while being a petty person, preserves a noble person, and is granted “no blame,” so its good is not ignored. The Image says “it loses those above and below,” meaning that although it is among the yin lines above and below, it alone can abandon the faction and follow what is right; it loses its party, hence “it loses those above and below.”
[Divination]
○ Asking about current fortune: Although the fortune is not upright, one can reverse one’s conduct and thereby avoid blame.
○ Asking about commerce: The entire business group expects high prices, but you alone secretly proceed to sell and escape. Although you lose the group’s goodwill, you alone gain a profit.
○ Asking about a residence: Remove the rafters and tiles, level the foundation, strip away and rebuild; there will be no blame.
○ Asking about warfare: This is the person with the best strategy in the army. Although not coordinating with the other forces, attacking independently can bring victory. No blame.
○ Asking about illness: A dispersing, digestive, or attacking medicine is advisable; taking it will bring recovery.
【Case】 In the winter of Meiji 17, a certain foreign-silver merchant from Yokohama came and asked for a divination about his fortune. The resulting hexagrams were Bo changing to Gen.
The judgment said: Bo is the hexagram of a mountain collapsing into earth, hence it is called Bo. The five yin lines are gradually growing and will strip away the one yang; to strip means to deprive and reduce. Since the third line was obtained, and it is yin in a yang position and corresponds with the single yang above, it belongs to the group of yin but is not of the same mind as them, hence “no blame.” In practical terms, although engaging in the same buying and selling, one can devise an independent approach: buy what others discard and take what they abandon, and great profit will certainly be gained. In terms of the Bo hexagram, the mountain changes into earth, suggesting that prices currently as high as a mountain may suddenly fall as low as the earth. The diviner should take note.
Later, someone came to thank me, saying: “On this occasion, because of the Korean affair, foreign silver rose sharply in value. I trusted what the I Ching divination indicated and sold it at a high price, making several hundred thousand yen in one moment. The divination of the I Ching is so subtle and profound that it is beyond measurement. I am deeply impressed, deeply impressed!”
Six in the fourth place: Stripping the bed down to the skin. Misfortune.
Six in the fourth place: Stripping the bed down to the skin. Misfortune.
The Commentary on the Image says: “Stripping the bed down to the skin” means that disaster is drawing very near.
The disaster of Stripping begins to sprout in the first line; by the fourth line it gradually presses nearer and nearer. The fourth line is yin in a yin position, joining the first and second in the same evil and helping one another. In the inner trigram, the first and second lines are separated from the outer trigram; with the bed dividing above and below, they are far from the top line, so what is stripped reaches only the “feet” and the “frame.” The fourth line belongs to the same trigram as the top line; the nearer it is, the more severe the stripping becomes, and thus it reaches directly to the “skin.” Viewed in sequence, the first line is the bed’s feet, the second its frame, the third the bed itself, and the fourth the body of the person lying on it. Gen is associated with fingers and a beak, and therefore has the image of the human body; hence it says, “Stripping the bed down to the skin. Misfortune.” The Commentary on the Image says, “Disaster is drawing very near”: the stripping has reached the skin, and disaster has reached the person himself. Thus it says, “Disaster is drawing very near,” a profound danger to the one yang. Stripping means petty people stripping the noble man, so it ought to be disastrous for the noble man. Yet in the first, second, and fourth lines it does not say “misfortune for the noble man,” but simply and generally says “misfortune.” This shows that when stripping harms the country, destroying the state and ruining families, the noble man is certainly doomed, but petty people likewise cannot escape misfortune. Therefore the Image uniformly calls it “misfortune.” How subtle the meaning! One explanation reads “skin” as the bed mat, the boards of a bed; that also provides a possible interpretation.
[Divination]
○ Regarding current fortune: The circumstances are extremely unfavorable, and there is fear of bodily injury.
○ Regarding business: There is fear that losses will be excessive; guard also against unexpected disaster.
○ Regarding the home: This residence is certain to become ruined and uninhabitable; its occupants will also dwindle, and collapse must be guarded against.
○ Regarding warfare: There is fear that the commanding general will suffer disaster.
○ Regarding illness: Ominous.
○ Regarding pregnancy: A girl will be born, and the mother may also be in danger during childbirth.
[Example] A wealthy merchant came and asked for a divination about his fortune; the resulting hexagrams were Stripping changing to Advance.
The judgment said: The disaster of Stripping comes from far and reaches near. When it is still far away, the disaster is small and can still be avoided; once it is close, it is hard to escape even by avoidance. You have now obtained the fourth line. The fourth and top lines are in the same trigram, so disaster is already near. “Stripping the bed down to the skin” means the stripping has reached the flesh. Considering where the disaster will come from, it is clear that it must involve someone living with you and someone who has been treated as close. You might worship ancestors and pray to the gods in hopes of avoiding the disaster, but even that may not secure your safety. You should also promptly make plans to live elsewhere. Furthermore, since the divination image is ominous, your appearance must be examined as well. If a black or reddish qi appears between the eyebrows, or a fine red ring appears on the celestial court of the forehead, it will certainly be difficult to escape calamity. Fortunately, your complexion is healthy and shows no form of disaster; moving to another place may enable you to avoid it.
The man was greatly alarmed and moved to live in Yunzhou Tangben. Unexpectedly, one of his business partners went north to sell rice, gambled in the rice market in Osaka, and suffered enormous losses. This partner had always been honest and was close to the man, so he had entrusted him with tens of thousands in gold without ever suspecting him. After suffering this huge loss, the partner suddenly conceived a wicked scheme, concealed the assets from his principal, and staked his life on it; he went to relatives and friends everywhere to confess his guilt. Since the matter arose from helpless circumstances, no further inquiry was made. The clear revelation given by I Ching divination—how could one fail to be cautious!
The Commentary on the Image says: “Stripping the bed down to the skin” means that disaster is drawing very near.
The disaster of Stripping begins to sprout in the first line; by the fourth line it gradually presses nearer and nearer. The fourth line is yin in a yin position, joining the first and second in the same evil and helping one another. In the inner trigram, the first and second lines are separated from the outer trigram; with the bed dividing above and below, they are far from the top line, so what is stripped reaches only the “feet” and the “frame.” The fourth line belongs to the same trigram as the top line; the nearer it is, the more severe the stripping becomes, and thus it reaches directly to the “skin.” Viewed in sequence, the first line is the bed’s feet, the second its frame, the third the bed itself, and the fourth the body of the person lying on it. Gen is associated with fingers and a beak, and therefore has the image of the human body; hence it says, “Stripping the bed down to the skin. Misfortune.” The Commentary on the Image says, “Disaster is drawing very near”: the stripping has reached the skin, and disaster has reached the person himself. Thus it says, “Disaster is drawing very near,” a profound danger to the one yang. Stripping means petty people stripping the noble man, so it ought to be disastrous for the noble man. Yet in the first, second, and fourth lines it does not say “misfortune for the noble man,” but simply and generally says “misfortune.” This shows that when stripping harms the country, destroying the state and ruining families, the noble man is certainly doomed, but petty people likewise cannot escape misfortune. Therefore the Image uniformly calls it “misfortune.” How subtle the meaning! One explanation reads “skin” as the bed mat, the boards of a bed; that also provides a possible interpretation.
[Divination]
○ Regarding current fortune: The circumstances are extremely unfavorable, and there is fear of bodily injury.
○ Regarding business: There is fear that losses will be excessive; guard also against unexpected disaster.
○ Regarding the home: This residence is certain to become ruined and uninhabitable; its occupants will also dwindle, and collapse must be guarded against.
○ Regarding warfare: There is fear that the commanding general will suffer disaster.
○ Regarding illness: Ominous.
○ Regarding pregnancy: A girl will be born, and the mother may also be in danger during childbirth.
[Example] A wealthy merchant came and asked for a divination about his fortune; the resulting hexagrams were Stripping changing to Advance.
The judgment said: The disaster of Stripping comes from far and reaches near. When it is still far away, the disaster is small and can still be avoided; once it is close, it is hard to escape even by avoidance. You have now obtained the fourth line. The fourth and top lines are in the same trigram, so disaster is already near. “Stripping the bed down to the skin” means the stripping has reached the flesh. Considering where the disaster will come from, it is clear that it must involve someone living with you and someone who has been treated as close. You might worship ancestors and pray to the gods in hopes of avoiding the disaster, but even that may not secure your safety. You should also promptly make plans to live elsewhere. Furthermore, since the divination image is ominous, your appearance must be examined as well. If a black or reddish qi appears between the eyebrows, or a fine red ring appears on the celestial court of the forehead, it will certainly be difficult to escape calamity. Fortunately, your complexion is healthy and shows no form of disaster; moving to another place may enable you to avoid it.
The man was greatly alarmed and moved to live in Yunzhou Tangben. Unexpectedly, one of his business partners went north to sell rice, gambled in the rice market in Osaka, and suffered enormous losses. This partner had always been honest and was close to the man, so he had entrusted him with tens of thousands in gold without ever suspecting him. After suffering this huge loss, the partner suddenly conceived a wicked scheme, concealed the assets from his principal, and staked his life on it; he went to relatives and friends everywhere to confess his guilt. Since the matter arose from helpless circumstances, no further inquiry was made. The clear revelation given by I Ching divination—how could one fail to be cautious!
Six in the fifth place: A string of fish. The palace women receive favor. Nothing is unfavorable.
Six in the fifth place: A string of fish. The palace women receive favor. Nothing is unfavorable.
The Commentary on the Image says: “The palace women receive favor” means that in the end there will be no blame.
The fifth place is the position of honor. Although it is yin occupying a yang place, it is close to the top line and knows that the multitude of yin lines is pressing upward, while the single yang line is already in danger and cannot be stripped any further. Thus, the yin lines preserve the yang line. Yet when yang attempts to control yin, the yin are numerous and yang is isolated; they certainly will not submit to control. It is better to lead the yin lines in following the yang. The words “fish” and “palace women” both symbolize yin. “A string of fish” means leading the many yin lines so that they form a connected procession; “the palace women receive favor” means that, as palace women, they receive the favor of the one yang line. Once the one yang line escapes being stripped, the multitude of yin lines also escapes misfortune. Therefore it says, “A string of fish; the palace women receive favor—there is nothing unfavorable.” The Commentary on the Image says, “In the end, there will be no blame.” Six in the fifth place is the leader of the multitude of yin lines. By leading the petty multitude and making them submit in awe to the noble person, it preserves the great fruit; this is the power of the fifth line. Hence it says, “In the end, there will be no blame.” In Stripping Away, all the yin lines wish to strip away yang. Only the fifth yin line, occupying a yang place, can tactfully protect the one yang line. The first line, yang occupying a yin place, knows only Stripping Away; the calamity of Stripping Away truly begins with the first line, because it is lowly and base, unlike the humane ninth line.
[Divination]
○ Regarding current fortune: At present your fortune is splendid; everything proceeds smoothly, and nothing is unfavorable.
○ Regarding business: You may gain profits amounting to a full string of cash and tens of thousands; marine products from the northern seas are especially favorable.
○ Regarding the home: There is an image of a woman managing the household.
○ Regarding warfare: You must employ a plan to sow discord in the enemy army; victory can be achieved.
○ Regarding illness: This is a yin-deficiency condition. Take good care of yourself, and there should still be no worry.
○ Regarding the traveler: There is an outside affair of affection; he will certainly return with a companion.
○ Question about pregnancy: A girl will be born.
[Example] Mr. Mori Jotaro of Sakai-cho, Yokohama, a clerk for a British foreign merchant, suffered abdominal pain in the spring of 1881. After internal and external physicians examined him and medicines proved ineffective, the pain worsened. His mother asked me to perform a divination; the resulting hexagrams were Stripping changing to Contemplation.
The judgment said: Stripping means falling away. When it reaches the top line, the one yang is about to be exhausted, showing the extinction of vital spirit. You have obtained the fifth line; apply treatment quickly, and there may still be a chance of emerging alive from a hundred deaths. The line statement says, “A string of fish. The palace women receive favor.” To string means to pierce; it means piercing an object with a needle, indicating that acupuncture should be applied to the appropriate points. I do not understand medicine, nor do I know whether acupuncture is suitable; I merely speak from the Image of the I Ching. Try treating him with acupuncture.
His mother said: “There is a practitioner of acupuncture in Tokyo, Mr. Wakamiya, whose home is near yours; we can invite him to treat you.” I said: “The line statement says, ‘The palace women receive favor.’ Since the man’s surname is Wakamiya, this is exceptionally fitting. Invite him quickly.” His mother returned and immediately summoned Mr. Wakamiya to examine him. When Mr. Wakamiya arrived, he first felt the patient’s limbs and listened to the symptoms. As if struck by an intuition, he said after a short while: “This is a condition I have treated before. If we delay any longer, it may be too late to treat!” He immediately administered acupuncture. After two or three hours, thunderous rumbling sounded in the abdomen, a sign of recovery. If the abdomen had not rumbled after the needling, there would have been nothing the treatment could do; yet after the needles, it did rumble. The distress suddenly disappeared, and he recovered within a few days. The subtle principles of the I Ching may truly be said to reveal everything, however minute.
I often told Mr. Nakamura Keiu about this divination. He greatly praised it, saying: “Using the line statement ‘a string of fish’ to support acupuncture is beyond what others could achieve. Your living interpretation is admirable—deep respect, deep respect! And the physician’s surname happened to be Wakamiya; it is truly extraordinary. Such is the subtle precision of the I Ching!”
[Example] On the twenty-eighth day of the third month of 1899, a divination was performed concerning clear or rainy weather.
After the Restoration, I once saw an old sacred image being displayed at an exposition, which was a great disrespect. I therefore built a sacred shrine on Mount Taikō and every year on the winter solstice divined matters concerning the nation in that hall. Chancellor Sanjō came to inspect it and bestowed on it the plaque “Hall of Divine Changes.” Thereafter, a festival was held every year on the eighth day of the fourth month. That year, fearing it would coincide with the rainy season, I cast a hexagram to divine whether the weather would be clear or rainy, obtaining Stripping changing to Contemplation.
The line statement says: “Six in the fifth place: A string of fish. The palace women receive favor. Nothing is unfavorable.”
The Commentary on the Image says: “The palace women receive favor; in the end there will be no blame.”
The judgment said: This hexagram as a whole has no image of water, so it is clear that there will be no rain. When the fifth line changes, it becomes Xun, which has wind alone. Moreover, Contemplation is a hexagram of sacrifice, fitting the festival.
When the date arrived, the weather was indeed beautifully clear. At three in the afternoon there was a slight breeze. I feared that the family of weather diviners would have no way to verify the prediction.
In all divinations concerning clear or rainy weather, when the top line of Small Accumulation changes, the wind must stop and turn into rain. Its Tuan Commentary says, “Dense clouds, no rain,” and at this point it says, “It has already rained.” Reasoning from the lines: when water appears on the face of a hexagram, it signifies rain; when water changes, it signifies that the rain stops. The inner trigram represents before noon, and the outer trigram after noon; the same applies to wind. Zhuge Liang’s fire attack at Red Cliffs also followed this principle.
The Commentary on the Image says: “The palace women receive favor” means that in the end there will be no blame.
The fifth place is the position of honor. Although it is yin occupying a yang place, it is close to the top line and knows that the multitude of yin lines is pressing upward, while the single yang line is already in danger and cannot be stripped any further. Thus, the yin lines preserve the yang line. Yet when yang attempts to control yin, the yin are numerous and yang is isolated; they certainly will not submit to control. It is better to lead the yin lines in following the yang. The words “fish” and “palace women” both symbolize yin. “A string of fish” means leading the many yin lines so that they form a connected procession; “the palace women receive favor” means that, as palace women, they receive the favor of the one yang line. Once the one yang line escapes being stripped, the multitude of yin lines also escapes misfortune. Therefore it says, “A string of fish; the palace women receive favor—there is nothing unfavorable.” The Commentary on the Image says, “In the end, there will be no blame.” Six in the fifth place is the leader of the multitude of yin lines. By leading the petty multitude and making them submit in awe to the noble person, it preserves the great fruit; this is the power of the fifth line. Hence it says, “In the end, there will be no blame.” In Stripping Away, all the yin lines wish to strip away yang. Only the fifth yin line, occupying a yang place, can tactfully protect the one yang line. The first line, yang occupying a yin place, knows only Stripping Away; the calamity of Stripping Away truly begins with the first line, because it is lowly and base, unlike the humane ninth line.
[Divination]
○ Regarding current fortune: At present your fortune is splendid; everything proceeds smoothly, and nothing is unfavorable.
○ Regarding business: You may gain profits amounting to a full string of cash and tens of thousands; marine products from the northern seas are especially favorable.
○ Regarding the home: There is an image of a woman managing the household.
○ Regarding warfare: You must employ a plan to sow discord in the enemy army; victory can be achieved.
○ Regarding illness: This is a yin-deficiency condition. Take good care of yourself, and there should still be no worry.
○ Regarding the traveler: There is an outside affair of affection; he will certainly return with a companion.
○ Question about pregnancy: A girl will be born.
[Example] Mr. Mori Jotaro of Sakai-cho, Yokohama, a clerk for a British foreign merchant, suffered abdominal pain in the spring of 1881. After internal and external physicians examined him and medicines proved ineffective, the pain worsened. His mother asked me to perform a divination; the resulting hexagrams were Stripping changing to Contemplation.
The judgment said: Stripping means falling away. When it reaches the top line, the one yang is about to be exhausted, showing the extinction of vital spirit. You have obtained the fifth line; apply treatment quickly, and there may still be a chance of emerging alive from a hundred deaths. The line statement says, “A string of fish. The palace women receive favor.” To string means to pierce; it means piercing an object with a needle, indicating that acupuncture should be applied to the appropriate points. I do not understand medicine, nor do I know whether acupuncture is suitable; I merely speak from the Image of the I Ching. Try treating him with acupuncture.
His mother said: “There is a practitioner of acupuncture in Tokyo, Mr. Wakamiya, whose home is near yours; we can invite him to treat you.” I said: “The line statement says, ‘The palace women receive favor.’ Since the man’s surname is Wakamiya, this is exceptionally fitting. Invite him quickly.” His mother returned and immediately summoned Mr. Wakamiya to examine him. When Mr. Wakamiya arrived, he first felt the patient’s limbs and listened to the symptoms. As if struck by an intuition, he said after a short while: “This is a condition I have treated before. If we delay any longer, it may be too late to treat!” He immediately administered acupuncture. After two or three hours, thunderous rumbling sounded in the abdomen, a sign of recovery. If the abdomen had not rumbled after the needling, there would have been nothing the treatment could do; yet after the needles, it did rumble. The distress suddenly disappeared, and he recovered within a few days. The subtle principles of the I Ching may truly be said to reveal everything, however minute.
I often told Mr. Nakamura Keiu about this divination. He greatly praised it, saying: “Using the line statement ‘a string of fish’ to support acupuncture is beyond what others could achieve. Your living interpretation is admirable—deep respect, deep respect! And the physician’s surname happened to be Wakamiya; it is truly extraordinary. Such is the subtle precision of the I Ching!”
[Example] On the twenty-eighth day of the third month of 1899, a divination was performed concerning clear or rainy weather.
After the Restoration, I once saw an old sacred image being displayed at an exposition, which was a great disrespect. I therefore built a sacred shrine on Mount Taikō and every year on the winter solstice divined matters concerning the nation in that hall. Chancellor Sanjō came to inspect it and bestowed on it the plaque “Hall of Divine Changes.” Thereafter, a festival was held every year on the eighth day of the fourth month. That year, fearing it would coincide with the rainy season, I cast a hexagram to divine whether the weather would be clear or rainy, obtaining Stripping changing to Contemplation.
The line statement says: “Six in the fifth place: A string of fish. The palace women receive favor. Nothing is unfavorable.”
The Commentary on the Image says: “The palace women receive favor; in the end there will be no blame.”
The judgment said: This hexagram as a whole has no image of water, so it is clear that there will be no rain. When the fifth line changes, it becomes Xun, which has wind alone. Moreover, Contemplation is a hexagram of sacrifice, fitting the festival.
When the date arrived, the weather was indeed beautifully clear. At three in the afternoon there was a slight breeze. I feared that the family of weather diviners would have no way to verify the prediction.
In all divinations concerning clear or rainy weather, when the top line of Small Accumulation changes, the wind must stop and turn into rain. Its Tuan Commentary says, “Dense clouds, no rain,” and at this point it says, “It has already rained.” Reasoning from the lines: when water appears on the face of a hexagram, it signifies rain; when water changes, it signifies that the rain stops. The inner trigram represents before noon, and the outer trigram after noon; the same applies to wind. Zhuge Liang’s fire attack at Red Cliffs also followed this principle.
Nine at the top: The great fruit is not eaten. The noble man gains a carriage; the petty man strips his hut.
Nine at the top: The great fruit is not eaten. The noble man gains a carriage; the petty man strips his hut.
The Commentary on the Image says: “The noble man gains a carriage” means that the people carry him. “The petty man strips his hut” means that in the end he cannot be employed.
Gen represents fruit, and the fruit is on the tree; therefore, in the top line there is the image of a great fruit. Gen also means stopping, hence “the great fruit is not eaten.” A carriage is the earth, and the earth carries things; “gaining a carriage” means gaining what the people support and carry. A hut is a house used to shelter people; “stripping the hut” means having nothing left to shelter oneself. This line has one yang at the top, like a great fruit remaining alone, rising above and outside the hexagram, beyond the ability of the many yin to gnaw away; hence, “the great fruit is not eaten.” The reason it is not eaten may be understood from the Way of Heaven: there is no principle in which all yang is extinguished and only yin remains. From human affairs, there is no reason why all noble people should perish while only petty people survive. How could there be no good people in the world for even a single day? Stripping corresponds to the tenth month, precisely when all trees are shedding their leaves. A large fruit still remains at the treetop; within the fruit is a kernel sufficient to sprout again. This is the image that, though stripping is not yet complete, yang will be reborn. Moreover, when stripping reaches its extreme, disorder arises; when disorder reaches its extreme, people long for order. Thus all hearts cherish and support the noble man, which is called “the noble man gains a carriage.” The petty man strips away the noble man and ultimately loses his own shelter; hence, “the petty man strips his hut.” The Commentary on the Image says: “The noble man gains a carriage; the people carry him. The petty man strips his hut; in the end he cannot be employed.” The noble man’s virtue and beneficence flow far and long, so the people must carry him. The petty man’s evil traces become manifest, so “in the end he cannot be employed.” When this line changes, it becomes Kun, an image of being ultimately unusable.
[Divination]
○ Regarding current fortune: Your fortune is declining now; good fortune will arrive in a year.
○ Regarding business: Those who sell may still obtain a slight profit; those who buy will certainly suffer considerable losses.
○ Regarding the home: A loyal and honest family still has residual blessings; those who built their fortunes through harshness and meanness may face the danger of walls and houses collapsing.
○ Regarding warfare: The defender will be blameless; the attacker will certainly be defeated.
○ Regarding illness: There is concern that food and drink will not go down.
○ Regarding pregnancy: A boy will be born; he will be an only son.
[Example] In 1890, I cast for the national institution of the Genrōin and obtained Stripping changing to Kun.
The judgment said: When Stripping reaches the top nine, the stripping is nearly complete and little remains. Might the Genrōin perhaps be abolished? At that time, as the Diet was being established, the councilors of the Genrōin generally became members of the House of Peers or privy councilors; their devotion to national affairs was the same, so the Genrōin could naturally be abolished. Its abolition could have been inferred in advance, but the Image of the I Ching clearly indicated it beforehand, so I append this record.
The Commentary on the Image says: “The noble man gains a carriage” means that the people carry him. “The petty man strips his hut” means that in the end he cannot be employed.
Gen represents fruit, and the fruit is on the tree; therefore, in the top line there is the image of a great fruit. Gen also means stopping, hence “the great fruit is not eaten.” A carriage is the earth, and the earth carries things; “gaining a carriage” means gaining what the people support and carry. A hut is a house used to shelter people; “stripping the hut” means having nothing left to shelter oneself. This line has one yang at the top, like a great fruit remaining alone, rising above and outside the hexagram, beyond the ability of the many yin to gnaw away; hence, “the great fruit is not eaten.” The reason it is not eaten may be understood from the Way of Heaven: there is no principle in which all yang is extinguished and only yin remains. From human affairs, there is no reason why all noble people should perish while only petty people survive. How could there be no good people in the world for even a single day? Stripping corresponds to the tenth month, precisely when all trees are shedding their leaves. A large fruit still remains at the treetop; within the fruit is a kernel sufficient to sprout again. This is the image that, though stripping is not yet complete, yang will be reborn. Moreover, when stripping reaches its extreme, disorder arises; when disorder reaches its extreme, people long for order. Thus all hearts cherish and support the noble man, which is called “the noble man gains a carriage.” The petty man strips away the noble man and ultimately loses his own shelter; hence, “the petty man strips his hut.” The Commentary on the Image says: “The noble man gains a carriage; the people carry him. The petty man strips his hut; in the end he cannot be employed.” The noble man’s virtue and beneficence flow far and long, so the people must carry him. The petty man’s evil traces become manifest, so “in the end he cannot be employed.” When this line changes, it becomes Kun, an image of being ultimately unusable.
[Divination]
○ Regarding current fortune: Your fortune is declining now; good fortune will arrive in a year.
○ Regarding business: Those who sell may still obtain a slight profit; those who buy will certainly suffer considerable losses.
○ Regarding the home: A loyal and honest family still has residual blessings; those who built their fortunes through harshness and meanness may face the danger of walls and houses collapsing.
○ Regarding warfare: The defender will be blameless; the attacker will certainly be defeated.
○ Regarding illness: There is concern that food and drink will not go down.
○ Regarding pregnancy: A boy will be born; he will be an only son.
[Example] In 1890, I cast for the national institution of the Genrōin and obtained Stripping changing to Kun.
The judgment said: When Stripping reaches the top nine, the stripping is nearly complete and little remains. Might the Genrōin perhaps be abolished? At that time, as the Diet was being established, the councilors of the Genrōin generally became members of the House of Peers or privy councilors; their devotion to national affairs was the same, so the Genrōin could naturally be abolished. Its abolition could have been inferred in advance, but the Image of the I Ching clearly indicated it beforehand, so I append this record.